Temple golfer Matthews on a tear going into AAC tourney

For Temple's Brandon Matthews, improvement in his short game and his putting, which leads to a reduction in the pressure he puts on other parts of his game, has resulted in better finishes this season.

Going into Sunday's start of the American Athletic Conference golf championships, the 6-foot-4 junior has won three tournaments (all in succession), tied for second, and tied for third. That success follows his victory in December in the prestigious Dixie Amateur at Coral Springs, Fla.

"I may not be hitting it the absolute best I can," Matthews said earlier this week, "but my up-and-downs have been very, very good. I'm not leaving too much stress on myself. It's just a really nice thing to see my game come together like this."

Matthews has worked tirelessly on his short game. He practiced all winter on a simulated putting green indoors.

"He's hitting the ball so much better," Temple coach Brian Quinn said. "His whole game is so much more polished now. He's putting much, much better. He's made just about everything inside of 5 or 6 feet. He's really worked incredibly hard."

"I'm pretty confident right now," said Matthews, whose hometown is Dupont, Pa. "Going into tournaments, I feel real good about my game. I have a positive mind-set going in which, I think, is the most important thing in golf.

"The wear and tear of the mind in a round of golf can be very difficult. It definitely can be an uphill battle sometimes. But I really haven't had any of those rounds this year."

Matthews, who competed in a number of national amateur events last summer, will play a similar slate this summer. Next week, he will pair with Owls teammate Pat Ross in the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He will go on to U.S. Open qualifying and possibly the regionals of the NCAA Golf Championship.

Matthews, ranked 67th in the latest Golfweek college list, said his thought is to return to Temple for his senior year. A successful summer might lead him to go another route.

Of course, a win at the U.S. Amateur, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2013, could open doors for him. Jordan Spieth, the current Masters champion, turned pro after finishing as low amateur in the 2012 U.S. Open just before his 19th birthday and broke through for his first PGA Tour win a little more than a year later.

"If I get that opportunity, I will pursue it," said the 20-year-old Matthews, who shares the same birthday as Spieth and is one year younger. "But if it doesn't happen, I think I might do qualifying school in the fall as an amateur because basically it's another chance.

"My coach and I will talk about it with my parents and figure out what the best options are for me."

On the other hand, Matthews feels another year with Quinn would be "invaluable."

"It's a good thing for me to keep learning from him and keep getting my swing better to the point where, when I do graduate, it's the best it can be," Matthews said.