- December 3, 2024
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Lakewood Ranch Country Club's Graham Gapin, 10, is where he wanted to be.
At 5 years old, Gapin watched a movie called "The Short Game," a documentary about kids competing at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
Before watching the film, Gapin had casually hit golf balls a few times, but never focused on it. One viewing of the movie was all he needed. Gapin put a goal in his mind. Not only would he would be one of those kids someday, he'd be a real contender.
Gapin started regularly golfing, and he saw his results rapidly improve. At 7 years old, he qualified for the U.S. Kids World Championship for the first time.
The 2024 U.S. Kids World Championship, held Aug. 1-3, will be his fourth — and Gapin said he's finally feeling confident in his ability to compete with the event's top players.
Gapin had one of his best performances at the 2024 Southeast Florida State Invitational, held June 8-9 at Hammock Creek Golf Club in Palm City. He won the Boys 10 division of the event at nine under par (68-67—135), six strokes better than second-place Benny Minter of Lutz.
It was Gapin's first victory in the junior event. In past years, he has been near the top of the leaderboard before faltering, but not this time.
"I came close so many times," Gapin said. "I made mistakes that I should not have made. I disappointed myself. Being able to win this time was special."
The difference? In an appropriate if unintentional nod to the film that convinced Gapin to pick up golf, it was his short game. In the past, Gapin has struggled to get the ball in the hole. At this year's event, he said he consistently landed in good spots on the greens, which gave him easier putts. He has also made the short game a focus in practice after identifying it as an area he could make better.
The on-course success is no surprise to anyone that knows Gapin. Golf has become his happy place, one he shares with friends. He has become especially close with Liam Kinne, 9, and Parker Campbell, 10, both of whom are members of Sarasota's Laurel Oak Country Club.
Kinne also won his age group at the Southeast Florida State Invitational (12 under par), while Campbell finished top-six at the 2024 U.S. Kids Golf European Championship in May. (12 over par). All three kids train together and support each other despite golf's individual nature.
"It's fun to do," Gapin said. "It felt natural to me when I picked it up. I just want to do stuff that makes me proud and succeed. I want to get better."
Gapin said he practices nearly every day during the summer. At other times of the year, he still tries to practice twice during the week and twice over the weekend. That practice is not limited to physical work.
Gapin spends time working to improve his on-course mentality. He said he used to get upset after hitting a bad shot, which would keep him off-balance for the rest of the round. Now, he focuses on keeping negative thoughts out while generating positive thoughts in their place. It's hard to do, Gapin said, but he does it as best he can.
Gapin mother, Sara Gapin, is proud of how he has dedicated himself to his craft.
"It is his motivation, his love of the game," Sara Gapin said. "It is amazing to see."
The Gapin family does not push him to compete as hard as he does, Sara Gapin said. They don't have to push him. He wants to be out there because he wants to keep improving, an attribute that many top athletes share.
His mother said he is just as competitive off the golf course. He often races his family members up the stairs to see who is fastest, and he has a mind for math and engineering in school. He is also witty. If he doesn't think a joke is funny, he sometimes will joke back that he is "losing his humor," a one-liner he learned from his mom.
At the World Championships in Pinehurst, Gapin will be all business. He enters with a goal to finish in the top five of his age category.
"I can see myself succeeding," Gapin said. "I'm able to shoot well and I have more confidence than in other years. I feel good."
