Tanner Vest will one day know the course at Guyan Golf & Country Club like the back of his hand.
The former Shady Spring standout signed to play golf for Marshall University and Guyan is the home course for the Thundering Herd.
Before he makes Huntington home, Vest is hoping to find some early success on the famed track when he competes in the 2023 W.Va Junior Amateur Championship.
The two-day event which starts Monday is for participants that are 18 and under as of June 26, 2023. The tournament has five divisions which includes a boys and girls championship division, a division for boys ages 13-14, a 12 and under boys division and a girls 10-14 age division.
“The Junior Am is always something that I look forward to and there is always a great time around the tournament hanging out with all your friends around the state,” Vest said. “I have played Guyan a little bit and I feel really good about my game right now.”
Vest is coming off another big win at the West Virginia Golf Association Four-Ball Championship. Last year he combined with good friend, and WVU Tech standout, Bryson Beaver to become the youngest duo to ever win the event.
Earlier this month, Vest and Beaver doubled down on their success by winning for the second year in a row.
“Going into this year there was a lot of talk around the tournament about last year. People were saying that last year was a one-time thing and it was a miracle that wouldn’t really happen again,” Vest said after the win. “We kind of wanted to prove that wrong. To win in this fashion was incredible.”
The four-ball win came on the Cobb Course at The Resort at Glade Springs which was his home course during high school.
Clearly Vest is not as familiar with the course in Huntington thus far, but there will still be a little added pressure to succeed.
“It will be my home course, but the ball is not exactly in my court just yet. I have been trying to play up there as much as I can,” Vest said. “(Marshall head) Coach (Matt Grobe) will be there and there will be a lot of people that I know and people that I will be around for the next four years. There is a little extra pressure, but I just have to make sure that I block that out.”
Monday will be Vest’s third appearance in the Junior Am where he has recorded back-to-back fourth place finishes in the previous two trips.
“I was a little out of contention two years ago, but was able to get in the top four. Last year I gave my four-ball partner a big push there at the end and made him sweat, but I wasn’t quite able to get it done,” Vest said. “Since this is my last Junior Am, I would really like to come home with the big trophy.”
The good news however, according to the future Marshall golfer, his future home course does fit his game nicely. Vest is confident he can play well on the course that has hosted the likes of Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead.
“When I drive the ball well, I can drive it as good as anybody. You can take some aggressive lines with the driver at Guyan and pick up some strokes off the tee,” Vest explained. “There is a lot of risk-reward off the tee that can set you up with some wedges in your hand. That is one of my favorite ways to play golf, bomb it and wedge up hopefully close to the pin.”
While the course offers some tantalizing opportunities, it also makes you pay if you get a little wayward.
“You have to be careful because you can get in some tricky spots. You can really find yourself in some lies with the ball above and below your feet,” Vest said. “There are also some uphill and downhill shots. You just have to focus and put in the extra time in your pre-shot routine to get the right numbers.”
Hoisting the trophy on Tuesday will be no easy task with a loaded field vying for the top honor.
Two of the top golfers in the field will be playing in the same group as Vest – Andrew Johnson (Hurricane) and Argyle Downes (Charles Town).
Downes, who will play next year at Rutgers, finished tied for fifth last year and Johnson was tied for twelfth.
“Andrew Johnson has been one of my best friends. We have been great buddies and we have got really close over the year or so,” Vest said. “Argyle is the other player in the state with a Division I commitment, so he is a great golfer. I love watching him hit golf shots. We have battled it out since our first Junior Am together.”
The name to watch could be playing in the group in front of Vest. Rising junior at Cabell Midland, Jack Michael, is very familiar with the Guyan layout and finished third at the state high school golf tournament last year for Class AAA.
“I am not sure if I have ever seen him miss a fairway or a green,” Vest said, playfully. “The way he hits the ball is impressive to watch and that is his home track up there. I definitely think he will post some good numbers this week.”
Local golfers joining Vest at the Junior Am include former Shady Spring teammate Tyler Beard, Camden Deeb from Bluefield, former Nicholas County star Ben Marsh, Oak Hill’s Ian Maynor and Beckley standout Jonah Willson.
