With an early start to golf, David Hearn’s journey has spanned many highlights, ranging from acclaim as a junior, to being part of the PGA Tour for over a decade, representing Canada at the Olympics, and his philanthropic endeavors.
Hearn, who grew up in Brantford after moving from Brampton at a very early age, was introduced to the game by his father at the age of three.
“I went to grade school and high school [here]…it’s always felt like home to me. Our family had a small summer place, kind of out in the country, that we would spend time near Mount Forest. I would spend my summers up there, and that’s where I first started to kick off balls [and I] fell in love with the game,” recalled Hearn. “My dad was a golfer…he was decent and sort of a weekend player at best. He played a lot of golf when he was a young kid, too, and got me started in the game. Today, a lot of equipment is accessible, but back then, the only way to kind of get a club the right length was to take an adult club and cut it down, which my dad did.”
By the age of ten, Hearn won a tournament in Brantford, which brought him several great memories.
“My dad had signed me up for a junior tournament in Brantford. It was at Arrowdale Golf Course, and it was called the United Commercial Travelers Championship, and there was a local, a regional, and then an international portion to it. I was fortunate to advance through the local part…and then I ended up winning the regional, which allowed me to go to the international section,” Hearn said. “It’s one of those experiences which I will never forget….when we went to the final tournament held in Victoria, British Columbia that year, I went on to meet a lot of kids who I would then end up playing with on the PGA Tour down the road. It was one of those unique experiences where I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime.”
However, the young golfer had another highlight in his junior career, being the World Junior Golf Championship in Japan.
“I got the opportunity to represent Canada in Japan, which was a huge thrill for me and a great honour. That was the last year of my junior golf season, so I had already committed to the University of Wyoming. We had a good group of guys that I had known for quite some time…the tournament was a four-round tournament across 11 days. I remember staying with some host families and being able to take in the culture,” he recalled. “It was one of those experiences that happens in golf a lot…where you keep coming across familiar faces…I would eventually make life-long friends like with a player from Sweden…we ended up playing college golf against each other [and] on the Canadian Tour together, and we’re still good friends to this day.”
At this time, Hearn made a decision to go to the University of Wyoming, although its golf program wasn’t ranked highly.
“I think there were 250 D1 golf programs in the country, and Wyoming was ranked 245th… I looked at a bunch of schools in the Big Ten and out east, and I remember I took a recruiting trip out to Wyoming one day, and the coach and I hit it off. He told me what the plan for the team was going forward, and it appealed to me,” he noted. “I went in with a group of five freshmen that we stuck together for four years, and instantly saw great success. At our first tournament, we had a chance to win, and we ended up finishing fourth or fifth place. And then we had a good measure of success at the next tournament. We took a program that was struggling, and turned it around…we ended up ranked 75th, which was pretty good, and I got a chance to play with a great group of guys too.”
In 2001, Hearn turned pro, which marked a significant point in his career.
“I just always assumed that that’s where I was going to end up…[and] it wasn’t a big decision or huge deal when it happened…I finished my amateur career at the end of the summer….then started to reach out to a couple of tournaments to try to get some sponsor invitations on the Canadian Tour. And I was fortunate to get one out in Newfoundland. I hopped on a plane and went out there and competed in my first pro event. I made the cut and finished around the middle of the pack…cashed my first check, went down and played in the next one, which was the season-ending Canadian Tour event, which was called the Bayer Championship at the time. That was my first real welcome to pro golf…playing on Sunday,” he recalled. “I was in the third or fourth in the last group I was playing in [and] had a good Saturday…I thought to myself that I may have a chance to compete for the championship. The players that were there were playing pretty well, and one of the guys in front of me, Jason Bohn, shot 58 and went on to win the tournament. I finished in the top five…it was a good start; I made a bit of money there and gained some confidence.”
A year after turning pro, Hearn captured the Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year.
