Former Center Grove golfer Sam Jean has placed first, third and 12th in events for Cincinnati so far this season.
Submitted photo
Sam Jean carries a 4.0 grade-point average at the University of Cincinnati as a mechanical engineering major.
As potential career fallbacks go, Jean, a fifth-year senior who is off to a torrid start this season for the Bearcats men’s golf team, seems to be doing pretty well for himself.
“Hopefully, golf is going to be my job,” said Jean, a 2018 Center Grove graduate. “The next step would be to go through different qualifying schools. Hopefully, I would do well at the PGA Tour Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour.”
Based on Jean’s career to date, never say never.
“Yes. For sure,” responded 14th-year Cincy coach Doug Martin when asked if he could see Jean eventually making a living in the sport. “It starts with Sam’s work ethic. In the past year and a half, every aspect of his game is a little bit better.”
Jean’s average 18-hole score through his first eight rounds of the fall season is 68.88.
Powered by a final-round 66, he opened the early portion of the UC schedule by finishing third individually at the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin. Jean won Cincy’s Bearcat Invite a week later, producing scores of 72, 67 and 67.
In late September, Cincinnati competed at the Old Town Collegiate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Jean finished with scores of 72, 68 and 68 to tie for 12th among individual golfers.
Most recently, his 4-under-par 68 helped position the Bearcats in second at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in Jonesboro, a three-day event slated to wrap up today.
Martin continues to be impressed.
“That’s good golf. It’s not by accident. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and Sam is a very mature kid, and he keeps getting more mature every year,” Martin said. “He’s been a very easy kid to coach and a very difficult kid to coach at times.
“Sam is very calculated. Very much a perfectionist. Now it’s easier for him to move past adversity quicker.”
Jean’s scoring average since arriving on campus has improved since his 74.39 as a freshman. In the years since, he’s gone 73.96, 72.71 and 71.45.
He capped last season by earning the No. 6 seed in the NCAA’s Columbus Regional, making Jean only the seventh individual in program history to do so.
He finished tied for 45th with a 7-over-par total of 220. Jean’s senior campaign also included nine rounds shooting in the 60s and making All-American Athletic Conference for a second consecutive year.
Jean’s improvement from then to now is a matter of tightening up his short game.
“That’s definitely a large portion of it. I’ve been able to reduce my mistakes, and I’m putting better,” Jean said. “It’s something I’ve always had to work on. I enjoy hitting balls, but putting isn’t as much fun for me, so I’ve had to be more disciplined in that area.
“When I get to a golf course, I’ve always wanted to go straight to the driving range. Especially the first two tournaments this season, I made several putts from the 20-30 foot range.”
Martin, who still has Jean on the roster by way of the latter exercising an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to enjoy watching the remainder of Jean’s college career play out.
“Sam understands what it means to be a student-athlete, and he’s been the consummate student-athlete since he got to campus,” Martin said. “I knew he was going to have a tremendous impact on our program.
“This year, for example, the leadership role he’s in right now, Sam has far exceeded my expectations.”
