Greg Graves is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Notre Dame Prep for AZPreps365

Setbacks and injuries can always impact an athlete's future. For young athletes around the world, a global pandemic brought all of the games to a halt.

But it was in the middle of that pandemic, that's when Mitchell Curran found golf.

Now a junior at Notre Dame Prep, Curran finished the regular season in October, but already has high hopes for his senior year.

“I hope to win a state championship next year and be a captain of the team,” Curran said.

Curran grew up in Scottsdale, surrounded by beautiful golf courses; and with a father who loves to play. Surprisingly, though, Curran’s own golf journey didn’t start until the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2019.

Curran found himself stuck inside, looking for an outlet to go outside and have some fun. 

Curran began to play golf a lot and found himself practicing nonstop. All of the time spent on his game led Curran to try out for the Saints golf team. 

“He is also a third son, so it was inevitable that his competitive nature was going to find an outlet during the pandemic,” his father, Dr. David Curran, said

Mitchell Curran showed early promise, finishing 36th at state that freshman season.

“Mitch played on our state team his freshman year and was a key part of our team," head coach Scott Watkins said.

“Making the varsity golf team at Notre Dame Prep and qualifying for the state championship team as a freshman proved to him that hard work pays off,” his father said.

But since his freshman year, Curran says he has come a long way.

“My game and who I am have dramatically changed since freshman year,” Curran said, “though it’s a great reminder that I can do great things.”

Following Curran's freshman year of golf, he broke both of his wrists at the same time during a scrimmage for the freshman basketball team.

The injury resulted in him having casts on both arms for nearly 10 weeks and no basketball activities.

So Curran turned back to golf and would go to his local course and practice anytime he could. The casts were challenging, but nothing Curran couldn't overcome.

Curran’s father said his son would come home and say, “At least I can still putt.”

Curran's subsequent recovery resulted in him finding his love for the game. On his first return to the course, Curran posted a score of 60 through 18 holes. His score was good enough for second place in his first tournament he played after his injuries.

“His mom and I were so proud of how he took a negative and turned it into a fantastic return to tournament golf,” his father said

For Curran, playing for the Saints has become key to his growth as a golfer and as a person over his three years with the program. 

“Notre Dame has made me have a competitive drive to always try to win,” Curran said. “When playing on a team, you always want to beat your teammates.”

Competing against his own teammates was what brought out the best in Curran over the years.

“From his leadership on the course to the classroom, he has always been a role model to many guys on the team, including myself,” Cooper Ingram, a friend and teammate of Curran’s, said.

“Mitch has always been a person that you can count on. He's always there to bring you up rather than tear you down."

Next season, Curran will take on a very big leadership role for the Saints, as he will be only one of two remaining seniors on the roster.

Ingram, who has known Curran for about five years now, thinks he is up to the job

“Mitch is accepting that he can’t control everything on the course and that he knows all he can do is play his game without worrying about others or poor course conditions.” Ingram said, “Sometimes he will get irritated by a poor shot, but he always regains his focus on the shot ahead of him.”

While Curran has plans and high hopes for his senior season, his father just wants him to have fun.

“No matter what his future holds, I hope he continues to love the game and all it represents while never forgetting what it feels like to play like a kid," the elder Curran said.