Stories of The Q at Myrtle Beach: Ryan Wilkinson, the Hometown Hero

By way of Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club, Ryan Wilkinson has the entire Myrtle Beach community behind him. How did he get into The Q? We’ll let him tell that story.

Watch The Q at Myrtle Beach, April 23rd on Play Golf Myrtle Beach’s YouTube Channel.

Ryan Wilkinson:
My dad’s been a PGA Pro since literally the day I was born. We didn’t grow up with anything. We lived paycheck to paycheck. If it wasn’t for him, there’s no way in the world I would be here.

I wear my Shaftesbury Glen shirt here, and I am the pro there. I went out and played, and next thing you know, they announced me as a Diamondback employee on the first tee box.

So I’m sitting and I’m literally at work, and all of a sudden, I get this email saying, “Welcome to the GTS Pro Tournament.” So I call my dad, “What’s going on?” And sure enough, he signed me up for the (The Q local pros qualifier at Wachesaw Plantation East) event. Next thing you know, they come up to me and say, “Hey, you might’ve just won this.”

What really touched me was being in the pro shop and having this kid come run up to me and ask me if I’m Ryan, the one that made it to The Q? Seeing the impact that just this one event… We haven’t even got to The Q yet.

What this event has done for junior golf is extraordinary, and that’s my future in this business. That is what’s going to be the next generation. We really need to start looking into this junior golf aspect and grow from it.

Having the whole Myrtle Beach area on your shoulders and sitting there boosting you up, saying, “Hey, we hope you make it. We hope you play well. Best of luck,” I couldn’t ask for much more. I’ve got guys that I’ve never even met before that come up and say, “We’re rooting for you. We’re 100 percent on your side.” Never would’ve thought that I’d be sitting in this chair, and there’s a lot of great pros. They play a lot more golf than I do.

I’m sitting in a spot where all I have to do is beat 15 other pros or social media influencers, and I’m going to the PGA. I’ve won tournaments in the past. I’ve played college golf, won several tournaments there. I’ve played a few mini-tour events and I’ve won there as well, but I do believe I could win.

In case you missed them:

Stories of The Q at Myrtle Beach: Fat Perez, the Ultimate Underdog

Stories of The Q at Myrtle Beach: Luke Kwon, from Door-to-Door to the Verge of the PGA TOUR

Stories of The Q at Myrtle Beach: Is Matt Atkins the Favorite to Win It?