Former World Top 10 – Owen Greenough is back in the news!

From the cooler Central Oregon weather to the fierce heat of Arizona, Owen Greenough made the transition successfully and continues to THRIVE. In this most recent, very hot summer, Greenough shoots a personal best 63 (-9 with 10 birdies) and wins a golf tour championship to boot. He then tops it off by trying out for his new high school golf team as a freshman and becoming the #2 player. All this at one of the best male golf programs in the nation that continually feeds Division I colleges.

Today’s Junior Golfer (TJG) caught up with Owen and his dad Ben at their home course, Seville Country Club in Gilbert, AZ for a quick sit-down interview.

TJG: Thank you Owen and Ben for the chance to talk more about such an amazing summer you had.

Owen: Thank you. It’s my pleasure.

TJG: What brought the Greenoughs to Arizona from Central Oregon?

Owen: The weather! We had a bad spring in Central Oregon this year.

Ben: Yes, we decided we needed to put Owen in a situation where he could play golf year-round. It was that simple. Arizona was the easy choice. It just came down to where in Arizona.

Golf in Central Oregon sometimes requires stocking hats

TJG: What was junior golf like in Central Oregon?

Owen: It wasn’t easy. We had to travel up to 3 hours just to play in tournaments and the season is short. In the winter, if you wanted to keep your skill level, you had to keep practicing. My parents put a simulator and GC Quad in our garage. It was basically a “man cave” with a putting green, ping pong, pool table and pin ball machine. I would see my coach, Jeff Ritter, once every 2 months. But as winter came, I could tell my skill level would decline. Thus, the move to Arizona. I found it much harder to continuously improve my golf game living in Central Oregon, especially if your goal is a Division I college.

Owen and dad (Ben) walking the course in Central Oregon

TJG: Was there much of a transition from Central Oregon golf to Arizona golf?

Owen: The heat, different type of grass, greens and a couple thousand feet in elevation. The ball doesn’t fly as far in the air here in Arizona like it does in Oregon. But I started playing pretty much the day I got here and haven’t stopped. I have a new coach, Kyle Reddington out of McDowell Mountain Golf Course.

TJG: How did you choose the Chandler/Gilbert area?

Owen: We did a lot of research on the best high school golf programs in Arizona and one jumped out, Hamilton High School.

Ben: We looked up national rankings from years past and Hamilton had won 9 state tournaments. They are 3-time national champions as well. Hamilton is considered a Division I school for golf so we looked into it. As we looked deeper, we were pleased with what we found and decided that Hamilton would be the school for Owen, especially since it has high academic standards as well.

TJG: Are you aware of some of the recent graduates from Hamilton that have gone on to play high level Division I golf?

Owen: Yes, we know of a few.

TJG: Here is a recent list:

· Class of 2017 - Mason Andersen – ASU. Now Korn Ferry Tour

· Class of 2021 - Johnny Walker - University of Arizona

· Class of 2022 - Mahanth Chirravuri - USC, now Pepperdine University

· Class of 2023 - Anawin Pikulthong - ASU

· Class of 2023 - Wyatt Chapman - Marquette University

It is obvious that coach Steve Kanner is running a great golf program at Hamilton.

TJG: So, you are the only freshman on the team and currently the #2 starter?

Owen: Yes, we do compete each week for our position in the next tournament, so you are always trying to do your best, even in practice.

TJG: Have you had any high school golf tournaments yet?

Owen: Yes, we have played two so far. We won at Mountain Brook and placed 2^nd at Grayhawk. At Grayhawk I shot a 72, 73 and placed 7^th overall out of 105 golfers. It was a high school nationwide invitational.

TJG: Wow! Sounds like you are off and running in your high school golf career. That’s great.

TJG: Another huge success since arriving in Arizona was the Phoenix Summer Golf Tour with US Kids Golf. Tell me about it.

Owen: As I said, once we arrived in Arizona, I started playing golf right away, and one of the tours I joined was the US Kids Phoenix Summer Tour. I ended up playing in 5 of the 8 summer tournaments, winning 4 of them. In the final tournament, the tour championship, I shot a 63 (-9 with 10 birdies) at 6,016 yds. The 63 is my personal low scoring round ever. Everything was working. I didn’t get time for a practice round so I went into the tournament with a lot of unknowns. It started out as a normal day, except I didn’t have the best warm ups and didn’t feel ready to go. Luckily, my short game was on, as was my up and downs.

