Q&A: Turner wouldn’t mind an elephant mascot

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week The Volante sports staff will interview a member of the USD athletic community and ask them off-the-wall questions. Enjoy the hilarity.

Lucas Turner is senior men’s golfer out of Bowdle, S.D. Turner recently placed 37th at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Primm, Nev. with a score of 224.

Austin Ashlock: Do you think zebras are white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?

Lucas Turner: I am going to have to say zebras are white with black stripes.

AA: Easter is just around the corner, a holiday known for bad candy, so what is your least favorite kind of candy?

LT: I have never really liked Milk Duds. I am not really a big chocolate guy.

AA: Do you have a favorite golf course you have played at? What makes that one your favorite?

LT: Primm Valley Golf Club just outside of Las Vegas, Nev. It is the course we are playing at for the conference championships this year, it has a great setting, very good course.

AA: What is the most expensive item you have ever purchased?

LT: It was probably the Calloway driver I bought in 2007. It cost about $400, and now it is just laying in the trunk of my car.

AA: What meal do you look forward to the most during the day? And why?

LT: Definitely breakfast. I am huge breakfast person. I love all breakfast foods: bacon, eggs, french toast, sausage. You can’t go wrong with breakfast.

AA: Did you have a favorite cartoon growing up? What was it?

LT: It was easily “Tom and Jerry.”

AA: Do you like Peyton Manning’s choice to sign with the Denver Broncos? If not, what team do you think he should have signed with?

LT: You know, I was really pulling for San Francisco to sign him. They already have a pretty well established team with a great defense, so it would have made sense for him to go there. But going to Denver made sense, too. There really was no bad choice for him.

AA: If you could choose any career for yourself, would you choose professional golf? Or something else entirely?

LT: Being a professional golfer would be great, but I think being a professional teacher would also be pretty cool.

AA: Who or what got you interested in playing golf?

LT: My grandpa actually got me into playing golf when I was about eight or nine. One day he took me out to a nine-hole course and from then my interest sort of grew.

AA: In your opinion, what is the most difficult aspect of the game of golf?

LT: Putting, definitely. It is always a part of the game I try to work on myself. Putting, in a way, separates the good golfers from the amateurs.

AA: For most, golfing is a frustrating sport, so when you watch those who are not experienced golfers play, what is the one mistake they make when approaching the game?

LT: Most people just put the tee down and try to crush the ball as far as possible, they always seem to just force things. They need to just relax and try to get the ball in-play.

AA: Have you ever had a hole in one? Or at least something close to it?

LT: Nope, I have never had one. I have hit the stick a couple times and been a foot away, but I’ve never been able to sink it. A couple of my friends have gotten one, so I think it’s my turn.

AA: Who is your favorite golfer to watch?

LT: I love watching Tiger (Woods) and Bill Hass. Tiger is Tiger and Hass plays the game with a lot of confidence, not cockiness but you can tell he goes out there and works hard each time.

AA: If the University of South Dakota administrators approached you and asked you to choose the mascot for USD, would you choose to stay with the Coyotes or pick something new?

LT: The Coyotes is a great mascot, but I think I may have to choose the Elephants. You don’t see that everyday.

AA: Are you a Mac or a PC person?

LT: I don’t really have a preference, however the next computer I buy will be a Mac.

AA: What was the last book you read, when did you read it?

LT: I don’t think I have read an entire book since I read “In Cold Blood” for my high school English class. It’s definitely been awhile.