University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
Photo by: Anthony Souffle
Know the Newcomer: Ben Warian
10/6/2020 9:52:00 AM | Men's Golf
The Minnesota men's golf team welcomes two newcomers to the team for the 2020-21 season. GopherSports.com will sit down with each of them to get to know them better as they compete in their first season in the Maroon and Gold.
Closing out our series, it's time to meet Ben Warian. An in-state product from Stillwater, Minn., Warian attended Hill-Murray School. He finished in the top 15 of each of the three Minnesota State High School League State Tournament in which he has competed, highlighted by his junior season where he shot a 1-over 145 to finish as the runner-up and led his team to a sixth-place finish.
GopherSports.com: How long have you been playing golf?
BW: "I've been playing tournament golf since I was eight years old, but I played my first round when I was four."
GS: How did you get introduced to the sport?
BW: "I got introduced to it by both of my parents. They're both life-long golfers, and they taught me the sport. They're a big reason why I am here today, that's for sure."
GS: Did you take to the sport right away?
BW: "I did, yeah. I was a weird child; instead of watching the typical Blue's Clues or that stuff I would have my parents put in a Masters highlight video. I was an interesting child."
GS: When did you realize you might be able to play at the collegiate level?
BW: "I realized it probably my freshman year of high school. I finished tied for seventh at the state tournament, and that gave me confidence that I could compete against guys that were already on their way to college and compete at that level. That was probably the biggest defining moment."
GS: What was the recruiting process like?
BW: "Minnesota was pretty much the first school that contacted me; I stayed in touch with them for a long time. I talked to a lot of other schools and visited five others in total besides The U, but The U always stuck out to me as an amazing place and such a great opportunity for me to succeed. And I always had it in the back of my mind that if I ever received the opportunity to come here that I would. Fortunately I received that opportunity about this time last year, and I was very eager to take my coaches up on it."
GS: What made you decide on Minnesota?
BW: "I really loved the coaching staff. I don't think you can really find two better coaches in college golf. They're just tremendous in their knowledge of the game and their support for all of us and what we do. The facilities here are also just incredible, some of the best in terms of northern golf schools and golf schools in general. And other than that, I was excited about the prospect of staying close to home, too. It actually wasn't something I was too excited about at the beginning of my recruiting process, but as it progressed it became more and more important to me to stay close to home, so that was another deciding factor for sure."
GS: What's been your impression of the Mooty Practice Facility?
BW: "It's incredible what they were able to do with that space. It's going to be a game-changer this winter to utilize that space and get so much better. It will allow us to come out right away in the spring and be able to compete with the southern schools right off the bat. It's going to be a game-changer for me especially because I haven't had access to anything like this around my house even though I live about 25 minutes from campus. It's going to be incredible; it's state-of-the-art."
GS: Having grown up here, what does it mean to represent the Maroon and Gold?
BW: "It means the world to me to be able to represent my state. I've been a Gophers fan pretty much my entire life; we had season tickets to men's hockey and football games when I was younger. It means the world to me to be a part of this athletic department and receive the opportunity to represent this school to the best of my ability."
GS: How has your transition to college been?
BW: "It's been pretty seamless overall, actually. The main thing I'm getting used to still is living in the dorms. I love it so far, I'm just still getting used to it. But yeah, in terms of school and classes, it's not too different really. I went to a high school that was known for having a pretty hard curriculum and getting us ready for college, so I'm used to the workload. Obviously having classes online, I got to have good experiences with those at the end of our school year last year. So overall it's been pretty smooth, honestly even a little smoother than I was anticipating."
GS: Have there been any upperclassmen that have taken you under their wing so far?
BW: "I guess nobody in particular, but everyone has been willing to help me out, whether it's with my game or getting used to classes. Everybody has been so welcoming here, they've made it very fun and exciting to be a part of this team."
GS: What would you say is the strongest part of your game?
BW: "The strongest part of my game right now is probably short to mid-range putting (inside 20 feet). So as long as I can get the ball close enough to the hole I know that I'm going to be able to make my fair share and get some birdies."
GS: What areas are you hoping to improve on?
BW: "Two main ones are driving the golf ball and also short game creativity. I need to hit more fairways, for sure, with the driver, and just around the greens I need to become much more creative and versatile. I feel like I'm a little one-dimensional with my short game right now."
Off the Course with Ben
Favorite golf course: Pinehurst No. 2
Course you haven't played that you want to: Cypress Point
Favorite club: Putter
Most memorable golf moment: Making it to the state tournament as a team my junior year. It was the first time my school had made it as a team since I think 1987, so it had been a long and time and it was a lot of fun to experience state with my whole team and allow them to experience it."
