For Cameron Owens, golf was not something he grew up playing competitively from the beginning. His father had played professional golf, so you might expect that to be where his introduction to the game began. Instead, it was his grandfather who first put a club in his hands. When Cameron was around six years old, his grandfather took him to the driving range for the first time. “I started playing golf with my dad at that point, but not very seriously by any means,” Cameron recalled. He played casually until around age 10 before putting the clubs down for several years. It wasn't until the summer of 2014, at age 12, that he returned to the game and this time, something clicked. “It didn’t take long for me to become consumed by the game and obsessed with getting better,” he said. “Nothing else had taken off so quickly for me. I just loved it.” That renewed passion quickly led Owens toward competitive golf. He began competing in small junior tournaments before eventually making his way into South Florida PGA Junior Tour competition. He fell in love with the process of improving. “It was just about getting better. I just loved seeing it happen. When you go practice for all those hours and you can put it into tournament play and see the results of your labor, it's really satisfying.” Competitive golf also taught Owens some lessons that didn't come naturally at first. Pressure was something he had to learn to manage, and he admits he was once “notorious for folding under pressure.” But instead of becoming discouraged, he embraced the challenge of competing and improving. One of his favorite junior golf memories came in 2019 when he earned his second South Florida PGA victory. After nearly two years without a win, Cameron entered the tournament feeling confident in his game. Starting the final round one shot behind the lead, he went on to shoot a career-best 66 and win the tournament by seven strokes. “I knew I'd been working my tail off that entire winter leading up to that spring tournament,” he said. “The level of pride that I felt was definitely something I'll always remember.” But while individual victories stand out, Cameron remembers something else just as fondly: the people. “There’s one thing that you can’t really deny is the camaraderie between all of the players,” he said. Junior golf gave Owens the opportunity to compete against players who were simultaneously friends and competitors. They pushed each other to improve, then spent time together between rounds and during rain delays. “The community aspect of junior golf is something I wouldn’t change. If there’s one aspect I miss looking back upon my entire junior golf career, that’s probably the first thing that would come to mind.” Looking back, he also recognizes that the experience helped shape who he became. “The competitive environment that I was proud to be a part of has surely built a lot of my personality throughout the years. I owe a lot to the South Florida PGA for facilitating my entry into competitive golf as I knew it.” Playing college golf was always part of Cameron’s plan. He dreamed of eventually playing professional golf and was willing to work toward that goal, but his path to college golf was not a traditional one. He considered himself a late bloomer, only beginning to post scores that attracted college coaches around his junior year of high school. He ultimately found an opportunity to play Division II golf at Barry University in Miami. His college experience, however, taught him that choosing a school is about much more than finding a place to play. “My advice to the parents would be to make sure that their student-athlete is doing their research, and having definitive characteristics that they want their future school to have.” His own experience taught him that lesson firsthand. “It’s very easy to fall into the trap of not caring where you go to school, so long as you get to play. Don’t make the same mistakes I made, because I inevitably had to learn the hard way.” For prospective college golfers and their families, Cameron encourages them to look at the entire experience, not just the golf program. “Keep in mind, you’re still a human and you need to live your life outside of the golf course. Take everything into consideration when you’re planning the type of experience you would like to have.” After leaving his original college program, Cameron took a gap year and eventually returned to pursue his studies and finish his degree at Florida Atlantic University where he received a Bachelors of Business Administration. Walking away from competitive golf wasn't an easy decision. After finishing school, Cameron returned to tournament competition and initially found success. In his first professional event after nearly a year away, he shot 68 and felt like he was ready to get back into the game. But as the summer progressed, his game became increasingly difficult to manage. He missed qualifying for the Florida Open by two shots, and that tournament ultimately became his final competitive event in June 2025. At first, he didn't intend for it to be the end. “By that point, my thought process was simply, ‘I just need to get my game back into respectable shape. I need to figure out a plan how I can address these existing issues.’” But over time, his perspective changed. “It’s not that I had given up, but I had to be realistic at the end of the day. I slowly came to grips that the decision to turn professional and chase what had been my dream for half my life, was not a decision I was going to be able to act on.” For someone whose identity had been so closely connected to competitive golf for more than a