Tanner Kenneth Owen is a senior at Wake Forest University originally from High Point, NC, where he attended Bishop McGuinness High School. Before he came to Wake Forest, Owen was a four-year letter winner for high school coach Scott Savage and the 2013 and 2014 North Carolina State Champion and Player of the Year, leading his team to conference, regional, and state championships every year in high school.

Owen’s track record brought a strong start to his collegiate career, as he performed well in the Marshall Invitational, Primland College Invitational, Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate tournament and the Davidson College Invitational before helping the Deacons to an eighth-place finish in the ACC Championship of Wake Forest’s 2014-2015 season.

In his preceding season, Owen competed once again in the Primland College Invitational before suffering from a season-ending injury. Owen’s best finish in his junior season was at the Heel/Pack Invitational Tournament.

Tanner is a Finance Major and will be working in investment banking at Barclays in New York City after graduating in May.

Abby McMullen: What was your main motivation in choosing to become a DI athlete?

Tanner Owen: I started in golf at a young age and devoted myself solely to it by the time I was in middle school. At this point, my competitors were discussing playing college golf, so I started researching opportunities and sending out letters/resumes to college coaches. I figured it was a great way to get a solid education and improve in my sport.

AM: What is the most important lesson or biggest takeaway you’ve learned over the past four years?

TO: I have learned the importance of character and respect through watching my older teammates, as well as my coaches, in how they interact with their peers and adults.

AM:. How do you feel like Coach Haas has helped you develop as a player and a person over the past four years?

TO: Coach Haas teaches his players to respect each other and everyone they run into and this is the most important thing he has done for us.

AM: How do you feel like your experience on the golf team has prepared you for your next step?

TO: Working in investment banking at Barclays will be a team-oriented experience, which is why I feel college golf has prepared me for it.

AM: What has been your favorite memory as part of the Men’s Golf Team?

TO: My freshman year we took a trip to the Hamptons and played some world-class golf courses.

AM: What has been your favorite memory as a Wake Forest Student?

TO: LR with the boys.

AM: What has been your biggest challenge, either as a student or an athlete, over the past four years? How have you grown from it?

TO: Probably time-management across golf, academics and my extracurricular activities.

It is imperative to be organized and this is something that will continue with me into the workplace. Responsibility and promptness are necessary when dealing with a host of tasks and this is what we will face in the working world post-grad.

AM: How do you define “success”?

TO: Being happy with where you are in life while doing what you want to be doing.

AM: Do you think you are in a successful place in your life right now? How will golf be a part of your life in the future?

TO: Yes — while I wish I were playing better golf, I’m enjoying every bit of my last semester at Wake Forest and I will be moving into a solid job afterward.

I unfortunately won’t be able to play much but that will intensify my passion for it. I’ll do my best to play as much as I can.

AM: What will you miss most about the environment of being on the team?

TO: I’ll miss my friends on the team the most- we spend a ton of time together and we have grown very close.