South Elgin’s Owens on top of his game

To say that South Elgin senior golfer Xavier Owens has had a good year would be an understatement.

Owens has won 5 tournaments this year, and placed in the top three in the three tournaments that he didn’t win. In the Upstate Eight Conference tournament last Thursday, he shot a 71 to take first place overall. He shot 69 twice this year -his personal best score — once at The Highlands of Elgin and once at Bartlett Hills. All in all, it’s been a year of unbelievable accomplishments for Owens and with the Class 3A Larkin regional at St. Andrews coming up on Tuesday, he will undoubtedly be ready to continue his success.

“I’ll stick to my normal practice routine,” said Owens. “Going to St. Andrews and hitting golf balls, and work on chipping and putting.”

St. Andrews is the course Owens calls home, mostly because it is right across the street from his home. He works there and loves to play there around all the familiar faces who watched him grow as a golfer.

“I know everybody there,” said Owens. “Everybody has really good hospitality and it’s a well-kept course. I enjoy playing there all the time.”

The course at St. Andrews has also helped Owens train on some of the key aspects of his game, especially location and accuracy, because of the size of the greens.

“If you hit the green there it’s not really a big feat because it’s so big,” he said. “You can be on the green but still be a hundred feet away.”

Owens played in seven IJGA events over the summer, and placed second in four of them. As the fall began to draw closer, there were some aspects of his game that he worked on more than others to get ready to take on the other Upstate Eight golfers.

“The biggest thing I had to work on was probably putting,” said Owens. “I just wanted to get my putts lower so I could always save myself when I got into trouble. I also wanted to hit a lot more greens; because if you’re in the fairway and you don’t hit the green it’s not really a big accomplishment for that hole.”

The training paid off, and South Elgin head coach Jay Bartholomew was extremely proud of the resulting season for Owens.

“He’s come a long way,” Bartholomew said. “He’s been on the varsity team since he was a freshman, he made it downstate as a sophomore, and he’s really stepped up his game as a Senior now. It’s an unbelievable task that he’s accomplished so far, it’s just been great. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to do in the state playoffs.”

Owens picked up his passion for the game of golf at a very young age, with a lot of help and coaching from his dad.

“I started with my dad, and I started around two or three years old,” said Owens. “Just kind of smacking it around the house … that’s how I got started with it and that sparked the years after that.”

The love for golf would continue throughout Owens’ life, and his success and hard work reflect how much passion he has for the game. He finds it challenging in both mental and physical aspects, which sets it apart from other sports for him; and fits his personality the best.

“The biggest thing I like about it is that it’s not all physical,” said Owens. “It’s at least 75 percent mental. Not everybody has the greatest swing in the world; but if you can manage it the way that you’re supposed to and the best way you can, then you can still play very well.”

Bartholomew has watched Owens’ game get better and better throughout his four years at South Elgin, and watched his personality continue to shine as well.

“His father taught him a lot, and he still does,” said Bartholomew. “I’ve seen his composure, staying focused even if he has a bad hole here and there. That’s how he’s stepped up his game this year. From one hole to the next it’s just a good focus on what he needs to do to come in at a certain score. He also has a great practice routine; he knows what to work on, he knows how to fix his swing, and that’s all up to him. The mind focus is just great, and I know that his dad has helped him out a lot with that. He’s been a great influence on him.”

As his game has stepped up over the years, Owens has many keys to his success. Bartholomew can’t pick just one aspect of Owen’s game that he thinks is the best.

“He drives the ball so far,” Bartholomew said. “He can get in trouble just like everybody else that drives the ball that far ... he’s very good at his short game too. Coming into the green from 120 or 150 yards out, he can stick the ball really close. His chipping saves him a lot too if he’s short, he’ll chip on in one putt. Otherwise, his putting has really saved him this year. His putts have been down to right around the 30 average on all his matches, which has been great.”

When he watches the professionals play his favorite game, Owens looks up to the hardworking and persistent Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey for inspiration.

“He’s so down to earth,” said Owens. “He’s worked for everything that he earned. He’s probably one of the hardest workers. He didn’t step out into the PGA and get recognized instantly, he worked his way up.”

Just like Gainey, Owens’ work ethic may get him his own big break someday.

“He’s always out there helping other players out, and he’s always out there focused,” Bartholomew said. “He’s an all-around great kid, there’s nothing else you can ask for.”

Among Owens’ other accomplishments, he has shot his personal best 69 three times total (twice this year), and the first time he did it was at one of the most popular colleges around.

“A couple of years ago I shot 69 at Notre Dame,” he said. “At the Warren golf course, where the college team plays.”

A performance like that on the Fighting Irish’s greens shows that he can play at the collegiate level. As Owens’ incredible high school career draws to a close, he looks toward the next chapter in his life, but has no definite college plans as of yet.

“I’m narrowing it down as we speak,” he said. “I’m just sending out a few applications and a few emails to narrow down the choices.”