Chattin' with Chatty: Journal No. 4
Editor’s note: Attleboro’s Davis Chatfield, a second-year pro on the Korn Ferry Tour, will share his experiences throughout the season with RIGA senior writer Joe McDonald. Chatfield, 24, has played in 32 events on the KFT and has made the cut in 23 tournaments. He's playing in the LECOM Suncoast Classic April 18-21 at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. He recently finished T14 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club.
RIGA: You played two rounds with close friend Patrick Welch during the Club Car Championship, so how was that experience?
Chatfield: Been waiting for that one for a long time. I don’t know when the last time we played together in tournament play, but it’s been a lot of years. We’ve played a lot of practice rounds together on Korn Ferry but haven’t been able to play in the same group in a tournament. When we saw that we both texted each other immediately. We were thrilled and to play together two days in a row was awesome. It was so much fun.
RIGA: I know you were focused on the task at hand, but what was the interaction like with Patrick during those two rounds?
Chatfield: We were talking the entire time. It felt like every other practice round when he would come to Wannamoisett, or I would go to Agawam with him. It was fun to play with a friend. It was super relaxed, and we always keep it light when we play with each other. Those two days were definitely a lot of fun.
RIGA: You enjoyed a successful tournament, so how would you describe your game at this point of the season?
Chatfield: My game is trending nicely. I’m doing a lot of the right things. My practice schedule has been good and my prep for the tournaments has been good. I just got to keep believing in what I’m doing and eventually I’ll see the results. It’s a long season and it’s nice to have some good rounds back-to-back and just need to keep building on these good weeks.
RIGA: Last season, you mentioned trying to find the balance between practice and getting enough rest, so how is your rhythm with those two aspects at this point?
Chatfield: I think I’ve found a rhythm. Just need to make sure when you’re practicing you’re not aimlessly hitting golf balls on the putting green, or the practice range; you have to make sure all of them matter. You always have to compete with yourself during practice and just try to get a percentage better every day. If I leave the course and feel like I’ve accomplished that then it’s always a good thing. You always need to find little tweaks in your game, or little things to work on. When you’re playing well it’s tougher to find those things, but there’s always something to work on. I’m working on some things now that I’m starting to see results, so I just need to keep chipping away at it day by day, so when I leave the course I can shut off from golf, do my own thing and live my life.
RIGA: You’re always going to learn something, so now that you’re competing in your second season on the Korn Ferry Tour, what have you experienced this year that maybe you didn’t in 2023?
Chatfield: How to manage your game. You might not hit it well, but can still score well. I struggled with that last year. I was hitting it really good, but I wasn’t getting anything out of my rounds. It is true that there are no pictures on the scorecard, so it doesn’t matter how you make a par, or make a birdie, as long as you do. You just need to keep giving yourself chances. These guys out here make so many birdies and you can’t get down on yourself when you’re not on a good streak. You’ve got to always think you’re in it and just manage your game, know where to miss it, and where not to miss it. You don’t have to play super well to score well. You can grind it out, and obviously it’s a bit easier when you’re hitting it well. Even when you don’t have your best stuff you can still put together a good week.
RIGA: Travel can also be a grind, how have you adjusted to that aspect?
Chatfield: My second year in now, it’s nice knowing a lot of people. At this time last year, I probably only knew about 10, or 20 percent of the players on tour. This year I know 75, or 85 percent of the guys, so rooming with them in Airbnbs, and traveling together makes it go a little more seamless. When we get in those stretches during the season, I usually take Monday off just to decompress, do laundry and rest up for the week. The travel is the hardest part, honestly, because you’re not just driving to each event like I used to as an amateur. The travel’s tough, there’s no way around it. You just need to make sure when there’s time to rest, you rest. My schedule might look a little bit different this year. I might take one or two tournaments off. I only took one off last year. I don’t think I can do seven in a row like I did last year. That was too much for me. There comes a point when there’s a trade-off. I need to have a better understanding and listen to my body. (LECOM Suncoast Classic) is next in Florida and I’m going to play in the next few tournaments. The real stretch is 14 (tournaments) in 15 weeks, so I’ll take one off in the middle of that stretch to space it out a little bit so I can be ready each time I tee it up. That will be key.
RIGA: With all this talk about travel, when was the last time you were home?
Chatfield: I was actually home about two weeks ago just for a couple of days, but before that I haven’t been home since December. I’ll be moving back home first week in May just for the summer like I did last year. It’ll be good.
RIGA: Every golf fan is focused on The Masters this week, so how much will you be able to watch?
Chatfield: Me and my family were actually at The Masters Monday. We were in Savannah, so my family got tickets, and I got a ticket through being a PGA member. It was really cool. I’ll watch a good bit of it. I’ll probably get a lot of my practice down early in the day, especially on the weekend so I can watch the leaders. It’s cool to watch it, and it was cool going to The Masters, but at the end of the day I want to be playing in it. I get a little jealous, so I just need to keep doing what I’m doing.
RIGA: When was the last time you were at Augusta?
Chatfield: When I was at Notre Dame we played there a couple times, so that was cool.
RIGA: Who is your favorite to win this year?
Chatfield: I got Scottie (Scheffler). I watched him for a couple holes when we were there on Monday. He’s playing way to well to not pick him. It’s an easy pick. I would love to see Rory (McIlroy) because he’s one of my favorites, but I’ve got Scottie.