WATERLOO - Cole Peevler walked the backyard with his father as a toddler at their Hamilton, Ill., home hitting golf balls.

The first shot the young Peevler ever struck was with his dad's Ben Hogan 9-iron as a 3-year-old.

"I remember lobbing it over a power line we had back there," Peevler said. "Ever since then, I just loved playing."

And he's become quite good.

After a stellar prep career at Keokuk that included a runner-up finish his senior year at the Class 3A state tournament, Peevler became a standout at the University of Iowa. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder matched Vince India for the team's low average at 73.2 strokes per 18 holes this past spring.

Peevler was also instrumental in helping the Hawkeyes qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 14 years.

"Cole has high expectations for himself," Iowa golf coach Mark Hankins said. "If you don't feel like you can compete, then you're not going to. Cole always feels like he's the best player out there."

The 22-year-old will begin the next chapter of his golf career at 1:18 p.m. Saturday, making his pro debut at the Waterloo Open. Peevler is the defending Open amateur champ, blitzing the field by seven shots last year.

Now, he'll be competing against 189 professionals trying to take home the $45,000 top prize.

"I can't set my sights too high," Peevler said about this weekend. "There's going to be nerves out there. I would love just to do well.

"The competition is just unbelievable, and I'm excited to play up there."

Peevler elected to turn pro after the spring season. He went to Naples, Fla., for nearly two weeks recently to play golf and train with a coach. He'll compete in the Keokuk Pro-Am and Iowa Open later this summer before finishing his last semester of school in the fall.

From there, he'll move to Florida in December and play on the Hooters Tour.

"It's always going to be a little stressful," Peevler said. "There's going to be ups and downs, and I've just got to keep telling myself that out on these tours,

the rewards will come."

When Peevler's father, Gary, placed a club in Cole's hands as a tot, he encouraged him to swing away. As a result, Peevler developed an awkward grip where he holds the club like a baseball bat.

It hasn't hindered his progress.

"My dad taught me to be confident and he's confident," Peevler said. "A big part of golf is confidence. If you don't have it, you're already in second place."

Physically, Peevler has always been able to master the demands of the sport. However, it's the adjustments he's made mentally that have helped him achieve great heights.

"When I was young, I'd shoot for every pin," he said. "I would let one shot dictate my round. Now, if I hit a sporadic shot, it's not the end of the world.

"One of the worst parts of my game at the beginning of the spring was I kept getting nervous on the first tee, and coach always told me, 'Cole, you've played in 1,000 of these tournaments.' Now, I try and treat it just like another golf tournament."

Still, it will be difficult to do that this weekend.

That said, based on his current form, Peevler believes he can be in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

"I've been working really hard," he said. "As long as I keep my nerves in check and my mental game is level, I can compete with anybody. I'm striking the ball awesome and my short game is in great shape.

"The hardest thing in golf is staying even-keel throughout the round."

Peevler admits he's had conversations with his family this week about capturing the top prize in his pro debut.

"It would be a dream come true to win, almost unbelievable," he said. "In all honesty, it might not happen. I'm just going to try and put myself in the mix and see what happens."