Bonner County golfer competes at Galleri Classic

Even though Jeff Gove is officially considered a senior golfer, his game shows no signs of slowing down.

Gove, who moved to Bonner County in 2007, is looking to compete in several more tournaments in the 2023 PGA Champions Tour. Some potential tournaments Gove is hoping to compete in are the Boeing Classic at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Wash., and the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada.

“I am at a point in my life where I can start taking golf more seriously. The last four years I have been really focused on my kids, my family and my day job in real estate. I am headed back to qualifying school this summer,” Gove said.

Qualifying school is also referred to as the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. Players compete in this tournament in hopes to win membership to the PGA Tour.

Gove recently competed in Palm Desert, Calif., at the Galleri Classic at the Mission Hills Country Club from March 22-26. In the first round, Gove finished first out of 60 golfers with a score of 65 to qualify for the final round. Unfortunately, Gove didn’t have his best day in the final round; shooting a plus-seven after three total rounds.

“It was fun to see a lot of old friends. I didn't perform great, but I also didn't feel I played that bad. I felt good and really did have a couple of bad breaks. I’m excited to get back into the swing of things,” Gove said.

Playing with the best-of-the-best is nothing new for Gove; he started his career playing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. He was unsure if he was going to be able to play professionally after school, but he made it happen.

In 1994, Gove played on a PGA Mini Tour and almost qualified for the tournament in his first try. In 1995, he played on the Nike Tour, which is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour, of which he is a four-time graduate. In 2000, Gove eventually debuted on the PGA Tour and he has never looked back.

“Over all these years, I have had such incredible experiences playing golf. I have played as a single man, a married man, a man with kids; I have just learned so much. So much of this sport is about self-belief,” Gove said.

When asked about who his biggest golf inspirations were, Gove said Phil Rogers, Zach Johnson and Fred Couples served as great role models and friends to him.

Gove has golfed in 48 of the nation’s 50 states; with only North Dakota and Alaska missing from his list. This fall, Gove will head to Italy for the first time to watch the Ryder Cup with four other golfing couples that he has made friends with over the years.

Gove is hoping to continue to increase the sport’s presence in North Idaho and share the game he loves most with the highest number of people possible.

“I cannot wait to play, practice and watch more golf this year. There are a lot of exciting things going on in my life,” Gove said. “I am still teaching junior camps at the Idaho Club and am meeting new golfers every day. Playing and teaching golf really is something special, and it means a lot to me.”