EAGLE BEND GOLF CLUB – It’s easy to forget that Ryan Keenan, who recently won the Bill Roberts Montana Junior Amateur Golf Championship by 20 strokes, is still an 11-year-old boy. He speaks like an adult, plays golf better than most grown men and offers insightful critiques on the game he loves.
His understanding of golf – its subtle intangibles, its relentless frustrations and its significance in his personal life – is remarkable. For example, he describes golf as requiring two distinct types of focus: physical and mental. Keenan was born with a vision impediment in both eyes, so activities have always necessitated great focus just to get his eyes in sync with the rest of his body. That’s a central aspect of the physical focus; the mental focus required in golf is well noted.
Keenan’s poor vision makes most other sports nearly impossible, or at least very difficult. Bouncing basketballs and rapidly moving baseballs pose problems. But in golf, the ball simply sits there, waiting to be struck. All Keenan needs to do is zero in and use his acute concentration faculties. Still, even with his thick eyeglasses, he said his depth perception is off at times.
“When I was little, I had to focus because it was a blur,” he said, shortly after hitting a 220-yard drive at Eagle Bend Golf Club last week. “My mental focus is strong from doing that as a little kid. I think that’s helped me in the long run.”
Keenan’s father, Bob, said his son developed a special touch for golf “because oftentimes he couldn’t even see the ball.” In other words, the 11-year-old is tuned into the game in ways that most people can’t understand.
“He turned a disadvantage into an advantage,” Bob said.
At the junior amateur championship, Keenan shot rounds of 80 and 76, including a 35 over nine holes, for a score of 156. The second-place finisher shot 176. Bob said his son was only four strokes off the all-time tournament scoring record and he still has another year of eligibility. The tournament is for kids ages 10 to 12. Keenan turns 12 on Aug. 21. Also, Bob points out that young Keenan had never played the course before.
“There’s obviously no weight classes in golf – he weighs 85 pounds and hits the ball 230 yards,” Bob said.
The younger Keenan said he averages between a 79 and 84. More impressive than the scoring itself is how quickly he reached those numbers. Though he golfed when he was younger, Keenan said he didn’t get serious about the game until a few years ago.
In 2007, he began taking lessons with Eagle Bend club professional Mike Wynne. Keenan still works with Wynne to refine his swing and touch up his game. Since he started training with Wynne, Keenan’s scores have plummeted, especially this year. Bob said his son’s handicap was 20 in early June, 14 at the start of July and now is about 10.
“Those are quantum leaps,” Bob said.
Along with Wynne, Keenan credits his dad, Lon Hinkle, family friend Blu Funk, his brother Conor and others at Eagle Bend with helping him improve his game. Conor played golf at the University of Washington.
Hinkle, who played professionally on the PGA Tour, knows talent when he sees it. Having spent many years in Southern California and witnessed that area’s top-notch junior golf circuit, Hinkle has gotten the chance to watch some of the nation’s best young golfers. This year at Eagle Bend, he’s had the privilege of playing with Keenan.
“He’s a comparable talent to some of the best I’ve seen in my years,” Hinkle said. “But what I really love is his desire to improve and his inquisitiveness. He constantly peppers me with questions.”
That desire to improve is abundantly evident in Keenan’s daily summer schedule. He plays every day, always getting in at least 18 holes but even as many as 45. He also spends hours at the driving range, improving his irons and learning to tame the wily driver. In the winter, he practices his swing in the basement of his home. But it never gets old. Golf, he explains, “is just a really fun game.”
“You always want to be better,” Keenan said. “It’s never work because the motivation takes the work out of it.”
Hinkle puts it this way: “There isn’t anyone that spends as much time out there as he does. Employees don’t spend as much time out there as he does.”
Keenan has won seven out of the nine tournaments he’s entered this year, which would be impressive enough if he were playing against his own age group. But he enters tournaments for 12- and 13-year-olds, with the exception of the junior championship. It’s impossible to predict what his scoring average will be next year, but given his exponential gains this year, the rest of the competition might not have a chance.
“(Golf) helps you with patience and honesty,” Keenan said, explaining that players are expected to call out their own stroke penalties. “It’s a very good game, I think, for kids to play. It teaches you sportsmanship and honesty.”
Signaling his respect for the game’s tradition, Keenan said his favorite golfer is Tom Watson. He admires Watson’s swing and says “Tom Watson is a 59-year-old man and he came in second in the PGA British Open. It’s amazing; it’s almost unbelievable.”
Keenan, while acknowledging college golf would be the first step, hopes to someday play on the PGA tour. Hinkle said: “He’s headed in the right direction. Time will tell.” In the meantime, Hinkle said “it will be fun to watch and we’re all paying attention and enjoying his successes.”
While many would be quick to call him a “natural,” Keenan disputes whether such a thing exists: “Golf is a game that doesn’t come natural.” He knows he can’t rely on natural ability if he plans to make it to the PGA. So what exactly will it take?
“A lot of practice and a little bit of luck – just a little, though,” he said. “And a lot of dedication.”