Athlete of the Year for Boys Golf: Daniel Snoey, Camas High School

Daniel Snoey is one of our all-region athletes. June 15, 2009. (The Columbian, Troy Wayrynen)

There were several potential distractions for Camas High junior Daniel Snoey on the final day of the Class 3A boys golf state tournament. He was tied for the lead at the midpoint of the 36-hole tournament, but among those lurking was the winner of the 2008 United States Junior Open.

Besides knowing that Cameron Peck from Timberline of Lacey was on his heels, Snoey had to forget about a disappointing second-day at the 2008 state tournament that took him out of contention.

Snoey couldn't be bothered with any of that. He shot a 3-under-par 69 at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, capturing the individual medal and combining with teammate Blake Jones to earn Camas second place as a team.

Those efforts, along with a 3A district golf championship, also earned Snoey the honor of all-region boys golfer of the year from The Columbian.

How did you get your start in golf? "Neither of my parents play golf, but my older brother does. He just started hitting balls in our back yard in Camas and I started going out in the back yard hitting wedge shots when I was about 5. When I turned about 7, I went out on the course and played and ever since then I've been playing golf."

What was your most memorable moment of the high school golf season? "Definitely the state championship. It was just kind of nice because we had such a great player in the state of Washington in Cameron Peck, so it was nice to go out there and play well both days and putt really well.

"Getting second place as a team was also a big thrill. We weren't expecting to do that well as a team. Blake (Jones) played really well."

What's one thing about you that readers might be surprised to learn? "I'm actually a dual citizen of Poland. My mom (Malgorzata) is from Poland, and I play on the Polish national team for golf. I don't stay here in the summer most of the time. I go over there and travel with them to different countries and play golf.

"I lived over there for two years, my eighth grade and freshman year. It was a really great experience."

How did you end up with the Polish national team? "I was playing at a club over there and a guy came up to me. He was the coach of the national team. He watched me for a little bit and he invited me to the camps that we have every month. I just kept going to those. He really liked how I was playing. He put me on the team and I travelled for a few tournaments and I actually ended up being the No. 1 player on the team. It was kind of nice."

How does high school golf compare with the junior tournaments and other events you play during the year? "The competition out there on the national level is a little higher, obviously. The kids from California, they practice year-round and we kind of get the short end there. But (high school golf) is still competitive. You still have to practice and play well."

How important is it to you to play the high school golf season? "It's important. I played well all season. You've still got to set goals for yourself and go out and try to achieve them. I did everything I needed to do this year. Hopefully next year I can refocus and do the same thing. ... It's an honor to play for my school. A lot of my classmates and my teachers support me a lot, and they know who I am at school. And after we do well at a tournament, I always get a congratulations or a high-five. It's just nice to represent Camas."

Who is your main coach? "Jack Young (at Vanco Driving Range). He's worked with me for the last seven years or so."

What part of your game is your strength right now? "Definitely it's my short game. My short game saved me a lot. I putted really, really well at state. That helped a lot. I was able to swing the momentum in my favor by making big putts."

Do you play any other sports? "I played a lot of basketball. Basketball was my main sport. I played (as a sophomore) in high school, but I decided it was time to just focus on golf. I just realized I was going to play college golf somewhere, and it was time to focus on golf. I traveled a little bit in the winter (to play golf) when the snow came, so it was kind of nice to just play golf year round."

What advice would you give a younger golfer starting out? "It's a lot of time and effort. You've really got to put in the hours. And you can't get down on yourself, because golf never goes your way all of the time. You've just got to work through the ups and downs. When you get ups, you don't always stay there. You've just got to keep working hard and try to improve. There's always room for improvement."

What's your most embarrassing moment on the golf course? "I'd have to say it was my first day at tryouts (as a Camas sophomore). I just got back from Poland and I was a little jet lagged, and we teed off at about 5:30 in the morning so I didn't get to hit range balls. I sliced my tee shot. I didn't know any of the kids and they were kind of chuckling, I could see. I just walked up the fairway to my ball thinking 'This is not going to be a good day.' But I actually ended up playing pretty well."

What kind of tournaments did you play in with Poland's national team? Snoey competed in the European boys and European Amateur championships. "I didn't do too well in those, but I played pretty well in the Polish stuff. I actually got second in the Polish junior two years ago."

What are your plans for this summer? "I'm actually staying here, because a lot of college coaches wanted me to stay here and play in the local tournaments, as well as the national ones.

"I definitely will go back (to Poland). This year I just had to stay here so I could get the exposure. ... They were supposed to go to Amsterdam this summer, so that would have been fun. It's always fun to go to those new places."

What are some highlights of your schedule this summer? "I got invited to go play Torrey Pines for the Junior World Golf Championships. I'll be in California for about two weeks playing in some tournaments, then I'm just going to play locally in Oregon."

What's the nicest course you've played at in Europe? "Probably Royal Park Golf and Country Club in Italy. They play a European Tour event there. It was a beautiful golf course."

Who's your favorite teacher? "Probably Mr. Harden, my math teacher. He always likes to joke around about my golf. He's a golfer himself. Whenever I miss school because of golf, he always gives me a hard time about not being able to catch up. But he's a real good guy, and I enjoy being in his classroom."

How do you stay up on your studies with all of the time and travel you put into golf? "You've just got to really manage your time well. You've just got to learn to hit the books hard and study the right material at the right time, because you're going to be out on the golf course a lot, and you're going to be tired when you get home. So if you can't do it after your round, you've got to do it before your round. You just have to manage your time well."

Have you met any famous people? "I actually met John Stockton and Karl Malone from the (Utah) Jazz. I used to be a big Jazz fan, so whenever they came to Portland I used to go wait outside their hotel. I got a couple of autographs, and they introduced themselves, so that was kind of neat."

Why were you a Jazz fan? "I just always liked John Stockton and Karl malone, because John Stockton is a Gonzaga guy, and I always liked the Gonzaga basketball team."

What is one thing than many people don't understand about golf? "Probably just how difficult it is mentally. If you have one bad hole it can mess up your round, but you can salvage it as well if you just keep your head strong and forget about the last hole and just go on to the next one. And it's a lot more difficult than just hitting the ball. You've got to have technique and have good hand-eye coordination."

Any hobbies? "I play a lot of basketball in my free time. and I like to go out on the water jet skiing."

How serious were you about basketball growing up? "I played on AAU teams when I was younger. I traveled down to California for all the big national tournaments. Then I stopped growing when I was in about eighth grade, so I realized I had to go a different way. It all kind of worked out. Everything just sort of falls into place for you after a certain period of time."

What is one big goal you have for yourself in golf? "I definitely want to play college golf at a Division I school. And I want to play well on the national level."

What is a big goal away from golf? "I want to keep my grades up, so I can get a good degree from college so I can go on and get a good job."