Libby's 14-year-old golf phenom

Ryggs Johnston started swinging golf clubs when he was only 2 years old. He’s continued to swing his way into another victory at a national golf tournament.

Last week, the 14-year-old from Libby won the Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour 3 Day Elite Event in Goodyear, Ariz. He competed in the 14-to-19-year-old group, winning by four strokes on the 7,000-yard Palms Course at the Palm Valley Golf Club.

That’s right. Johnston won a national tournament against golfers five years older than he was. And he beat the next best player by a whopping margin.

“Most of the other people at the top of the leader board were 17- or 18-year-olds,” Johnston said. “There weren’t many 14 year olds. I’ve gotten used to it. You’ve got to pay attention to the course, not the people you are playing against.”

The tournament was the first time Johnston had played the Palms Course, with one practice round before official play. But he played it like a seasoned pro, shooting rounds of 69-71-76 to finish even par with a 216 total. After the win, he even sounded like a pro.

“The greens were challenging – small and narrow,” Johnston said. “But it just (depended on) if you hit the ball where you wanted to hit it. A lot of courses are easy if you hit it well. You can make it challenging, but you can also make it easy.”The victory qualified Johnston for the Tournament of Champions to be held in Arizona in late December. Two-hundred players from 20 states and three countries compete in the tournament every year.  However, high school basketball may interfere with his ability to attend.

Johnston has had the opportunity to play at several courses around the country, but his favorite so far is Pinehurst No. 6 in Pinehurst, N.C. He said the course is significant to him because the U.S. Open is played at Pinehurst No. 2, which is among a group of nine world-famous courses.

“That’s where I shot a 62,” he said about Pinehurst No. 6. “The setup of the course just plays into how I like to hit the ball. It’s narrow, with soft greens,” said Johnston.

This summer Johnston plans to compete in the Montana State Tournament. A victory there would take him to the International Management Group-sponsored tournament in San Diego, Calif., with competitors coming from around the world. A top-four finish would qualify for the Junior America’s Cup in Flagstaff, Ariz.

In July, Johnston will compete in U.S. Teen World tournament in North Carolina, where he took second place last year.

Ryggs Johnston’s mother, Cindy Ostrem-Johnston, said the family is starting to put together its summer golf tournament schedule.

“We haven’t planned the calendar completely, but we’re starting to look at it now. It gets that busy in the summertime,” she said, adding that scheduling can be difficult because everything depends on how Johnston places in various tournaments that determine his eligibility for others. “I’m already starting to map things out. It gets crazy.”

Johnston puts a lot of time into golf with the goal of being a professional golfer one day. His favorite golfer for his entire life has been Tiger Woods. He wonders if Tiger’s mind is as steady at it once was. “When he was really good he intimidated everyone,” Johnston said. “He went out there knowing he was going to win. That’s the kind of attitude you need to win.”

In his backyard, Johnston has a putting green to work on. Just over a mile away from his home, his grandparents have a golf simulator in their basement that allows him to practice year-round.

Johnston also travels to Bozeman to meet with his coach periodically. “Next weekend, we’re going to take off and go see him,” Ostrem-Johnston said. “He usually spends a few hours with his coach, then we come home.”

Johnston likes the challenge and competition golf offers, but it’s more than that. “It’s a lifestyle. It can take you through life and college, and you can make money at it,” Johnston said.