DAVIS, Calif. — If it weren't for one of his friends begging him to join him in a local poker game, UC Davis head men's golf coach
Cy Williams would be $100 richer today.
However, the price he paid that night turned out to be one of the best decisions he ever made.
"I was going to get it back, so I went home and started studying and that was it," Williams recalled. "I was hooked."
For some it's just a hobby, a way to pass a Saturday night with your buddies. For Williams, along with many others, the game has become a passion.
Hours upon hours were spent reading about and watching some of the best players in the world, studying hands, analyzing situations, always watching the opposition learning when to be aggressive and when to sit back and let the others fight amongst themselves, setting everyone up for a well-timed call.
"It's just like how golfers get better," Williams said. "It takes a ton of practice and a ton of studying. I've watched some of the best players in the world play for hundreds of hours. While I'm watching them, I'm really paying attention and trying to understand what they're doing, when they're doing it, why they're doing it, and thinking about what I would do in that same situation."
Fifteen years later, Williams' situation off the course is probably a lot different than many of his collegiate coaching counterparts, spending his time away from the links hoping for a winner on the turn rather than just making the turn after playing the front nine. He made his professional debut with a third-place finish at a tournament in Las Vegas and has participated in a number of World Series of Poker events, including his best finish (thus far) in 2013 when he made the final table and finished seventh.
All told, Williams has finished "in the money" 10 times at the WSOP — including the 2016 main event — and has been competitive against some of the best in the game in tournaments all over the West.
"That's why I play poker, because I can't do that in golf," Williams said. "I can't play against the guys in professional golf. They're too good. But in poker, I can. I've played against the best players in the world and I've done well.
"They're better than me, but I know what they're doing and they don't know what I'm doing. I know what their perception of me is and it's probably not right, so it gives me an advantage that helps to balance out the fact that they're better."
Outside of the card room and on the course, few have been better than Williams throughout his tenure with the Aggies.
A letter winner for the men's golf program from 1984-87, Williams graduated with a bachelor's degree in math and economics, and later added a master's degree and a teaching credential. His experience serves as a perfect example of what it takes to succeed both academically and athletically at a university such as UC Davis.
From there, he joined the staff as an assistant coach in 1990, and served as acting head coach on three occasions before taking over the title of head coach from the legendary Jim Sochor in 1997.
In more than a quarter century at the helm of the Aggie program, Williams has guided his alma mater to 32 team victories, a trio of Big West Conference championships, five individual conference medalists, five team berths into the NCAA Division I championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015), seven NCAA Division II championship appearances (1996-2003), 10 All-Americans, and a slew of all-conference honorees.
Five of his former student-athletes were invited to join a select fraternity, as
Matt Hansen (2020), Austin Graham (2017), Louie Bishop (2013), Scott Gordon (2011), and Jason Boyd (2010) were inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame.
In addition, he helped establish one of the top collegiate tournaments in the nation, attracting some of the top golf-playing and academic institutions from across the country to Southern California for The Prestige at PGA WEST, which celebrated its 21st year in 2021 and, according to one outlet, was ranked No. 20 worldwide for amateur events.
And all the lessons that Williams has been able to take away from final tables he has been able to apply on the course with the many student-athletes he has mentored over the years.
"I think poker is so analogous to golf," Williams said. "If you want to be a great golfer, you have to deal with adversity. Bad stuff is going to happen during the round and the great players are the ones who can deal with it.
"It's something that I've tried to improve with my student-athletes the most. I try to accelerate that process for them as fast as possible. The other things, they're going to learn over time — they're going to learn different chip shots and they'll learn strategy, eventually — but if I can help them with that process quicker, they're going to be better off."
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
