(This is the first part of a two-part feature on new Robert Morris golf alumnus Max Palmer, who, like numerous other student-athletes across the nation, had his 2019-20 season cut short because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The second part of this feature will be published on Friday, May 22.)

Moon Township, Pa. – Max Palmer was this close to forgoing a collegiate golf career.

It's hard to believe that scenario was realistic, considering the records and accolades Palmer ultimately achieved during his four-year run at Robert Morris University. The sport was something near and dear to his life growing up, with his father, Bob, being the first to get him into golf, and his older brother, Sam, playing at Allegheny College from 2011-15.

"I'm kind of a late bloomer in golf and wasn't a very highly-touted recruit or anything," said Palmer. "I think just playing with (my father and brother) made me better, because I wanted to keep up with them. I was shooting in the 80s consistently and all of a sudden I broke through, and I think playing on my high school team with all those good players, I improved so fast and got so much better."

As Palmer's game improved, he served as a valuable piece to Detroit Catholic Central's dominance at the state level. The Shamrocks won a pair of state championships in his junior and senior seasons, and then made it a three-peat following his graduation. But Palmer didn't have that leading role that he quickly assumed with the Colonials, playing behind current collegiate golfers such as Michigan State's James Piot – the 2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year – and Georgia Tech's Ben Smith.

"My junior year I played as the number five, and I was the number three guy my senior year," said Palmer. "It was always funny. I hated the question when talking to college coaches, 'What number do you play on your high school team?' When I was being recruited as a junior, I had to answer that I'm the five. Unless they asked any questions or knew the high school and who was playing there, they would have no idea why I played the five. It definitely brought things to a halt early."

Being overshadowed by his high school teammates made the recruiting process difficult for Palmer. He had communication with the coaches at Lafayette College, Loyola University Chicago, Oakland University and Wittenberg University, and took a few visits, but their interest dimmed without offering a scholarship. That trend forced the Novi, Mich., native prepare for his competitive golf career to end after high school.

"There were some coaching changes at (two of) those schools," said Palmer. "So that played a part, but I never got an offer from the coaches that were there at the time. I wasn't anyone's first choice. I was really close to going to Michigan State just to be a student. I was like, 'If I'm not going to play, then I want to go somewhere I'd enjoy being a student at.'"

At the tail end of the recruiting process, Palmer had received interest again – but even then an offer wasn't guaranteed.

"I never went to see him play at the time," said RMU head coach Jerry Stone. "My assistant just said, 'I know there's a kid here playing in Michigan, and he's a really good player and going under the radar because his high school team is so strong.' To be honest, we already had 12 on the team. I don't believe I had a video of his swing or anything."

"They gave me the same line I have heard before – we don't have a spot for you right now," said Palmer. "We have three offers out and if one of them drops, you're next in line. I'm like, 'Let's go on this visit and see what happens. I feel like they wouldn't be bringing me in if I wasn't some sort of thing.' It wasn't much of a decision – it was either go be a student, go play at a Division III school, or go to (Robert Morris) that wanted you there."

"So he came in on a visit and enjoyed it and liked it a lot," added Stone. "And that was basically it. Basically, we offered him a spot and from that point on he never missed an event. He went out there for the first qualifier we had as a freshman and never looked back."

Palmer finally had his new home at Robert Morris, and immediately made an impact. He finished fourth with a two-round total of 141 (+1) at the Bucknell Fall Invitational, then carded a one-under 70 to place third in the rain-shortened Navy Fall Classic.

"I didn't have a ton of expectations," said Palmer. "I had a really good summer (leading into the 2016-17 season) playing in AJGA and other junior events, so I felt really good about my game. I talked to Coach Stone about this a few days ago – I didn't have any expectations in playing in tournaments. I just wanted to be in the lineup, there wasn't a hope of me being this number or playing this many events and getting a top 10. I had no expectations for that first event, and things took off a lot quicker than I expected."

That they did. Palmer carried the momentum from the first two events throughout his freshman campaign, and in the end captured the program's first Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year award. He added a third top-five with a runner-up finish at the RMU Colonial Classic, and posted a 74.7 stroke average and four top-10 finishes in all.

"I think I set (winning NEC Rookie of the Year) as a goal through the winter because of my fall," said Palmer. "I didn't know that no one else did that. It was really cool to win that type of award. That was the big light bulb going off in my head. It was saying, 'I could do a lot of really cool things while I'm here and can achieve individually, and help the ultimate goal to do things as a team we've never done.' It was a big stepping stone in my brain to give myself confidence. Being the three or five guy on my high school team never allowed me to be looked at to play well every week and be 'the guy', and this was me having the opportunity to be those people and grow as a player."

"Just watching the way he handled himself (as a freshman), we knew we had a gem," added Stone. "Not only in the classroom or at practice, but during tournaments and when we traveled people looked up to him. They saw what he was doing and said, 'Hey we want to follow and be like him.' He knew what was going on before he came to Robert Morris, he understood what it took to play. And with his work ethic, there was no reason that he wasn't going to get better."
 
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