Owen Avrit stood in the grueling winds of Waimea, Hawaii, as he warmed up for the 2023 Amer Ari Intercollegiate golf tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
“We played Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. The weather was perfect. Then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday you could hardly stand up,” Avrit said. “I’ve never experienced wind like that before, it was really crazy and just happened to be the three days of the tournament. Some of the golf carts out there had their windshields completely fly off.”
This tournament was canceled due to the hazardous winds. However, Avrit remained unphased by the treacherous conditions and looked forward to his next opportunity to compete on the links.
Avrit is no stranger to situations not going his way.
When he was a senior at Arroyo Grande High School in 2019, he fielded scholarship offers from several programs, but not the school of his dreams, the University of Oregon.
Upon high school graduation, Avrit signed with Long Beach State University’s golf team.
“The head coach reached out to me and seemed really enthusiastic about wanting me there. It was appealing to me because the most important thing… was making sure that I was going to play,” he said. “If you’re going to a big name school and you’re on the team that’s cool and all, but if you’re not playing then what’s that really doing for you… if you want to pursue professional golf because it has been my dream for as long as I can remember.”
Avrit was solely focused on competing and getting the reps that he needed to improve his game and be successful at this level and ones to come. While he wanted to attend a big-name school, he chose LBSU, a sleeper school which wasn’t really known for its golf program.
From his first collegiate competition, Avrit thrived.
“My very first college event…I won. Can’t think of a better start to a college career than that,” Avrit said. “Once COVID cut the season short in early March of my freshman year… I went home and a lot of the college players and I from my area… we all came together and created our own little college group where we practiced every day during COVID.”
A group that featured his local competitors including his older brother, Jack, who played for Santa Clara University, helped create a sense of community for him and this group during such a trying time.
During lockdown, there was a ton of uncertainty which gave Avrit time to think about where he was and wanted to be.
“I knew that I had a really solid freshman year and that if I entered the transfer portal that I would end up somewhere that I wanted to be,” he said. “Coach Wilson was the absolute best, but to me, the school itself wasn’t the right fit for me. Living in LA (Los Angeles) was kind of a lot coming from San Luis Obispo (a smaller town). I just needed a change of pace.”
Despite the unknown and feeling anxious, Avrit put all his eggs in one basket and entered the transfer portal.
“Although I had confidence I was going to land somewhere I wanted to be, it was still pretty nerve-racking,” Avrit said. “Once my name entered the portal, Coach [Casey] Martin here got on the horn with me. I committed here on the third day of the portal.”
Avrit garnered portal interest from the likes of Oregon State and San Diego State, but when Martin reached out, Avrit knew where he’d end up.
“Oregon was originally my dream school. I remember watching them win the National championship in 2016 and I have some family up here… took some trips up here to play a few tournaments and… I just fell in love with the state, I thought it was beautiful,” Avrit said.
Despite knowing where he wanted to attend to fulfill his collegiate career, Oregon had filled up its roster spots by the time Avrit reached out to the coaching staff during his recruitment.
Fast forward to 2020, Avrit’s dreams turned into reality. Avrit kept his dreams in sight and took a risk when he had the chance.
Avrit’s father worked at Avila Beach Golf Resort with William “Billy” Gibbs, First Tee master coach, national trainer and Owen Avrit’s lifelong mentor.
Gibbs lauded about his pupil’s work ethic and drive that he’s noticed since Avrit first picked up a club under his supervision when he was five years old.
“There was never a moment where me and his dad would just look at each other like, ‘Who is this kid?’” Gibbs said. “He would come to junior programs or my First Tee class with kids a lot older than him, and he stood his ground and went along with his business.”
Gibbs recalled a time where he put down a friendly wager with Avrit on the practice greens.
“It was like a 50 foot putt and he’s like six (years old), ‘If you could make that putt… I’ll give you 20 bucks,’” Gibbs said. “As soon as he hit it, we just looked at each other like, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to go in.’ He’s one of those kids that if there was a challenge in front of him, he would just stay until it’s completed.”
Gibbs recounted another instance when Avrit set a challenge for himself that took him weeks to accomplish.
With hard work and determination, Avrit pulled off the ultimate trick shot at Monarch Dunes Golf Course in 2018.
Using an iron, Avrit chipped one ball in the air, proceeded to hit a second ball and got the two to collide in mid air.
Avrit’s performance is a true testament to his drive and skill, which is why it comes as no surprise that he ranks in the top 100 golfers among amateurs.
There’s no doubting Avrit’s capability and diligence. As a junior, he made the All-Pac-12 Second Team and PING All-West Region Team.
With Oregon’s season on his mind, the PGA Tour has always been a part of Avrit’s quest, but he has one more year of eligibility if he chooses to exercise his COVID year. However, he has the rest of this season to focus on before making his decision.
“Since I started playing golf when I was two… I immediately fell in love with the game,” he said. “It’s been my goal since as long as I can remember to play on the PGA Tour and just have a successful career. I want to do that for a living and win majors and be a champion out there.”
Gibbs, who’s coached thousands of golfers and is a PGA professional, gave his two cents of Avrit’s ultimate goal.
“He’s got the perfect mannerisms for a tour player. He’s got that calm demeanor that you need to have,” Gibbs said. “The truth is I don’t think I’ve ever said that about any of my kids. I’ve had a lot of great kids… really good players… nothing like this kid.”
