By Kim Chiomento, News Editor, The Times
Evan Brown practicing on his home course – Hartefeld National
KENNETT SQUARE – At the age of just two years old, Evan Brown already showed a love for the game of golf. Today, this 16 year-old Kennett High School (KHS) junior and honors student has set his sights high. Brown continues his climb within the Junior Golf circuit, and recently qualified for the nationally prestigious USGA Junior Amateur Championship, while also eyeing a long-term goal of qualifying for the PGA Tour.
In an interview with The Times, Brown credits his dad as being his biggest influence and getting him started on what has been a very successful golf journey. “We used to go to the driving range all the time when I was little,” says Brown, “I would stay there for hours hitting all the golf balls until I was tired.”
Evan’s dad, Bill Brown, says, “Evan and I always had a good time playing golf when he was young, but it was difficult for him to compete against adults. We asked him if he wanted to play in a junior tournament with US Kids Golf and he was very interested. It was clear early on that he enjoyed the competition and did not shy away a tough shot, a must make putt, or a challenging rival putting pressure on his game. Evan seems to take his ‘on-course’ focus to another level when he is in those moments, and Cyndy (Evan’s mom) and I knew that we needed to help support this for him in any way we could.”
Regarding his parents incredible support and commitment Brown says, “It means the world to me, I know that they have spent a lot of time and money to help me get to this point, and for that I am grateful.”
Part of that support has been exposing their son to top-notch coaching. “My primary coach is Dwight Nevil (IJGA Academy – Hilton Head, SC). He played golf on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour for more than 20 years and has a couple wins. I have been working with Dwight for almost a year now and he has really changed my game for the better,” says Brown, ”I use to play tournaments and expect that I wasn’t going to win, but with Dwight’s help and some new confidence, I feel that I can compete with the strongest players in the country on a daily basis.”
At home here in Chester County, Brown began his coaching with Bob Munkittrick, a golf professional at his home course, Hartefeld National in Avondale, PA. Brown also receives excellent coaching from Rob Passarelli of Kennett Square and Kennett High School’s Golf Coach John Griffith. “Rob teaches out of Golf Galaxy and Inniscrone. I work with Rob through the winter indoors and weave the messages that Rob and Dwight give me – They both help me a lot.”
(L-R) Evan Brown with his KHS teammate and caddie, Ben Gaver.
Under the direction of KHS’ Coach Griffith, Brown leads the KHS team as 1st man and captain and named 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 All League PA Ches-Mont League golfer. He says, “Coach Griffith believes in his players. He helped me to become more of a leader on the team. I appreciate that he lets us be individuals and teammates.”
Brown values his teammates’ insight, and has asked fellow KHS golfer, Ben Gaver, to be his caddie during his recent USGA Junior Amateur qualifier at Concord Country Club in West Chester, PA. “I chose Ben as a caddie because I felt comfortable with him on the bag. Ben played number two man on our golf team; so he and I played all of our matches together, we always have a fun time on the course and work well together.”
“I am very proud to have a junior golfer like Evan on my team. From the first day he came to tryouts in 9th grade, he stood out as a very determined young man,” says Griffith, “Evan’s work ethic and maturity have taken him a long way in both high school competition and summer tournaments. I am very excited to see where he will go from here.”
For fun, we asked Brown a little bit more about himself: strengths, likes, dislikes, habits and goals. “My greatest strength would most likely be my long game (driver and irons) and my area for improvement would be my short game (putting and chipping)…My most embarrassing golfing moment was when I got food poisoning when I was playing a tournament at the beach and had to withdraw (WD) from the tournament after 5 holes of golf…My favorite course that I’ve played is The Country Club of Hilton Head in Hilton Head, SC; and the course that I would like to play the most is Pine Valley in NJ. My favorite professional player, by far, is Jordan Spieth.”
Curious, we also asked Brown if he has a good luck habit or charm. He says, “I have one thing that is special to me that I use and it is an orange dot on all of my golf balls placed below the number.”
So, you might wonder what Brown does in his “off” time to relax? He says, “There is really no difference… but I spend a lot of time on golf. When I am at home watching golf, I am often putting and working on my stroke in front of the TV. I love the game and right now I don’t feel like I have anything that I would prioritize above it. However, I do like to watch movies and I play a lot of whiffle ball and basketball with friends.”
Brown’s thoughts on the future? He says, “I see myself taking my game one day to the PGA Tour. The tour that I am on right now is the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association); this tour is like the PGA Tour for juniors. I also spent two seasons with the IJGT (International Junior Golf Tour) and was awarded the performance stars necessary to play in the AJGA by being top five in the country for the 14 and under age group in 2014. The AJGA is the highest level of junior golf in the country minus the USGA Junior Amateur and some invitational tournaments.”
Brown’s mom, Cyndy, explains that her son likes giving back and helping others, “Evan feels strongly about volunteering and helping in his community. So to do this, he chose to put his golf skills to work. He joined a program through the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) called “Leadership Links” and each time he has a birdie in a tournament, pledges are made and money is raised for the charity Evan chooses to help out. Evan chose to assist the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy for his friend Jordan Reidenberg a rising 8th grader at Kennett Middle School. We’ve provided a link to Evan’s page: https://www.ajga.org/PIF/HomePages/index2.asp?UID=192568
Brown’s advice to up and coming golfers? “Set goals and then work hard to reach them. Golf is a sport that you can’t get good at unless you work hard at it, which is what I have been doing for the last 10 years. You should also plan to play in the tournaments that get you to your goals. There are a lot of tournaments out there, but not all get you to the higher level tours. Set your goals, plan your events and work hard.”
You can catch Brown in action this week at the Delaware Junior Championship, July 1-2, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, Rising Sun, MD. From there, he moves on to the USGA Amateur Championship Qualifier at Colonial Golf Club in Harrisburg, PA, July 8; the Philadelphia Golf Association’s Christman Cup at Gulph Mills Country Club in King of Prussia, PA, July 9; and then the USGA Junior Amateur at the Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, SC, July 20-25. In late July, he will be competing at the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship, July 27-29, held at the Country Club of Scranton in Clark’s Summit, PA after having recently qualified for that event at Brookside Country Club of Allentown, in Allentown, PA , June 11.