decade, stepping away meant figuring out who he was beyond the game. Cameron began focusing on building a career and establishing himself professionally. After a short stint at a mortgage lender in West Palm Beach, he moved into his current sales role, where he is focused on continuing to develop professionally and personally. Golf may no longer be the center of his competitive life, but its influence hasn't disappeared. The transition from student-athlete to working professional gave Cameron a new appreciation for the lessons he learned through golf. One of the biggest is routine. “As a golfer, you’re ultimately the one in control for most things, and having a routine is something that acts as an anchor. That translates largely into day-to day life., Although golf and life can be unpredictable, through a routine, you can manage life’s stressors far easier.” That mindset has carried directly into his professional life. He approaches his work with structure, establishing routines around calls, emails and communication with his team. Discipline is another lesson that has stuck with him. “When you're a golfer, you have to be disciplined in your decision making,” Cameron said. “I think that applies to so many other facets of life outside of golf.” And then there is the importance of respect. “Golf is a game of respect, or at least that's what I was taught growing up.” He learned that how you treat people, how you communicate and how you carry yourself matters just as much off the course as it does on it. Those lessons have become particularly valuable in his current career, where much of his work involves asking questions, understanding people's problems and finding the right solutions. In many ways, Cameron sees a direct connection between that work and the way he learned to approach golf. “Golf is a game of learning. You're always learning something all the time. You're never going to know it all.” Today, Cameron’s competitive golf career may be behind him, but the impact of those years remains. The tournaments, friendships, victories, difficult rounds, pressure and setbacks all became part of a larger education, one that extended far beyond a scorecard. And that is ultimately what he hopes young golfers and their families take away from his experience. “Do your homework.” Whether it's choosing a college, navigating the recruiting process, working through a difficult period or figuring out what comes next, Cameron believes young athletes should take the time to understand their options and make decisions that fit the whole person, not just the golfer. His journey also offers a reminder that a golfer's path doesn't have to look exactly as planned to still be meaningful. Competitive golf gave Cameron a love for improvement, taught him discipline and resilience, introduced him to lifelong relationships and helped shape the person he is today. “Golf will still remain in the picture in the sense that it has made my personality and it will always be an integral part of me.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Benjamin School Boys and Girls teams both claimed titles at the South Florida PGA West Coast High School Championship. The month of September marks a decade since the South Florida PGA hosted its first high school championship. Over the past 10 years, the game of golf has continued to grow exponentially, and the championship has become a celebration of that growth, bringing together both familiar and new faces each year. After the opening round, The Benjamin School held the lead in both the Boys and Girls team divisions. The Boys team carded 20 birdies and finished the day at 12-under-par, while the Girls team recorded 10 birdies and finished at 8-over-par. Brooks Colton of The Benjamin School got off to a strong start in the Boys individual division, firing a 10-under-par round featuring seven birdies and two eagles. In the Girls individual division, Sophia Christy of The King's Academy led after Round 1, shooting 5-under-par with six birdies. Following a strong opening round, The Benjamin School pulled away from the field on Day 2. The Boys team posted an impressive 26-under-par team score, while the Girls team finished the day at 24-over-par over 36 holes. In the Boys individual division, the title came down to a scorecard playoff, with holes 10-18 determining the winner. Matthew Stigliano of The Benjamin School claimed the title after shooting 5-under-par in the final round to finish at 8-under-par for the championship. The Girls individual title also came down to a scorecard playoff. Reese McMillan of The Benjamin School finished the championship at 7-under-par, edging Sophia Christy of The King's Academy after the two finished tied following the second round. The South Florida PGA West Coast High School Championship featured 90 players, 60 boys and 30 girls, representing 18 teams from across South Florida. A special thank you to Director of Golf Gyles Robin; Head Golf Professional Michael Dodson, PGA; and the entire team at The Club at Gateway for hosting this year’s championship. We also want to shout out our PGA member coaches: Chris Adams, PGA, Barry Cheeseman, PGA, Ben Kitts, PGA, Jeff Nixon, PGA, Andy Scott, PGA, Jason Miller, PGA Boys Teams: Archbishop McCarthy Barron Collier Belen Jesuit Benjamin Bishop Verot Community School of Naples Estero High School First Baptist Academy Riverview High School Sarasota High School True North Classical Academy Venice High School Girls Teams: Archbishop McCarthy Barron Collier Benjamin Bishop Verot Community School of Naples The Kings Academy Event Photos | SFPGA Junior Tour | Boys Leaderboard | Girls Leaderboard