Austin Greaser

Born in 2000 in Dayton, Ohio, Greaser has a twin brother, Bryon. Austin started playing golf from an early age and fell in love with the sport. Apart from golf, he also played basketball and baseball. His hobbies include fishing, ping pong, and spending time at the lake. He is more into nature and enjoys the outdoor lifestyle.
But it was golf that was always his passion, and it is the only sport he played while at Vandalia-Butler High School. By his final year at Vandalia-Butler, Greaser was the No. 1-ranked prep golfer in the state of Ohio and was ranked No. 22 nationally by Rolex Rankings.
One of the turning points of the golf star's career was winning the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship at PGA National in 2016. It was a moment that made Greaser realize he could compete at the top levels of golf, and he would continue doing so the following year.
It also helped that North Carolina golf coach Andrew DiBitetto liked what he saw in Greaser and got him to come to North Carolina in 2019. Had quite a junior career that was topped off when he reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness, losing to Preston Summerhays, 2 up. Qualified for the 2019 U.S. Amateur by sharing medalist honors at the Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, beating the rest of the field by four shots. But in the stroke-play portion, didn't make it to match play. Won the 2020 Ohio Amateur at 18-under par, breaking the tournament record by two shots (previous record held by Ben Curtis). Also won the 2020 Northern Kentucky Amateur. Played in the 2020 U.S. Amateur in Bandon Dunes, Ore, shot 78-74, and didn't qualify for match play.
Advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Western Amateur. Shot a career-best 62 to win the 2021 U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Edgewood Country Club in Charleston, W. Va., shot a 6-under-par 65 in the morning round of the qualifier, then made nine birdies, nine pars, and no bogeys in the afternoon to shoot 62. Won the 36-hole qualifier with a 15-under 127, six shots clear of the field. At the Amateur, Greaser shot rounds of 69 and 70 at Longue Vue Club and Oakmont, respectively, in stroke play to finish T-20th and earn the 24th seed. He never trailed against Bo Andrews in the Round of 64, where he won, 2 & 1. In his Round of 32 match against Xavier Marcoux, he trailed by two before winning six of the next 10 holes to win, 3 & 2. In the round of 16, he beat Jacob Bridgeman 6 & 4 and then beat Ross Steelman 2 & 1 in the quarters. In the semifinals against Travis Vick, he won four consecutive holes starting at the 11th hole to take a 3-up lead. He lost the 15th and 16th holes but was able to win 17 to win the match 2 & 1. With the win, he became the first UNC golfer to advance to the championship round of the U.S. Amateur since Tom Scherrer in 1992 and he was looking to become the first golfer from the University of North Carolina to win the U.S. Amateur since Harvie Ward in 1956. In the finals against James Piot, Greaser had a large contingent of family and friends who made the four-hour drive from the Dayton area. After 19 holes the match was tied and by the 27th hole, Greaser had a 3-up lead. But starting at the 10th hole (28th) Piot won four holes in a row and with a par at the 33rd hole was 2 up. With pars at 16 and 17, Piot won the Amateur 2 & 1.
In his college career, made the All-ACC team as a sophomore. In the fall of 2021, as a junior, he scored his first career college victory. Greaser shot 4-under (69-68-69=206) to win by two shots in the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational. He was the only golfer to shoot under par in each round, and hit a pair of spectacular shots. On Saturday, Greaser made his first career hole-in-one on the 168-yard 13th hole. On Sunday on the final hole Greaser holed a 168-yard shot for birdie to win by two strokes and helped lead North Carolina to a three-shot victory in the event. In other events in the 2021-22 season, he finished T-13th at the Rod Myers Invitational, T-9th at the Blessings Invitational, 4th at the Williams Cup, T-45th at the Amer Ari Invitational, and T-9th at the Watersound Invitational.
Greaser is a good ball-striker, but it's his putting that he believes is the best part of his game. Greaser always keeps a positive and confident mindset in every tournament he plays, modeling himself in a similar way to his favorite player, Dustin Johnson.