Getting to know Grant Engel, a freshman standout on the men’s golf team.
From the outside looking in, Grant Engel seems just like another golfer for the Bobcats, but it’s obvious he’s a rising star on and off the course.
Engel experienced great success in high school as he took home the Pennsylvania state title his senior year. He was also crowned the 2013 Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Player of the Year the previous season.
Off the course, Engel led a charity organization his junior and senior years called “Birdies For a Cause” that raised money for the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny General Hospital.
“We raised over $8,400 (during my senior year), I believe, and all that went to fund colorectal cancer research,” Engel said.
Although he’s made the move to Ohio, Engel has remained true to who he is, a kid from Pittsburgh who grew up on a golf course with a love for the game.
“On the team we don’t call him Grant, he goes by ‘homegrown’ cause he’s a suburbs boy that enjoys the simple things in life,” senior Andrew Mlynarski said. “When he’s out here he’s always smiling, just happy to be a part of the team.”
Sophomore Ty Herriott shared a similar feeling about Engel.
“He’s got a good head on his shoulders, especially for a freshman. He works hard in the classroom too, I know that,” he said. “I’m excited to see how he improves throughout the year and throughout the four years that he’s here.”
Even after his past achievements, however, Engel had some nerves heading into the start of his freshman season this year. He said he was “absolutely terrified” when he hit his first tee shot.
“He was extremely nervous, you could tell, on the putting green at Marshall,” Mlynarski said. “You could see he was a little lost, but we definitely all were at some point. He held it together and played really well.”
Herriott said that Engel seems like “a pretty cool customer.” Engel finished the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational tied for 44th place, which was the second-best finish of any Ohio golfer.
The future of Bobcat golf gained some momentum after Engel signed. He noted he had options all over the country, but wanted to become a Bobcat.
“Ohio was definitely the perfect balance between being able to hopefully succeed in academics and athletics, and it’s only within three hours of my house,” Engel said. “I didn’t want to go outside of any five-hour radius.”
Engel has spent his off time just like any other student in Athens. When he isn’t golfing he is just hanging out with friends, running around campus and seeing sights to stay active, he said.
The team’s most recent tournament, the Bobcat Invitational, took place Monday. Although it’s just an exhibition in Westerville, he said he’ll be more comfortable moving forward.
“To any future tournaments I go to, I don’t think I’m going to be too stressed out because I got the first round jitters out of the way (at Marshall) and from this point on, it’s just golf,” he said.
mf056713@ohio.edu
