Everyone has their own interesting story of how they got to the top of the game. For Alex Smalley, it began in the backyard in the snow in North Carolina…

Scottie Scheffler 5&4 in a singles match at the 2018 NCAA Championships, a victory that helped his Blue Devils team into the semifinals

7. Finished one stroke back of the all-time scoring record during the strokeplay of the 2016 US Amateur

8. He was a member of both the 2019 US Arnold Palmer Cup team and the Walker Cup team

9. Smalley made his PGA Tour debut, qualifying for the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills when he was an amateur, shooting seven-under par in the 36-hole qualifier

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Alex Smalley Walker Cup

Alex Smalley in Walker Cup action in 2019

(Image credit: Getty Images)

10. He turned professional in 2019

11. He earned his PGA Tour card for the first time in 2021

12. His father, Terry, and mother, Maria, have both caddied for him during his career

13. Maria sometimes takes videos of him when he’s playing and sends them to his coach. She also manages the statistics program he uses

14. He carries no more than two tees in his right pocket during a round