3rd Annual Brendan Valdes Charity Golf Scramble

Brendan was born on 02/05/2003 in Orlando, Florida.

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Brendan was born with severe allergies and eczema. Fortunately, we found Kathy Ferrante, who knew a great deal about allergy elimination techniques, including NAET, and Brendan was not destined to a life of medications and severe eczema like he experienced in his early years.

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Brendan enjoyed being active and began playing YMCA sports at a young age. Brendan played his first game of YMCA t-ball before he turned 3.

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It was evident from the beginning that Brendan was gifted athletically. In order to give him every advantage to improve his performance, we signed him up for gymnastics at age 4. While he initially began the program to assist with agility, coordination, and overall fitness so that he could excel at his other sports, it quickly became apparent that his athleticism would allow him to excel at gymnastics as well. During the next five years that he continued to play youth basketball, flag football and T-ball, he also began to compete in gymnastics competitions. Before long, Brendan was winning gymnastics championships in all six events (Rings, Pommel Horse, High Bar, Parallel Bars, Floor Exercise and Vault). Brendan earned a spot on “Team Florida”, which went on to win the Regional Championships in North Carolina for the level 5 boys (that was the highest-level competition the boys under level 9 could compete in).

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During the summer after his 8th birthday, a good friend of his, Johnathan Tinkley, invited Brendan to go to a summer golf camp. Brendan really enjoyed the sport and came out of that camp with a decent swing after only one week (Thank you Brad Brewer). Brendan began playing golf in the local U.S. Kids events and during his first season, he won Player of the Year. He also qualified for the U.S. Kids Regional events, as well as the U.S. Kids World Championships. We took advantage of those opportunities and were able to meet some wonderful people from all over the country and develop relationships, many of which continue to this day. At age 9, the activities that Brendan was doing in gymnastics began to concern us (flipping off the high bar and the upside down holds way off the ground on the rings and parallel bars) as again, he was doing gymnastic for all the benefits it gave him athletically, not necessarily to make it his primary sport. So later that year, when he broke his hand in a fall, Brendan decided he should “retire” from gymnastics.

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Brendan’s journey through junior golf has been amazing. Starting with U.S. Kids, he played in many Local, Regional and World Championships. Brendan’s first under par round came at age 9 at the Sandpiper Bay Golf Club where he shot 35. Brendan won many U.S. Kids events including a Florida State Championship and a Regional Championship. Brendan also finished 2nd two times at the U.S. Kids Teen World Championship and competed in the prestigious Van Horn Cup.

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As Brendan aged, he began playing on other tours as well. Brendan played on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour on which he won many tournaments and placed 2nd in the HJGT National Championship. Brendan joined the Florida Junior Tour and won his first Florida Junior Tour event at Riomar Country Club, shooting 73, 67 and have the only round under par in the tournament in the difficult conditions. It was his second Florida Junior Tour event, he was only 13, and it was against a solid field of older boys. Brendan went on to win a total of five Florida Junior Tour Championships, including the Tour Championship in the 16-18 year-old age division, when he was only 15. He was also the 13-15 points leader that season. Brendan has finished 2nd two times in the Florida Boys Junior Amateur. Capping off his Florida Junior Tour career, Brendan holds the All-Time Scoring records in the boys 13-15 age division with scores of Set Florida Junior Tour all-time scoring record with scores of 61 (-11) and 130 (-14).

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Brendan began playing the AJGA at age 13 as well. Thus far, Brendan has played in 25 AJGA tournaments. Brendan started playing the Junior All-Star series and earned a spot on the AJGA ACDS Junior All-Star Team in 2018. Brendan has 14 top 10 finishes and has played in 12 AJGA Invitationals, with 9 top 15 finishes. The Invitationals are tournaments which require high rankings to get in, so are against the strongest fields in junior golf. Brendan has been recognized twice by the AJGA as an All-American.

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Brendan has played in many stand-alone golf tournaments with great success. Brendan won the Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship at Augusta National in the age 14/15-year-old division in 2018.  Brendan competed two times in the highest ranked junior golf tournament in the World, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley finishing 21st and 19th in 2019 and 2020. Brendan qualified for his third trip, but unfortunately, the event was canceled due to Covid.

