Faces in The Crowd – On Course to Succeed

“I am extremely fortunate. So many kids don’t get the opportunities that I have had.  The importance of my parents’ support cannot be overstated.”

Meet Ben Geyer.

It seems that Ben was born to golf. He and his two siblings grew up in Arbuckle, California just up the road from Sacramento. Arbuckle has a diverse agricultural base, producing almonds, rice and tomatoes among other things. His father was a successful collegiate golfer and when Ben took a club in his hands at the age of five, he was hooked. Two years later he played in his first tournament.

As a teenager he played many sports including baseball, basketball and of course, golf. He was also a good student so it wasn’t surprising that he decided to do his post -secondary studies at St. Mary’s College, a drive and a wedge from San Francisco! He was a business student with an emphasis on marketing.

His coach at the time didn’t stress swing mechanics. He was more interested in his protégées learning course management and worked on the mental aspects of the game. He was surrounded by many other really good golfers and he started to understand the hard work it would take to pursue a career in golf.

The defining moment of his young career happened in his sophomore year when he qualified for the U.S. Amateur to be held in Erin Hills, Wisconsin. In the medal round, leading up to match play, he finished third. His first two matches ended in victory and now came the difficult round of 16. When he checked to see who his next opponent would be, he was somewhat nervous when he discovered that he would be staring down the number 1 amateur in the world at the time: Jordan Spieth!

He lost to Spieth but claims that it was a great learning experience. “Jordan was a great guy to play with. He was a real gentleman. I realized that to be at his level, I had to become a great putter.” Ben also started to realize that he belonged with these top ranked players, which gave him the confidence to turn pro a few years later.

In 2012-13 he was named player of the year in the North California Golf Association. He graduated from university in 2013 and turned pro. He made his first attempt at Q School, a grinding series of tournaments for golfers who want to make it onto one of the major tours. Some bad golf and an eye condition prevented Ben from making the grade in his first attempt. In 2014 he made it to the final stages of Q School and made several stops on the Web.Com tour. He also got a taste of the big leagues competing in two PGA tour stops in 2015.

He played on some mini tours and even did a stint in South America. “I would not be able to do what I do without the support of my family. They help me in every way imaginable.”

He struggled much of 2015 and there were times when doubt crept in. He played the last 5 events on the Canadian Tour in 2015 and his game started to come around. He has played a full schedule in Canada in 2015 and his goal is to make it into the top 60 in rankings to advance of the Tour Championship.

A few weeks ago, the Tour played an event at Bell Bay in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Prior to the start of the event, his good friend and occasional roommate on the road, Talor Gooch, gave him a tip. Ben promptly went out and shot a course record 64 in the opening round. 

He plans to go back to Q School once again this fall in Nevada.

Ben has a professional demeanor on the golf course and is soft spoken and modest off the course.

Great family. Great attitude. Great work ethic. With a perfect recipe for success, Ben is certainly one up and comer to watch!