The American Dream

Michael Weston meets Jake Hibbert to discuss why US college golf is such an attractive option

- Michael Weston

When Jake Hibbert went to look around Florida Atlantic University, his dad, Steve, turned to him and said, “If these guys want you, you want to be saying yes!” The size of the college football stadium gave him an idea of what being a student athlete at FAU might be like. Then there was the course being built for the golf team and a new $60m gym. After mulling it over, the 19-year-old signed for the ‘Owls’. Golf scholarship secured, he was off to America to pursue his dream of becoming a professional.

The last ten years have flown by. It doesn’t seem that long since he was hitting balls into the Irish Sea, enjoying stays with his grandparents in their caravan in Blackpool. He joined Warrington when he was ten and won the Club Championship four years later. His aim is to play on the PGA Tour by the time he’s 25, and the way to achieve that, he’s decided, is through the college system in America.

Golf scholarships aren’t handed out like confetti. A promising golf game is one of the prerequisites, yes, but you can’t get into college without the necessary academic grades – which in Jake’s case were GCSEs. Even then, competition for spaces is fierce and you need to display certain characteristics. Jake ticked all the boxes and started discussing his options with College Sports America after playing in the Henry Cooper (an international junior golf tournament), which turned out to be a significant moment.

Exceptional talent