“Grant doesn’t notice or care. He just goes on. He goes out there and plays and enjoys himself.”
Engle took the good-natured ribbing in stride, writing it off as a teenage rite of passage.
“I was the only freshman on the team this year, but the seniors, overall, really treated me nice,” he said. “They accepted me onto the team. I enjoyed it.
“They messed with me a little bit, but it was all in fun.”
The younger brother of former Shawnee All-Ohioan and sophomore Ohio State standout Clark Engle, Grant is usually all business once he hits the first tee box.
Occasionally, though, the prankster gives as good as he gets.
“Clark was always really serious and determined,” Mowell said. “Grant is determined, too, but he doesn’t have the seriousness that Clark had. He just goes out and plays and enjoys himself – has a lot of fun and camaraderie with the guys.
“They battle, but they have fun.”
Knowing Mowell’s feverish propensity to search Reid Park’s tall grass for lost golf balls, Engle decided one day to have a little fun.
“During practice on No. 5 North, he wrote something on a ball and threw it into the weeds,” Mowell recalled. “It said, ‘Charlie, if you find this ball, please return it to Grant.’ ”
“Took him one day to find it,” Engle said with a laugh.
A refreshing blend of low-key composure and veteran finesse, the 5-foot-8 Engle plays with maturity beyond his years.
“He’s a good course manager,” Mowell said. “He knows when he can and can’t go after a hole. Lots of kids hammer the ball a mile, come into the green and mess up. Grant doesn’t. He gets up and down real well.”
The Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division Player of the Year carried a county-best, 18-hole stroke average of 78.28 (39.4 for nine holes), despite negotiating the Miami Valley’s toughest courses.
He not only shot 78 at the Elks Club to pace Division II Shawnee to a Clark County Invitational title – one stroke behind medalist Avery Green of Southeastern – but carded a 75 at Bellefontaine’s Cherokee Hills and an 83 at venerable Weatherwax in Middletown.
He best nine-hole scores came against CBC foes Tecumseh and Bellefontaine – 37 at Reid Park’s North Course and 36 at Liberty Hills.
“This kid will take the challenge. He’s a go-getter,” said Mowell, whose Braves finished 9-1. “He’s going to push Clark’s (school) records.”
Clark Engle, Ohio’s 2011 D-II state individual champion and two-time CBC Player of the Year, completed a strong freshman season at Ohio State. He averaged 75.18 strokes through 17 rounds, posted a pair of top-30 finishes, and ended the year ranked 85th among 3,000 D-I college players.
He finished fourth in the Windon Memorial (69-69-71—209), tied for third in the Jack Nicklaus Invitational (73-73-67—213), and sixth in the Ohio Amateur (69-72-71-75 –287).
“Clark was the best we’ve ever had (at Shawnee) – no doubt about it,” Mowell said. “It’s going to be a long time until somebody touches his records. He shot 33 at Liberty Hills and 63 in the CBC tournament at Cherokee Hills.
“But if anyone can break ‘em, it’s Grant.”
As modest as he is talented, the internally motivated Grant insists he just wants to improve.
Thoroughly unfazed by endless comparisons to his well-known older brother, Grant credits Clark for strengthening his game. No sibling rivalry here.
“It’s a good thing being his younger brother,” Engle said. “He gives me some pretty good tips and helps me out when I’m on the course. I enjoy following in his footsteps. He shows me the way and helps me out quite a bit.
“Honestly, I’d just like to keep improving and play to the best of my ability. If I end up close to some of Clark’s records, great. Mostly, though, I just want to play the best that I can.”
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