Kevin Hall’s story is well-known in Cincinnati golf circles.  Deaf since the age of 2 from a life-threatening bout with a virus called H-Flu Meningitis, Kevin has overcome many obstacles and challenges en route to a very successful junior, high school and collegiate golf career.

Now age 24, Kevin is in the midst of taking it one more step, trying to make it to the big show – the PGA Tour – where he has already competed five times to date through sponsor exemptions, making two cuts.

Kevin is currently competing on the Hooters Tour as a full status player and has teed it up in a few Nationwide Tour events through Monday qualifying.

It’s been a whirlwind time for Kevin, who was in town back in May for a U.S. Open Local Qualifier.  That’s where I caught up with him and his father, Percy, to see how things were going.  Kevin later took time out of a busy schedule to answer a few of my questions via e-mail.

Q: It was good seeing you at Maketewah Country Club for a U.S. Open Local Qualifier.  Although you didn’t qualify, was it nice being back in Cincinnati?

A: Yes, it was nice to be back in Cincinnati. I was away from home for a long time playing golf all over the place so it was nice to finally be home and see a lot of familiar faces.

Q: Do you have to pinch yourself sometimes, thinking about how far you’ve come since your earlier playing days as a junior golfer in Cincinnati and at St. Rita’s/Winton Woods High School?

A: No, I think that I knew I was going to head in this direction and accomplish as much as I have accomplished since the junior golf days. There is some times where I think about the tournaments I've participated in and some of them surprised me, like playing in the Memorial. I thought I'd do fairly well on the mini-tours and Nationwide qualifiers/events but to play in five PGA events already, sometimes I go, "Wow." But somewhere in my mind, I kind of knew that I'd play in some big events at some point.

Q: What are some of your best memories from those earlier years?

A: I think my best memories of the earlier years were my senior year at Winton Woods, just kind of coming out of my shell and emerging as one of the best players in Cincinnati and in the state of Ohio... And performing so well in some of the big junior events on the AJGA, PGA series and the USGA events. I miss just being a kid and competing against a lot of juniors my age and the fun that came with it.

Q: What are some of the biggest things you learned while away at school at OSU, both on and off the golf course?

A: Well, on the golf course I learned that your own game and confidence are the only things you have with you out there. If you don’t have those two, then you won't do well against great college teams/players. Off the golf course, I learned how to live on my own. I learned what I needed in order to protect myself and in order to make sure things are in order. Stuff like having fire, phone, and bed alarms in my room that have lights flashing when they go off or vibrating under my bed. Stuff like paying attention when driving around campus because I can't hear all the beeping or the blasting of the horns. Stuff like making a schedule so I have time to practice, work out and do my school work. If you don't put yourself on a schedule, you don't know what you're going to do and you'll fall way behind in things.

Q: You were featured on the cover of Hometown Golf back in 1999 when you were a senior in high school.  The headline read: “The Area’s Next Best Golfer?”  Do you still have that issue?

A: Yes I still have it.

Q: So how has life as a professional been treating you?

A: Kind of rough. The learning curve is taking a lot longer than I expected. It's not like college where you can be wild off the tee and get away with it or make a bunch of bogies/doubles and still manage to salvage a good round with a ton of birdies. It's a lot tougher out on the professional tour, a lot more demanding. You have to take practice seriously and manage your time. You have to learn to make better decisions on the course, where you want to place your tee shots and your approach shots on the greens. You're also playing for money out there, money you need to pay your bills and other stuff. So you better have your stuff together out there.

Q: What is the toughest thing about playing professional golf?

A: I think that being alone out there, you don't have your team to fall back on or a coach for that matter. You're on your own out there and the competition is just that much better, you have to learn how to accept the game that you have and play with it out there. Play within yourself and just go have fun.

Q: What is the biggest difference between a Nationwide Tour player and a PGA Tour player?

A: Obviously mental. Look at Boo Weekley. He lounged around the Nationwide Tour for years and Ken Duke, too. They can hit it just as good as anybody on the PGA Tour. Players on the Nationwide aren't on the PGA Tour because they have not learned how to grind it out for four rounds and to close the deal when they need to. That's what the PGA Tour is all about. Nobody on that tour thinks about "making the cut." Everybody on that tour knows how to score and take it deep when they have to. Nationwide Tour players obviously have a lot of skills but the Nationwide Tour is a great place for players to learn how to play their games, handle the pressure when it's on and to close the deal when it's time. When they learn how to do all that, they'll be ready for the PGA Tour.

Q: What are some of the things you have learned about yourself and your game since turning professional?

A: The biggest thing I've learned is that I hit it just as good as anybody out there. I can drive the ball 300 if I want to. I can cut or draw the ball if I want to. Hit it high, low, medium, whatever I need to hit at the moment. The most important thing I need to work on now is my mental game. I'm trying to convince myself that I'm good enough to hit any kind of shot I want. Who cares about hitting it out of bounds, hooking it into the water, all kinds of funny shots? Pick the shot you want to play at that moment, see the shot, step up to the ball and hit it. If I can train my brain to do that, then and only then will I see positive results out there.

