Ryan Terry (Submitted Photo)
Florida, Alaska, Tennessee, Alabama, Tennessee, Canada, California, Alabama, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
That is the journey that
Ryan Terry of Brentwood, Tenn., has gone on this year en route to two wins and five top-10s.
“I like to play as much as I can, and it is fun to go to different places and play different courses,” Terry said.
Terry, the 2018 Tennessee Mid-Amateur champion, won the Spirit of America Golf Classic in July to start a great run of tournament finishes, finishing T8 in the Tennessee State Amateur and solo second place in the Canadian Mid-Amateur.
“That definitely gave me confidence,” Terry said about his start to the season. “Going into the year, you hope to win a couple of big events, and once you do, it takes some pressure off.”
Terry added, “Having that early in the year helped give me confidence moving forward into the rest of the year.”
He also finished T5 at the Birmingham National Invitational and solo third place at the Devils Elbow Invitational in the Dominican Republic.
He capped off the year by winning the Mexico Mid-Amateur. He finished second in the stroke play portion and was one of only two golfers to shoot under par, along with medalist Cesar Abis Coutigno. He recorded rounds of 71-72 to finish 1-under and in solo second place. He then defeated Abis Coutigno in the finals of the match play portion 6 & 5.
“The more you travel, the more you play in tournaments,” Terry said. “There is a bigger comfort level than there is when you get success.”
Ryan TerryTerry added, “When you are hitting the ball well and getting it around well, the more it translates. So, you gain that confidence you can play anywhere. And the more you travel and play in other places, and see guys all across the world, you get. A bit of comfort that is built up there.”
He also participates in the U.S. Open Local Qualifying every year, but the Tennessee native makes the trip to Alaska every year for it because it fits better in his schedule.
He was the medalist last year in Alaska and finished in solo third place this year as the second alternate. Alaska is a difficult spot to qualify from because, while it is a smaller field, only one person moves on to final qualifying.
“It’s a wide-open golf course, the wind blows at 25 miles per hour, and it is right next to an airport,” Terry said.
This year, Terry finished third out of 16 golfers in the field and was the second alternate. Tegan Andrews of Cal State Fullerton was the medalist.
Terry traveled to the Dominican Republic to play in the Devil's Elbow Invitational, a prestigious Mid-Amateur event where the winner gets an exemption into the Corales Puntacana Championship, a PGA Tour event.
“It’s a fun event,” Terry said. “I enjoy going down there, and I speak Spanish, so going to the Dominican or Mexico, I feel pretty comfortable.”
Terry added, “It gives you something to look forward to watching the pros play a course that you are familiar with.”
Terry is a Financial Advisor at a firm in Brentwood, Tenn., so his schedule allows for him to work as he travels to different tournaments.
However, it requires work ethic and discipline to ensure he is getting his job done as he travels.
“For most of these events I go to, I can't just check out workwise,” Terry said. “When I get back to my hotel, I usually have two to three hours of work I have to do, but it's something I enjoy doing, so it is something I am willing to sacrifice for.
Terry also plays in the Stocker Cup annually, a partner event for Mid-Amateurs at the Preserve Golf Club in Carmel, Calif.
"It’s a fun event," Terry said. "Anytime you are playing with a partner, that makes it enjoyable because you have something outside of yourself to work towards, and even if you aren’t playing great, you have a team's core to work for."
Terry added, "It is definitely one I look forward to."