Ben Markov ’27 has proven himself in the 2024-2025 golf season to be a prodigy with a club, driving himself to league finals in May to represent Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech). Markov began his golf career at Foothill Tech as a freshman where he played on varsity and started to elevate his game. He ended his freshman year shooting a 52, 16 over par in the 2023-2024 season. This season Markov proved he had dedication to his golf game — currently, Markov’s best game of the season is 3 over par, shooting 39 on a 9 hole course, which is 13 shots better than last season.
Markov’s improvement has increased rapidly throughout both his highschool career and his formative years in golf. Markov initially started playing golf with his dad, brother and grandfather for his grandfather’s birthday which initiated his love for the game. The game began as a hobby for him as he played with his friends in the summer of seventh grade to improve before his grandfather’s next birthday. By the time Markov got into highschool, the game became more serious, but now he had his team there to support him.
Going into games, Markov takes the mental game to the next level. Since it can get lonely out on the course and golf relies on having a strong mental standpoint, Markov says that golf has taught him that as long as you are confident and consistent in the practice you put in, it will show in games. Markov states that he never worries about the score while he plays; he focuses on one step at a time, thinking about the next shot solely. In a sport where failure is bound, Markov finds peace, explaining, “It is a lot harder to play well when you are thinking about how much better you could be doing.”
Every day Markov is striving for improvement, but the work ethic he portrays didn’t start with him. Markov’s biggest inspiration is his father, who has also grown his desire to get better at golf. His father has always supported him through his golf journey, bought him his first clubs and taught him how to swing them for the first time. Every time he plays with his father, he admires the way he plays and is waiting for the day he is finally as good as his father.
Looking into Markov’s future, there’s no doubt it looks bright; he not only has much time to improve his golf game before his high school career ends, but Markov also strives for academic excellence, currently holding a 4.4 GPA. Markov looks towards the future excited to continue playing for Foothill Tech and hopeful in his ability to make a college team in the future.