Favorite pro golfer: Justin Thomas
Favorite food: Anything from Chipotle
Favorite TV show: Seinfeld
Favorite movie: The Dark Knight
Closing out our series, it's time to meet Ben Warian. An in-state product from Stillwater, Minn., Warian attended Hill-Murray School. He finished in the top 15 of each of the three Minnesota State High School League State Tournament in which he has competed, highlighted by his junior season where he shot a 1-over 145 to finish as the runner-up and led his team to a sixth-place finish.
GopherSports.com: How long have you been playing golf?
BW: "I've been playing tournament golf since I was eight years old, but I played my first round when I was four."
GS: How did you get introduced to the sport?
BW: "I got introduced to it by both of my parents. They're both life-long golfers, and they taught me the sport. They're a big reason why I am here today, that's for sure."
GS: Did you take to the sport right away?
BW: "I did, yeah. I was a weird child; instead of watching the typical Blue's Clues or that stuff I would have my parents put in a Masters highlight video. I was an interesting child."
GS: When did you realize you might be able to play at the collegiate level?
BW: "I realized it probably my freshman year of high school. I finished tied for seventh at the state tournament, and that gave me confidence that I could compete against guys that were already on their way to college and compete at that level. That was probably the biggest defining moment."
GS: What was the recruiting process like?
BW: "Minnesota was pretty much the first school that contacted me; I stayed in touch with them for a long time. I talked to a lot of other schools and visited five others in total besides The U, but The U always stuck out to me as an amazing place and such a great opportunity for me to succeed. And I always had it in the back of my mind that if I ever received the opportunity to come here that I would. Fortunately I received that opportunity about this time last year, and I was very eager to take my coaches up on it."
GS: What made you decide on Minnesota?
BW: "I really loved the coaching staff. I don't think you can really find two better coaches in college golf. They're just tremendous in their knowledge of the game and their support for all of us and what we do. The facilities here are also just incredible, some of the best in terms of northern golf schools and golf schools in general. And other than that, I was excited about the prospect of staying close to home, too. It actually wasn't something I was too excited about at the beginning of my recruiting process, but as it progressed it became more and more important to me to stay close to home, so that was another deciding factor for sure."
GS: What's been your impression of the Mooty Practice Facility?
BW: "It's incredible what they were able to do with that space. It's going to be a game-changer this winter to utilize that space and get so much better. It will allow us to come out right away in the spring and be able to compete with the southern schools right off the bat. It's going to be a game-changer for me especially because I haven't had access to anything like this around my house even though I live about 25 minutes from campus. It's going to be incredible; it's state-of-the-art."
GS: Having grown up here, what does it mean to represent the Maroon and Gold?
BW: "It means the world to me to be able to represent my state. I've been a Gophers fan pretty much my entire life; we had season tickets to men's hockey and football games when I was younger. It means the world to me to be a part of this athletic department and receive the opportunity to represent this school to the best of my ability."
GS: How has your transition to college been?
BW: "It's been pretty seamless overall, actually. The main thing I'm getting used to still is living in the dorms. I love it so far, I'm just still getting used to it. But yeah, in terms of school and classes, it's not too different really. I went to a high school that was known for having a pretty hard curriculum and getting us ready for college, so I'm used to the workload. Obviously having classes online, I got to have good experiences with those at the end of our school year last year. So overall it's been pretty smooth, honestly even a little smoother than I was anticipating."
GS: Have there been any upperclassmen that have taken you under their wing so far?
BW: "I guess nobody in particular, but everyone has been willing to help me out, whether it's with my game or getting used to classes. Everybody has been so welcoming here, they've made it very fun and exciting to be a part of this team."
GS: What would you say is the strongest part of your game?
BW: "The strongest part of my game right now is probably short to mid-range putting (inside 20 feet). So as long as I can get the ball close enough to the hole I know that I'm going to be able to make my fair share and get some birdies."
GS: What areas are you hoping to improve on?
BW: "Two main ones are driving the golf ball and also short game creativity. I need to hit more fairways, for sure, with the driver, and just around the greens I need to become much more creative and versatile. I feel like I'm a little one-dimensional with my short game right now."
Off the Course with Ben
Favorite golf course: Pinehurst No. 2
Course you haven't played that you want to: Cypress Point
Favorite club: Putter
Most memorable golf moment: Making it to the state tournament as a team my junior year. It was the first time my school had made it as a team since I think 1987, so it had been a long and time and it was a lot of fun to experience state with my whole team and allow them to experience it."
Favorite pro golfer: Justin Thomas
Favorite food: Anything from Chipotle
Favorite TV show: Seinfeld
Favorite movie: The Dark Knight
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