Player Profile - Brendan Steele

This week’s player profile introduces readers to American rookie Brendan Steele, who recently had his maiden victory at the Texas Open.

Born in 1983 in the town of Idyllwild, California Steele made the most of his formative years spent in the golf-friendly sunny weather of the West Coast. Having taken up the sport at a relatively young age, he honed his skills on the college golf circuit while attending the University of California at Riverside. Having graduated from college, Steele set his sights on the professional circuit in 2005. His first foray into the world of pro golf saw him competing on California’s Golden State Tour where he was victorious in four tournaments.

In 2006, Steele looked northward for new challenges as he traded the sunny weather of California for the cold climate of Canada, playing for two years on the Canadian Tour. After honing his skills in Canada, Steele returned to the United States where he joined the Nationwide Tour in 2008.
Steele’s first year on the Nationwide Tour saw him adapt to a high level of challenge. Making 11 cuts out of 21 he found his feet on the second-to-highest ranked tour in the US, and was ranked 82nd on the money list. 2009 saw Steele make fewer cuts, but he finished 3 times in the top 10, a preview of things to come.

In 2010, Steele had his first taste of victory on the Nationwide Tour. In a season that saw him finish 17 times in the top 25, Steele was victorious at the Nationwide Tour Championship on Daniel Island. At the end of 2010, Steele was third on the money list, having earned a total of $515,824 on the Nationwide Tour. He received his PGA Tour card for the 2011 season.

On Sunday Brendan Steele won the Texas Open held in San Antonio beating fellow rookie Kevin Chappell. This first victory augurs well for Steele’s career on the PGA Tour.