Golf captain Moran leads team on and off the links

Kyle Moran embodies just about everything you would expect to find in an exceptional captain. The Penn men's golf standout has been a first team All-Ivy selection not once, but twice. He was a component of the Quakers team that won the Ivy League title in 1998. He placed first in a 16-team tournament two weekends ago. However, he doesn't only garner accolades on the golf course. The Wharton senior also holds a prestigious title -- Academic All-American. That's a first for Penn men's golf. And admiring coach Francis Vaughn holds great respect for Moran both as a person and as a golfer. "Kyle has led by example both on and off the golf course. He works very diligently... and he's developed into a great player," Vaughn said. "He plays very much within himself, and strategically he plays a great game around the course." Moran holds equal respect for Vaughn, who has molded him into the leaderboard threat that he is today. "We have a terrific coach, who is both a leader, teacher and also a very good friend for us," he said. Moran's ultimate goal is not an individual one, but instead he hopes for the entire Penn team to sit atop the leaderboard when the final group walks off the 18th green at this year's Ivy Championship. "Our season is defined by our performance in the Ivy League Championship, even though it is only a one-tenth of the rounds we play," Moran said. With respect to his individual performance, Moran aims at playing to his potential in every tournament round. "My individual goal for each tournament is to go out and put up the best two or three rounds that I can," he said. "I just try to take it week by week and know that if I am giving my all... it's a matter of if the breaks go our way most of the time." These breaks have not quite gone Penn's way this fall. The team has consistently turned in excellent scorecards -- placing second in its last two tournaments -- but its combined scores have yet to secure a win. "I think we've played real well," Moran said. "We've had a few near-misses lately, where you can't criticize anything in particular.... We're just not breaking through. I think we're really close to playing terrific golf." Moran attributes this fall's successes to the equality of talent on the Penn team. "We're lucky to have a team this year where seven people are on an equal footing come each weekend. We have the potential to beat every team that we meet. I certainly feel good about the team going into the spring season," Moran said. Moran intends to exchange his golf bag for a briefcase following this spring, as he plans to drive into the world of investment banking. "It won't allow me to play as much golf as Penn has, for sure," he joked.

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