Humphreys tees off in Hawaii today

Brian Humphreys works hard at golf every day, and the game rewards him in more ways than he could imagine.

“It’s summer. I should be hanging out with friends or chilling out by the pool,” he said. “This is what I love to do. Golf is my friend.”

Humphreys, a 15-year-old who lives in Washougal and attends Camas High School, captured the state championship trophy as a freshman May 22, at Camas Meadows. On June 9, Humphreys shot a personal best round of 65 strokes, at the Centennial Golf Club, in Medford, Ore. On July 9, Humphreys lowered his best score to 63 strokes, at the Albany Golf & Events Center, in Woodburn, Ore.

“After that eagle, birdie, par, eagle, it went from just a good round to an ‘oh my god’ round,” Humphreys said. “Everything just clicked. When you’re playing that well, the fairways are huge and holes seem like buckets.

“The funny thing is, I got second place in both of those tournaments,” he added. “It’s kind of ironic, but when you’re playing that well and somebody beats you, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Today, Humphreys is playing in the Junior America’s Cup at Wailea Golf Club, in Maui, Hawaii. He is a part of Team Oregon with Kevin Geniza, of Corvalis, Dylan Wu, of Medford, Billy Pollock, of Eugene, and team captain Steve Hagan, of Scappoose.

“I was probably the most consistently high finisher in Oregon Junior Golf,” he said.

Humphreys attributes his success to his personal coach going on three years; Harold Bluestein of the Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield.

“I really like his philosophy on the swing,” Humphreys said. “My misses are a lot closer to the fairway. Before that, I was all over the place.”

Humphreys had never been to Hawaii before. The opening ceremonies featured a luau. After golf, he looks forward to relaxing on the beach and exploring the island.

“The course is right out near the ocean. I’ve been practicing my low shots to keep it out of the wind,” Humphreys said. “It’s going to be hard to get mad there in such a beautiful setting. I know I’m going to be nervous on that first tee. If you can birdie that first hole, all the nerves just go away and you’re ready to play again.”

Robin Humphreys looks forward to walking the golf course and watching her son play the game he loves.

“Unlike me, Brian is a really goal oriented person. He wrote down all of his goals at the beginning of the season, and it’s fun to see him knock them out,” she said. “My thing with him is, ‘are you having fun?’ I ask him that all the time. He’s just a kid. It has to be fun.”

When it comes to golf, the answer for Brian Humphreys is easy. He got his first set of clubs for Christmas when he was 8. Ever since he took that first swing, he was hooked.

“When I tell [my mom] I’m having fun, I’m being honest,” he said. “It’s what I love to do.”