Great Graduate: Brian Garrett, Saint Mary's Hall

SAN ANTONIO – It's never too early to set goals for yourself, no matter how big or small. 

One local high school standout has a monumental goal in mind: play in the most exclusive golf tournament in the world, the Masters.

Brian Garrett of Saint Mary's Hall is an elite level golfer for the school, and is set to play at the next level, but this Great Graduate’s journey on the course wasn't always easy.

“I had stayed the night at my aunt’s house and I wake up the next morning and my aunt tells me she's taking me home, that my dad had passed away. It was hard at that moment. I didn't know the impact it would have on me,” Garrett said.

That day made 7-year-old Garrett step up and become the man of the house.

“It caused me to develop at a younger age, I have two siblings who are a year younger than me. They're twins and I think just being a father figure to them but also being independent, how to grow on my own,” Garrett said

The loss is something that Garrett can never get back, but he said it brought his family closer.

“It just makes me that much more thankful for my mom and the rest of my family for what they do for me,” said the graduating senior.

Now with a dream of going pro, Garrett is the captain of the Saint Mary’s Hall golf team, a team that includes his younger brother.

“He does have to be the older brother and more of an authoritative figure, not always a father figure, and he's nurturing and takes him under his wing,” said Tammie Patino, Garrett’s golf coach.

Golf is a competition for Garrett. It’s about winning, but it’s also about family.

Garrett says he still remmebers shooting pints for his little brother. “He'd want to know the yardage and I would shoot it for him at 6, 7 years old. So it's stems from that and he was a really hard worker,” Garrett said.

Garrett has has turned his memories into a mantra, which he now lives by.

“Be the best person I can be, and if I give a hundred percent effort in everything I do with golf and school and friends, being there for them, I think it has helped me develop as a person but also earn the respect of others and learn to respect myself, as well,” Garrett said.

After graduation, Garrett is set to play golf at Davidson College where he plans to study economics.
He hopes to dominate college golf, then take his talents to the PGA and the Masters.
 


About the Author:

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.