Q: I noticed in your online journal that you said you lost confidence in your game last year.  What happened – and has that ever happened to you before?

A: Oh yeah. I lost my confidence completely. I shot 14 under in the first stage of Q-school in 2005 and tied for medalist. Then I had two weeks before the second stage. I complained after the first stage that I thought I was losing distance hitting a fade exclusively and so I ordered new equipment from Nike and tried to fine-tune my swing into drawing the ball exclusively. Well, I didn't know what the heck I was supposed to do with my swing under pressure and my brain was going at warped speed. I was hitting the ball left, right, sideways, fat, thin, anything bad I probably hit it. I shot 25 over par and finished dead last in second stage. I am a pretty good wedge player but after that stage I was scared to death of hitting a sand wedge. I had nothing. That kind of stuff never, NEVER happened to me before. I see the shot, feel the shot and hit it. That's my game. After I lost my confidence, it was more like "I see the shot, feel the shot, nah I see another shot, I feel the shot now, wait a minute I see another shot." Geez, what a mess.

Q: How did you get your game back on track?

A: I signed up for the Hooters Winter Series in Orlando in 2006 and played in all 12 tournaments. I had to get myself back into the competition and just continue to play week in and week out. We had 12 tournaments with the exception of one played three days a week with a practice round. So I played a practice round on Monday then I'd play in the tournament Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then I'd continue to play more on Friday, Sat and Sunday at other courses in Orlando. With that kind of schedule, I soon found the feel for my game, swing and my short game. And my confidence to pull off shots under pressure slowly came back.

Q: I heard you got to play a round with Tiger Woods back in February on his home course (Isleworth) in Florida.  How did that come about and how was the experience?

A: I had a friend who got in touch with Tiger and made it happen. The experience was unbelievable. I loved it.

Q: What was Tiger like to play with?  Was he as serious and focused as usual or was he a little more relaxed?

A: Well, it wasn’t a tournament so Tiger was in a little bit of a relaxed mood but you could tell he was really focused on what he was working on. He hit all kinds of shots in practice and it was a treat to just kind of sit there and watch him hit all those shots. I can hit the shots he hit but he just does them a heck lot better than I do and it was a learning experience to see how he hit those shots. He hit them with authority. If he wanted to fade the ball five yards with a certain trajectory and he hits it five yards but a little bit too high, he doesn't like it. He is that good.

Q: So you play a round with Tiger in February, then I hear you get to play a few holes with Gary Player at a Nationwide event in May – the BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs in Greenville, S.C.  Talk about good karma – playing with two legends in four months!  What was that experience like?

A: Just wild. Two players who have won all the majors in golf and I got to play with them. It was truly a blessing. Gary's 71 (age) or something like that and that man is in better shape than me at (age) 24. It was just amazing. It gave me a lot of confidence to hit all those shots I hit in front of Gary and have him comment on every one of them. I remember playing the last hole, it's about 420 yards and I hit a hard cut with the driver and was only about 60 yards short of the green. That's about a 360 yarder off the tee. Gary said, "Wow, that's amazing. You know what? If you took that swing of yours and combine it with Tiger's strength, you would have driven the green." That made me feel really good because Gary's a legend in this game and he's seen it all and to have him tell me that I'm just a "good fitness level" away from hitting the ball the way those PGA Tour players hit it.

Q: Gary Player is well known for his commitment to physical fitness and still looks great.  I hear you have also become focused on that part of the game.  Did he give you any tips?

A: He told me to focus a lot on my lower body, especially my quads and hamstrings. He also told me to focus a lot on my core and my forearms. If I can strengthen those three aspects of my body, I'd not only increase my distance off the tee but I'll be able to control my tee shots more accurately. I'm already plenty long off the tee but to add 20-30 or even 40 more yards to my overall distance with a serious commitment to my body in the gym is mind-boggling.

Q: I know your ultimate goal is to play on the PGA Tour.  Do you have a specific timeline in mind or are you taking it one year at a time?

A: No. I just continue to work hard on my game one day at a time. If I am patient with my talent, it will all come together and I'll get there one day. If the day comes where I don't have the desire to practice anymore, that’s when I know my dream of playing on the PGA Tour is over.

Q: You or anyone else trying to make it to the top can’t do it alone.  Who would you like to mention as people instrumental in helping you get this far?

A: My parents (Jackie and Percy). Coach Tim Tilton of Winton Woods. Coach Jim Brown of OSU and Assistant Coach Josh Hellmann. Former teachers Don Barnes and Zack Fink. Jim McLean. Current teacher Ron Masters. And family supporters. My godparents Hardy and Barbara, close family friend Minnie, just to name a few. And last but not least, my agents Mike Montana and Jonathan Maurer.

Q: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.  Anything in particular you would like to say to folks in the Greater Cincinnati golf community?

A: Just that I thank all of them for lending me a friendly hand of support and I will remember that. I'll be happy to represent Cincinnati when I make it to the PGA Tour someday.