TJG: Ben, you were on the bag that day as Owen’s caddy. Any thoughts to share?

Ben: Yes, once he got on a roll, he got really focused and didn’t talk much. I just let him go.

TJG: Let’s switch gears a bit. Before moving to Arizona, you were a very successful Oregon junior golfer, proving it at the US Kids World tournament. Tell us about that.

Owen: Yes, in July of 2021, I played in the US Kids Worlds and played at Pinehurst #8, a very tough course. I finished in the top 10 and made the Van Horn Cup (All-Star team). Our team won the Van Horn Cup so it was an amazing experience.

Owen and Dad at Pinehurst, NC as a 12 yr. old (2021)

Owen made the All-Star Team - Van Horn Cup (2021)

Owen congratulated by his Van Horn Cup teammate (2021)

TJG: Another experience while an Oregon junior golfer was Drive, Chip and Putt (DCP). Tell us about that experience.

Owen and has dad at Drive, Chip and Putt, Augusta, GA (The Master's)

Owen: In the summer of 2021, I qualified for the 2022 DCP National Championship in Augusta, GA, where the Masters is played. It is still my moms favorite vacation. I finished 3^rd overall. I didn’t chip the best as the greens were lighting fast, but I did putt pretty good. It was so cool, unlike any other course I had been to. Nick Faldo handed me my trophy and the next day during the Masters practice round I even got a fist bump from Tiger Woods. Something that I can’t forget was the way the course looked. In person it almost looks so perfect you think it isn't real. The course is also way more hilly than it appears on TV.

Owen and Nick Faldo - Drive, Chip and Putt

Rapid Fire Q’s:

TJG: Favorite golfer?

Owen: Jordan Spieth. Although, when I lived in Central Oregon I met Tony Finau at a golf course where I was having lessons. Tony was very nice and stopped and talked and took some selfies with us.

TJG: What’s in your bag?

Owen: All clubs are TaylorMade. Putter is a Scotty Cameron. Ball is a TaylorMade TP5.

TJG: Tournament routine?

Owen: Putt first, then the range and finish with chipping.

TJG: Snacks on the course?

Owen: Cliff bars, Gatorades, beef jerky and protein shakes.

TJG: Who calls the shots on the course?

Owen: My dad (caddy) will give me input but I make the final decision.

Owen and caddy daddy talking as they walk

TJG: Line on your ball when putting?

Owen: Yes.

TJG: Cross-handed or regular putter?

Owen: Regular.

TJG: Go to shot (straight, draw or cut)?

Owen: Straight.

TJG: Best part of your golf game?

Owen: Driver accuracy and ball striking.

TJG: Typical day in the life of the golfer?

Owen: At school by 7:00 am. Golf practice from 2:15 to 6:00 pm. Homework for 2-3 hours then bed. Repeat

TJG: Role model(s)?

Owen: Parents, older kids on my high school golf team.

TJG: Top 3 colleges you’d like to play for?

Owen: One of the premier golf programs like ASU, Georgia, etc.

TJG: What’s your biggest goal in golf?

Owen: Become a PGA tour player.

TJG: What is the best part of your game?

Owen: Accuracy with my driver.

TJG: 1^st interesting fact about you?

Owen: We lived in Germany for 1.5 years and I joined a local soccer team where no one else spoke English.

TJG: 2^nd interesting fact about you?

Owen: I got my 1^st hole-in-one when I was 8 yrs old in my first ever golf tournament (PGA Jr League, par 3, ~85 yards) and was featured as Junior Player of the Week on the Golf Channel! Got my 2^nd hole-in-one during a playing lesson when I was 12 yrs old. I used a 9 iron from 140 yds.

8 yr old Owen with his first ever hole-in-one at a PGA Jr League Tournament

TJG: Total Jr wins?

Owen: I don't have an exact count, but I would guess it is over 100.

TJG: Who or what inspired you to play golf?

Owen: My dad. When I was young, he was into golf and got me plastic clubs as soon as I could walk. I have videos of me still in diapers hitting shots at a driving range.