About Me
Tyler William Leach, born December 15, 1999, is an aspiring professional golfer.
At the age of two, my father put a golf club in my hands for the first time. Over the years, the frustrating, yet amazing, game of golf became a huge part of my story.
I grew up in a small, rural town in northwest Wisconsin called Spring Valley. The golf course I grew up, Spring Valley Golf Course, was located just across the street from my house while owned and operated by my parents. This afforded me the luxury of enjoying the game at any time. At a young age, my father would frequently take me out golfing while working to instill the fundamentals of the game within me.
At the age of eight, I was introduced to competitive golf. The challenges and opportunities this side of golf presented immediately created a drive within me to continue to get better and better. That drive continued to serve as a strong source of motivation and propelled me throughout my young career. As I continued to age, I began to set my sights on high school golf and the numerous opportunities I would encounter.
From the moment my high school golf career started, I knew I wanted to win the state tournament. My father had always talked about his high school experiences contending in the state tournament against the likes of Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker. So from that moment on, I went to work.
A third place finish my freshman year was a turning point in my golf career. I vividly remember being overwhelmed with feelings of disappointment. That summer, I began working at my golf game longer and harder than I had ever before. Then, the following year, that goal I had set as a freshman became a reality as I was crowned state champion. From there on, I collected another state title before my career came to a close.
I look back fondly on my high school golf career. All the late nights spent on the golf course playing and practicing with my friends instilled a deep passion for the game within me. This was the time in my life where I truly developed my love for the game. And from these years on, I have progressively become more infatuated with the relentless quest of improving my golf game.
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Throughout this journey, I realized my golf career did not need to be confined to high school. As college coaches began reaching out to me, I immediately knew pursuing a college golf scholarship was something I wanted to do. After a long process, I was blessed with the opportunity to continue my career at Marquette University.
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My collegiate golf career began similar to my high school career as I was blessed in achieving success early on. After eight of the most highly competitive rounds of my young career, I earned my spot in the starting lineup for our first event of the year--one of my biggest golf achievements to date. I quickly became accustomed to the nature of college golf and I was able to hold my spot in the lineup for every event that season and eventually throughout the rest of my college career.
A few collegiate highlights of mine include being named Big East Freshman of the Year, a four-time All-American scholar, and a four-time member of the All-Big East team. In addition to collecting nine top-10 finishes, I added my first collegiate victory at the 2019 Crooked Stick Invitational while defeating one of the best collegiate fields in the country. I finished my Marquette career in the spring of 2023 ranked fifth all-time in scoring average and third all-time in rounds counted.
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Throughout college, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play against some of the most elite competition while playing some of the most amazing golf courses in the world--so many that I cannot even choose a favorite. From these experiences, I learned what it takes to compete at the highest levels seen in the sport. I know what I am capable of, and early in my collegiate career I began to envision a future that included pursuing professional golf.
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Tyler is one of the most hard-working individuals I have ever met. One thing that separates him from everybody else is the unwavering belief he has in his abilities. I have no doubt that Tyler will succeed in golf at the professional level.
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-Steve Bailey, Head Coach, Marquette Men's Golf
Golf has strong roots in my family of four as each day was defined by our time spent at the golf course. On a typical day, my mother would work inside managing the clubhouse, my father would be out on the grounds manicuring the course, my sister would serve as an employee, and I would be out on the course practicing my craft. Together, we spent all day, every day at the golf course.
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Over the years, we continued to develop our love for the course. However, owning and operating a golf course was a bumpy ride for my family. The long hours and high-stress environment, combined with its low means of income, slowly took a toll on my parents. As the golf industry continued to struggle, there became a stronger and stronger possibility they could no longer afford to keep the course and could eventually be stripped of ownership. That idea finally became a reality at the end of 2019, when after 21 years of ownership our family had to say goodbye to something that had become so closely attached to each one of us. It felt as though we had lost a member of the family.
Looking back on the time I spent at the golf course, I am extremely grateful. This place became such a strong part of my life while allowing me to pursue my dream and meet many amazing people along the way. Many of these relationships have continued to develop even to this day. Over the course of time I did not realize it, but the golf course played a strong role in molding me into the individual I am today. It has been a difficult transition, but my family has slowly began to accept the reality of no longer owning a golf course. Now, my family has come to enjoy the game of golf more than ever, and we frequently go back to play the same course we once spent so much time at. Spring Valley Golf Course will always hold a special place in my family's story.
Outside of golf, my life is defined by my faith in Jesus. This journey began for me a few years into college when I began challenging myself to understand what I truly believed. Since then, I have come to understand that a greater hope awaits me some day, but for now I can rest knowing that golf will never define me as a person, it is just something that I do.
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As I continued to develop throughout college, daily routines and habits also became of high importance to me. I have come to understand these habits are pivotal in my pursuit of bridging the gap of where I am now, to where I want to be. For example, each day I seek to efficiently manage my time by carefully planning out my day in 30-minute blocks; I strive to maintain my overall health through regimented workout routines and stretching routines; and I strategically map out my nutrition goals. Most importantly, I now understand the importance of proper rest as each night I seek maximize my sleep to recover optimally. Altogether, these details may seem minor in importance, but have had a significant positive effect on my performance on the golf course. At this level, that minor edge can make all the difference. As I continue to develop my game at the professional level, these routines and habits will serve as the foundation for all my potential future successes.
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Lastly and most importantly, one of the biggest changes in my life came recently as I become married to my wife, Abby. Ironically, Abby and I first met at a golf tournament when we were both 17 years old. However, it was not until the fall of 2021 that we were reunited and began to intently get to know each other. Over the next year or so, Abby and I continued to develop a strong relationship that will now get to last the rest of our lives. Our next big step included a move to Scottsdale, AZ. There, Abby intends to pursue a career working in the golf industry while I can focus on my game year-round. We are both extremely excited to see what opportunities lay before us.
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