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Brendan played in the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational two times finishing 7th and 5th in 2019 and 2020. Brendan won the Inaugural Notah Begay III National Championship in 2020. Brendan won the Orange Tree Golf Club Junior Championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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Brendan’s high school golf career was spectacular. Brendan holds just about every record at Dr. Phillips High School, including: Best score 9 holes – 28; Best score 18 holes – 62; Most Sub par rounds; Best Metro score – 64; Best Metro finish – 1st; Best District score – 64; Best District finish – 1st; Best Regional finish – 1st. Brendan was elected to the All-Area Team each year.

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Outside of Junior Golf, Brendan won the Space Coast Amateur Championship at age 16. Brendan has won the Orange Tree Golf Club Men's Open Champion 4 consecutive times. Brendan and his good friend Frankie Harris won the Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Championship.

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Golf Channel recognized Brendan as the 7th ranked college recruit in the Nation for the Class of 2021.

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Brendan's first stroke play event of his freshman year at Auburn was the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational, held in the fall. He shot 74, 69, 73 for a three-day total of Even Par placing him in 11th place, out of a field of 75 of the top players in the country.

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Over the winter break, Brendan competed in the South Beach International Amateur shooting 69, 71, 73 and 70 to finish in 44th place out of 210 entrants. That event is ranked in the top 10 of all Amateur Events in the World.

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During his spring campaign for Auburn, Brendan started the season in Hawaii at the Amer Ari Invitational, where he shot 68, 72, 73 to finish 45th out of 115. As you can imagine that field was loaded with top collegiate golfers.

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Brendan’s played well at the Tiger Invitational in Alabama. He shot 67, 70, 68 to finish in 2nd place out of 87 players. His -11 total was the lowest score ever shot by an Auburn Golfer at that event and was the 11th lowest score in team history.

Brendan was honored with SEC Freshman of the Week following that outing.

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At the NCAA Championship in Arizona, Auburn played well, but came up just short of qualifying for match play. Auburn finished in 10th place out of 30 teams. Brendan shot 68, 79, 70, 76 to finish in 47th place out of 156 players. He posted the only under par round on the Auburn team and finished 2nd among Auburn players.

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Brendan’s first stroke play event of his sophomore year at Auburn was at the Maui Jim Collegiate Individual on the Desert Mountain Outlaw course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Brendan shot 67, 67, 70 for a 3rd place Finish.

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Next up was the SEC Fall Preview at Old Overton Golf Club in Birmingham, AL. Brendan shot 65, 66, 70 for a 7th place finish. Third was the Maquette Invitational at Milwaukee Country Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Brendan shot 73, 75, 68 for a 24th place finish. For the fourth and final event of the fall season, Brendan played in the Isleworth Collegiate at Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, FL. Brendan shot 67, 67, 72 for his first Collegiate Victory. Brendan was honored with SEC Golfer of the Week following that outing.

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Brendan started the Spring at the Dorado Beach Collegiate at TPC Dorado Beach Sugarcane Course in Puerto Rico. Brendan shot 69, 68, 70 for an 11th place finish. Up next, Brendan played the Tiger Invitational on Grand National in Opelika, AL. Brendan shot 67, 70, 71 to finish in 3rd place. For his third event of the Spring, Brendan played in the General Hackler Championship at the Dunes
Club in Myrtle Beach, SC. Brendan shot 72, 67, 71 for an 8th place finish.

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As of April 15, 2023, Brendan’s Collegiate National rankings are:
Golfweek: 33
Golfstat: 33

As of April 15, 2023, Brendan’s World Amateur Golf rankings at:
WAGR 100
SPWAR 83

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While his season is still ongoing, Brendan has put together some solid golf in his first seven events finishing 3, 7, 24, 1, 11, 3, 8, 5, and 26 respectively. For the 2022-23 season, Brendan leads the Auburn squad in Scoring Average (69.26), Rounds At/Below Par (24), Rounds Below Par (20), Rounds in the 60's (13) Total Birdies (127), Birdies per Round (4.73), Top 20 Finishes (7), Top 10
Finishes (6) and Top 5 Finishes (4). As of 04/15/23, Brendan has the 8th in the Nation for the Division 1 Men's scoring average with his 69.26.

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Brendan has been blessed with the capacity to perform the sport at a high level, but he has always been aware that capacity alone will not get you to the top, it requires hard work to develop the skills to play at the highest levels. Brendan worked hard on the course and has continued to focus on his fitness. 

 

The future is bright for Brendan Valdes.