Against the Odds: Phillip Yribarren’s Journey to the PGA TOUR

By Ella Doran and JD Trueblood

Phillip Yribarren, Assistant Golf Professional at Country Club of Asheville

The chances of qualifying and competing in a PGA TOUR event are less that 0.01%. For Phillip Yribarren, he defied these odds through an enormous display of patience and persistence. On Monday, September 14, Country Club of Asheville was proud to host a Monday qualifier for the final participants to compete in this year's PGA TOUR event, Biltmore Championship. Little did we all know that by the end of the day one of our very own would walk away with a chance to compete on the largest stage known in competitive golf.

Playing golf is one game. Playing tournament golf is a completely different game.

Paired with former FedEx Cup winner and Top 15-ranked golfer in the world Bill Haas, as well as former PGA TOUR winner Kevin Tway, Phillip was unfazed by the stardom surrounding him. All three golfers started their front 9 with an impressive start to the day. Carrying this momentum to the back 9 was going to be needed in order to advance.

The top four scores for the day would advance to play in this year's Biltmore Championship. Phillip was holding steady at an impressive -3 score through 11 holes and had a difficult 40-foot birdie putt on hole 12. Instead of two-putting and walking away with a secure par, Phillip decided to energize the crowd watching and run that long birdie in the hole. At this point he's sitting at -4 for the tournament and knocking on the door of the leader. 

Staying patient, Phillip parred 13-15 and ran into a logjam of slow play on the 16th tee box. After sitting for over 30 minutes, Phillip outdrove both Bill & Kevin on the challenging par 5 16th hole. With a 4-iron in hand, Phillip hit perhaps the shot of the day. The approach shot landed softly on the green and left him with a 12-foot eagle putt. With family, friends, members, and staff all supporting him, everyone watched quietly and with much anticipation. When the putt fell for an eagle, the crowd cheered loudly with an aura of pure excitement. The reality of making the odds of less than 0.01% was starting to look in his favor.

A bogey on the following 17th hole, with a finishing par on the 18th, made for a long waiting game to see if a round of -5 would hold up...

As the golfers finished, the leaderboard stood one golfer at -7, two golfers at -6 and a few guys tying Phillip at -5. All he needed was for no one else to shoot -6 or better. With anticipation looming, the final group came in, and sure enough, no one else shot -6, so a four-way place ensued with Phillip being part of one last chance to qualify for the PGA TOUR event.

It was a sudden death playoff starting on No. 18. All four players tied and so they headed back to the tee box to play again. Same story, they all make par and so we're off to No. 1. At this point more members and people around the clubhouse start hearing about this story and the crowd grows larger heading down No. 1. After making birdie and one more competitor making birdie, Phillip advances to No. 2. Both players blast their drives over 340 yards and end up tying again matching each other's birdies.

They match each other parring holes 3 and 4 and they head to the hole No. 5. Both players have looks at birdie, and somehow someway Phillip sneaks in a birdie putt that sits on the edge of the cup for a millisecond and then the crowd erupts in excitement realizing the putt drops for birdie.

To witness a young man from Miami, FL, who doesn't pick up the game of golf until the 11th grade in high school and ends up being an Assistant Golf Professional for McConnell Golf at Country Club of Asheville, and qualifies for a PGA TOUR event, it's nothing short of remarkable. Phillip truly is first class. He's calm, supportive of his team and the entire CCA truly witnessed something remarkable in him accomplishing such a feat this past week.

Country Club of Asheville's General Manager, JD Trueblood, sat down with Phillip after competing in the PGA TOUR's Biltmore Championship:

Sum up for us what it means to you to play in your first PGA TOUR event.

Phillip: It was surreal. It was a dream of a younger self, but to find yourself actually living it out was emotional; it was the dog that finally caught the car and realized how to process it all, because my dream came true. I realized I had to compete and actually play golf; it was exciting and tiring, and every synonym you can think of.

How big of a role did your caddy, Anika, who is your partner, play in you succeeding to compete in the PGA TOUR event?

Phillip: It's a massive part. She's been with me for most of my events this year, and I've played really well this year. So much of it is having someone there that can help with the mental aspect of golf; the physical part was there, and I could have had so many other caddies for the situation, but she was the best caddy for the situation. She understands me on such a personal level, and she's able to help me get through. She's my rock and deserves a lot of the credit.

In talking with your parents, they said you wrestled growing up and only picked golf in the 11th grade. How long did it take for you to really grasp getting good at the game of golf, being such a late bloomer to it?

Phillip: I was around the right people. My friends were already signed to high level colleges, and seeing my friends succeeding made me bridge the gap quickly. It took about three years to go from not being that proficient to competing on a high level. I started getting really good with all the practice and coaches, but it wasn't until my late 20s I felt truly competitive.

What led to you to succeeding in the qualifier and what does your team here at CCA and the greater McConnell Golf team mean to you?

Phillip: I feel part of a greater team here rather than on an island where I was previously in Charlotte. Being here surrounded by these beautiful mountains, great members and staff. Luke being a great player has allowed me to continue believing; just being around him allowed me to feel I could continue being a good golfer as well. Ross, Colton and Alayna have always been supportive, our member groups here, and Boomer have been awesome. People are truly encouraging here and wanting me to succeed.

Where do we go from here? 

Phillip: I'm going to continue my education through the PGA and finish my class-A, which will help my standing in the Carolina's section and qualifiers around the area. And by being a class-A professional, I'm opening doors and opportunities for other ways of growth. I imagine the lesson books are going to open up and may have to start charging more after this week, ha-ha! It was just an incredible week and I’m excited for my career to continue growing.