Temple University Athletics
A Family Dynamic – Temple Men’s Golf and The McGrath Brothers
12.28.21 | Men's Golf
During this holiday week, Temple Athletics will share stories of siblings playing for their respective Owl teams. This is the third of a six-part series.
The 12-man roster that makes up the Temple men's golf squad is much more than just a team, it's a family, a brotherhood. For two of its members, that brotherhood started long before they arrived at North Broad.
Junior Conor McGrath and first-year Brett McGrath are siblings competing on the 2021-22 squad together. However, Conor was not the first brother to represent the McGrath name in Cherry and White. Liam McGrath, a 2020 graduate of the program paved the way for the family, putting Temple on the radar for both Conor and Brett.
Although the McGrath's found their love for the game later than most, it did not stop them from finding success.
"I think all of us were pretty late to the game compared to a lot of other kids who golf in college," Conor said. "A lot of times you see kids holding golf clubs when they are three or four years old. We really didn't start until around eighth grade, but once we started to really enjoy it, we got pretty serious."
Conor's dedication to the sport did not go unnoticed as he was named to the All-Region team after the 2020-21 season. He carried that success into fall play this year, going two under par in a six-match campaign. His most notable performance came in the opening weekend at the Golf Week Fall Challenge where he broke two school records, shooting 13-under 203, breaking the previous record of 204 and -9.
"Those early mornings at the country club with Liam and Brett really shaped us," Conor said. "We always wanted to beat each other, but at the same time we were always there to help each other get better and that's when we really started to grow our game. We soon realized that college golf was something we could pursue."
Liam, the eldest in the family was the first to pursue a future as a collegiate athlete. After going through the recruiting process, he decided to attend Furman University in the fall of 2016. He played for one year for the Paladins before transferring to Temple as a sophomore.
"Liam says that transferring to Temple was the best decision he ever made," Conor said. "And I'm very glad that he did."
After watching their brother go through the process, Conor and Brett explored their options over the next few years as well, trying to find the best fit for them.
"For me personally, there were a lot of different factors," Conor said. "I knew it would have been really cool to play with Liam, but that wasn't the only factor that drew me to Temple. It was also the perfect distance from home, and I knew a lot of the team already. Liam was definitely an added bonus."
Brett, the youngest of the three, went through his process a little later.
"I was torn between wanting to play in college or not at first," Brett said. "But by my junior year, I had watched my brothers get recruited and I decided that I was going to pursue it. I looked into Temple because I knew that playing with Conor would be a really cool experience, and like Conor said, I also thought it was a great location"
Liam graduated in 2020, missing playing with Brett by just two years, but Conor has gotten to experience both sides of the sibling dynamic on a team, playing with both an older brother and a younger brother.
"We definitely have a sibling rivalry on the course," Conor said. "Brett is my younger brother, so I obviously never want him to beat me, and it was the same way with Liam. He never wanted me to beat him either. It's a big rivalry, but in a good way. It helps us push one another and work hard"
"We always want to be the best, because there's bragging rights," Brett added. "It's been that way ever since we were young, whether it was playing basketball in the driveway or actually playing golf."
The rivalry they share on the course only grows their bond as brothers and it translates to campus life as well.
"The first few weeks of being here I really had no idea what to expect," Brett said. "But having Conor here whether it was on the course or around campus really helped me out. But at the same time, the Temple men's golf team is like family anyway, so with or without Conor, I felt welcome."
As Brett is set to enter his first season of spring play, and Conor returns for his third, the two brothers and the Temple men's golf team are looking forward to kicking off the competitive 2022 season in February.
The 12-man roster that makes up the Temple men's golf squad is much more than just a team, it's a family, a brotherhood. For two of its members, that brotherhood started long before they arrived at North Broad.
Junior Conor McGrath and first-year Brett McGrath are siblings competing on the 2021-22 squad together. However, Conor was not the first brother to represent the McGrath name in Cherry and White. Liam McGrath, a 2020 graduate of the program paved the way for the family, putting Temple on the radar for both Conor and Brett.
Although the McGrath's found their love for the game later than most, it did not stop them from finding success.
"I think all of us were pretty late to the game compared to a lot of other kids who golf in college," Conor said. "A lot of times you see kids holding golf clubs when they are three or four years old. We really didn't start until around eighth grade, but once we started to really enjoy it, we got pretty serious."
Conor's dedication to the sport did not go unnoticed as he was named to the All-Region team after the 2020-21 season. He carried that success into fall play this year, going two under par in a six-match campaign. His most notable performance came in the opening weekend at the Golf Week Fall Challenge where he broke two school records, shooting 13-under 203, breaking the previous record of 204 and -9.
"Those early mornings at the country club with Liam and Brett really shaped us," Conor said. "We always wanted to beat each other, but at the same time we were always there to help each other get better and that's when we really started to grow our game. We soon realized that college golf was something we could pursue."
Liam, the eldest in the family was the first to pursue a future as a collegiate athlete. After going through the recruiting process, he decided to attend Furman University in the fall of 2016. He played for one year for the Paladins before transferring to Temple as a sophomore.
"Liam says that transferring to Temple was the best decision he ever made," Conor said. "And I'm very glad that he did."
After watching their brother go through the process, Conor and Brett explored their options over the next few years as well, trying to find the best fit for them.
"For me personally, there were a lot of different factors," Conor said. "I knew it would have been really cool to play with Liam, but that wasn't the only factor that drew me to Temple. It was also the perfect distance from home, and I knew a lot of the team already. Liam was definitely an added bonus."
Brett, the youngest of the three, went through his process a little later.
"I was torn between wanting to play in college or not at first," Brett said. "But by my junior year, I had watched my brothers get recruited and I decided that I was going to pursue it. I looked into Temple because I knew that playing with Conor would be a really cool experience, and like Conor said, I also thought it was a great location"
Liam graduated in 2020, missing playing with Brett by just two years, but Conor has gotten to experience both sides of the sibling dynamic on a team, playing with both an older brother and a younger brother.
"We definitely have a sibling rivalry on the course," Conor said. "Brett is my younger brother, so I obviously never want him to beat me, and it was the same way with Liam. He never wanted me to beat him either. It's a big rivalry, but in a good way. It helps us push one another and work hard"
"We always want to be the best, because there's bragging rights," Brett added. "It's been that way ever since we were young, whether it was playing basketball in the driveway or actually playing golf."
The rivalry they share on the course only grows their bond as brothers and it translates to campus life as well.
"The first few weeks of being here I really had no idea what to expect," Brett said. "But having Conor here whether it was on the course or around campus really helped me out. But at the same time, the Temple men's golf team is like family anyway, so with or without Conor, I felt welcome."
As Brett is set to enter his first season of spring play, and Conor returns for his third, the two brothers and the Temple men's golf team are looking forward to kicking off the competitive 2022 season in February.
Players Mentioned
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Friday, October 17
American Conference Tipoff - ESPN+
Tuesday, October 14
Ep. 12: Homecoming Recap; Women's Soccer's Tamsin Bynoe
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Ep. 11: American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti
Monday, October 13
