Ian Youngblood
PERSONAL – Ian lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his girlfriend Ashlyn and two dogs – Kinje the blue great dane and Avie the Australian cattle dog. He works as an emergency room RN in a level 1 trauma center. Ian started playing golf about two years ago but hasn’t played much at all.
TIE TO THE MONTEMAR – Ian is the youngest brother of one of my best friends in the world – Ryan Bradley - and also the younger brother of one of the kids I used to coach – Nasty Nate Brown. I first met Ian when he was 9 years-old. He was a bit of a dorky little home-schooled kid who always wore camo, played with GI Joes, and asked strange questions. We played a hell of a lot of baseball games and were traveling often and Ian was always along for the ride with his older brothers. This went on for a few years and he got a little older and slightly bigger but still remained the sort of odd little homeschool kid who wore camo, played with GI Joes, and asked strange questions.
Then I moved to California. I didn’t see the kid for a long time but ran into him at Ryan’s bachelor party at Neil’s house in the Seattle area about 5 years later. Puberty was good for Ian – much better than it was for all his older brothers, much better than it was for most of us. He was 16 years old now and had gone from awkward and scrawny to 6-5 with big muscles. He had also discovered what vagina felt like and seemed to be on a mission to try as much of it as possible, sort of like it was a menu item. Ryan, Neil, and myself had a very fun time watching how excited he was.
The older Ian gets and the more he accomplishes/goes through the more and more fascinated I am by his zest for life. He’s the type of guy who comes up with a goal and does whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of what obstacles are in his way. He was a volunteer fire fighter and rugby player in college, then became a nurse, then a home owner at a young age, then a body builder, then volunteered to fight covid on the front lines in New York, then a yoga instructor, then an advocate and fundraiser for the fight against brain cancer, and recently completed a nurse practitioners program which he will soon put to use in an orthopedic sport’s medicine clinic.
The accomplishments he’s had while battling some very serious things at such a young age makes him one of the most fascinating people I know and I’m very proud of the little guy who used to ask me stupid questions like “why would you drink beer if it’s bad for you?” Or, “What do you think would happen if I rubbed all this dirt on my face?”
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MONTEMAR – Hoping Ian comes through with banana bags because that was a life saver for me last year.
WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN 2023– Hell would have to freeze over and the bus carrying the rest of us would have to blow up for Ian to have any shot at winning the Montemar in 2023. Despite elite athleticism, he just hasn’t played enough golf. 2024 will be a different story. If this event makes him catch the golf “bug” we’ve all had at one time or another, I could see him being a formidable opponent in 2024.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 2023 – Ian has a great story for his first round of golf ever. Before last year’s Classic, needing to make sure Ian had some understanding of golf etiquette as well as wanting to see the guy, I invited him out to play Troon North with us the day before our tournament started. There was a ton of teaching and a ton of balls hit sideways off buildings. Naturally, Ian went on to struggle through three rounds at the tournament, probably carding a max score on every hole. Luckily for him, he got to ride Addi’s back through a number of things and actually snuck away with a top 10 finish.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN 2024 – The next three months will be key to Ian’s future with the Montemar. We all know it’s not always easy to play with new players but we all love it when new friends pick up this wonderful game. What we don’t love is playing with somebody who doesn’t understand basic golf etiquette to the point where it distracts from our own rounds. My challenge to Ian will be to get out on the golf course, with other people, at least once per week until Idaho, and to also youtube as many videos as possible on proper golf etiquette. I’m hoping he becomes one of our guys who shoot 115 without anybody noticing because they do all the little things right. That’s the biggest challenge for Ian heading into 2024. Now, with that said, he’s got more natural athletic ability than just about all of us. A step above that would be to learn etiquette and practice enough to get to a point where he’s taking stabs at rounds around 100. Totally possible if he puts the work in and nothing would make me happier. That would make him a contender for that jacket.
ODDS TO WIN – 298-1
FUN FACT – If anybody wants to question Ian’s handicap… I’ll tell you this. When I asked him how much he’s played he let me know he’s played only a few times but he does have his own “kit.” I’m assuming that meant set of clubs. That said, he’ll be a great addition to anybody’s group…. He’s a fun guy and he’s 6-5 and hug, may even get the cart girl to go home with you, if that’s your thing. I’d imagine he’ll contribute some drives to a scramble team and help them out tremendously in the handicapped portion of those things.
MONTEMARS PLAYED – 1 (Scottsdale – 2023)
MONTEMAR ROUNDS PLAYED – 3 (TPC Scottsdale, TS-Piipaash, TS-O’Odhaam)
LIFETIME POINT TOTAL - 300
JACKETS WON – 0
TOP 3 FINISHES – 0
TOP 5 FINISHES – 0
TOP 10 FINISHES – 1 (9th – Scottsdale – 2023)
RECORDS – 0
TOURNAMENT HANDICAP - 57
INVITED BY – Oliver Kenyon
PLAYERS INVITED - 0
PRIZES DONATED – Really hoping some more banana bags.
