ELMSFORD, N.Y. (June 25, 2009) -  Kevin Foley of Neshanic Valley Golf Club in Neshanic Station, New Jersey, won the 53rd Ike Championship by one stroke over runner-up Morgan Hoffmann of Arcola. Foley, who just completed his junior year at Penn State, was an All-America selection and was named to the All-Big Ten team. Earlier in June, he won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur by five strokes over a field of nationally ranked amateurs. Foley spoke with the MGA while competing in the Northeast Amateur in Rhode Island.

MGA: How do you assess your game as we head into the Ike Championship at Nassau?

Foley: Pretty much all facets of my game have been working. It started toward the end of the collegiate season with the win at Purdue and the runner-up at the Big Ten Championship. Basically one bad round at the NCAA Regionals [at Galloway National in Galloway, N.J.], but other than that I played pretty well, and I was able to start the summer well with the victory at Sunnehanna. I feel my game is in good shape, and hopefully next week I can keep up the good play. Putting is what has led me to the victories. My ballstriking has been pretty good, so if I can just keep the consistency and keep on top of my course management, hopefully I can shoot some good scores.

Have you ever played the course before?

No, I’ve never played the course so I don’t really know what to expect yet. I hope to get there on Monday and walk around the course. I’m really going into it blind [laughs]. I know for sure it’s going to be a tough test, since you guys always host your major events at championship venues. I’m just going to go out there Monday and try to get a feel for what I’m going to be playing the next two days.

Do you feel there’s a type of course that better suits your game? Do you prefer the older, more traditional designs or more modern courses?

I like to think that my game transfers well no matter what the course is. I do like the traditional style of courses where you’re not necessarily hitting driver on every hole and it takes a lot of management to score well – you have to place it well off the tee to set up a good iron shot to the green. You have to be accurate off the tee, and coming into the greens, which are generally smaller with tricky little slopes here and there, you just have to put yourself in the right places on the green in order to have a chance at birdie. Those courses make you think more, and I do like that type of golf course.

Looking back on your collegiate season, did you meet all your goals?

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied. One of my preseason goals was to make All-America again, so to be able to do that allowed me to meet goal #1. I just wanted to keep improving. I had a good season the year before, and I wanted to take it up to another level. I felt like I had a more well-rounded season, and was more consistent than the year before. Other than the Ohio State tournament where I finished 40th, which was my worst finish of the year, I think I was in the top 20 in every other event. It was good to continue my consistent play and get a couple victories in there.

   The one goal I fell short on was qualifying for the NCAA Championship, which was pretty unfortunate. We didn’t play well as a team in the Northeast Regional at Galloway National. Just that one bad round, that first round [80] kind of held me back, and then I bounced back with two good rounds and finished top 20. But I really wanted to make the NCAAs and test my game against the best collegiate players out there.

You could have gone to a school in a warmer climate than Penn State. Any regrets?

I don’t regret it for one minute. Typically the top players in the country go to southern or west coast schools, but I love the school and I’m proud to represent Penn State and lead the team to what will hopefully be a successful season next year. A tournament like the Sunnehanna, it attracts the top amateurs from all the southern and western schools. So to be able to win a tournament like that was really good. It really proves the point that no matter where your school is located, you can develop into a top golfer.

Was that first-round 61 at the Sunnehanna your lowest competitive score?

Yes, my lowest competitive score by three shots.

What are your plans for this summer as far as tournaments?

After the Ike, I’m going to play in the Players Amateur and the Southern Amateur in back-to-back weeks and forego the U.S. Public Links, because both of those event overlap the week of the Public Links. It allows me to play two really good events, and the winner of the Players Amateur gets an exemption into the Verizon Heritage on Hilton Head, and if you win the Southern Am you get to play at Bay Hill. They’re both really good events, and I just made the decision to play two instead of just the U.S. Public Links. Obviously winning a USGA event is something to aspire to, but it’s the decision I made on that one.

   Then I’ll play the Porter Cup right after the Southern, then take a few days off and go to the Western Amateur, and then U.S. Amateur qualifying and hopefully the U.S. Am.

Is your ultimate goal to play on the PGA Tour?

Yes, that’s what I aspire to. I realize that I only have one collegiate season left and, pretty soon, I’ll no longer be a student and it will be crunch time for me to take the next step. So this summer I’m trying to treat golf as almost my job. Without school during the summer, I’m trying to become more mature as to how to treat these tournaments and look at it as if it’s my profession. I’m thinking long-term. My ultimate aspiration is to get to the Tour and I’m starting to change the way I go about this summer and the next collegiate season.