“After I had played a couple of events that year…I had status on the Canadian Tour. I tried to get status on Korn Ferry or PGA, but didn’t get through Qualifying School, which was fine…I was always a player who had to work my way up to the ranks and work hard. When I played on the Canyon tour for that first season [and] getting recognized in that way was great…In 2002, I worked hard and had some good finishes [and] had a good opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the pro game,” he stated.
Now being part of the PGA Tour, Hearn continued to compete and develop his skills on the green.
“When I was playing on the Canadian Tour, the goal was to play to get better and try to get to the next level. When you had good seasons, you’d get invites….back then, the midyear Canadian championship was in Vancouver… I had a good season…playing in my first two PGA events…[and] now coming on the tour, I could see it was much more competitive right away,” he said. “The big highlight for me was the RBC Canadian Open in 2015. …I was leading from the beginning of the tournament until Sunday, when Jason Day kind of ran away with it on the back nine and won. For me, just to be in that position at the national championship was special. It has been something that a Canadian hadn’t won in a long time until, thankfully, Nick Taylor has gone on to win since.”
As Hearn’s career progressed, he was awarded the 2015 Canadian Male Professional of the Year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, and that was followed by being tapped to represent Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
“When I grew up, there wasn’t golf at the Olympics…so, it wasn’t on my radar. Obviously, as an amateur player [and then] when I turned pro, they talked about the golf coming back to the Olympic games…when it did and I got selected to play, it was a tremendous honor to be part of golf coming back to the games for the first time in 112 years and representing Canada,” he reflected. “It was a great experience for me on many levels [and] revitalized me in getting back into being more competitive in golf and changing my focus a little bit. And it’s one of those things…like competing at the World Junior Championships, and representing Canada at the Four Nations Cup, and then to be able to do it again at the Olympics was truly incredible. And it was one of those experiences that I’ll be able to share with my family and friends forever.”
Nevertheless, Hearn, along with enjoying playing on the tour, grew to understand the charitable culture at the PGA.
“When I was just getting started with the PGA…I found out it wasn’t only about golf, but it was also about trying to give back. And the first year I was on the PGA Tour, they crossed the billion-dollar mark in terms of giving back to various causes from every event that we play through the history of the two PGA Tours, which was an amazing milestone,” he said. “When I came back to the PGA Tour in 2011, its charitable campaigns crossed the $2 billion fundraising mark. It’s amazing how much money and how much good the PGA Tour has done giving back [and] it’s just embedded in their culture.”
This inspired Hearn to launch the Hearn Foundation in 2015, supporting a very important and personal cause to him.
“I got to a position in my career where I had been fairly regular on the PGA Tour and the timing was right [so], we launched the foundation, and I’ve been incredibly proud of how successful it’s been, and we’re still running to this day. I believe we crossed the million-dollar mark a couple of years ago, and we’re working our way to the $2 million mark now. So, we’ve been running it for ten years, and it’s been fun to be able to see a lot of people come back year after year and support the foundation, and we continue to try to do what we can for our community, “he said. “The cause that we’ve chosen is the Alzheimer Society of Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton and Halton. We also support the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada….[and we’re] putting money right back into the community that we’re a part of, and it’s for people that need support, with people going through it. I have a little bit of a family history [as] some of my grandparents have struggled with the disease. So, it was personal to me, and when I had the opportunity to be involved to give back, I jumped at the chance to do it.”
However, Hearn is looking forward to getting back on track after not competing for a while.
“The last few years have been a challenge, [and] I’ve not been playing much. It’s one of those things where golf is a very capitalist sport. If you’re not doing well, you’re not going to be included. Regardless, it’s been a good opportunity for me to spend more time with my family, which is growing,” he said. “In one sense, I would love to be out on tour, competing and doing what I’ve done for a long time. On the other side of the coin, that’s not happening right now. I’m still working out my game [and] now I am just waiting to see where I’m at in the next few years and perhaps make a run for the Champions Tour. But I’m content with competing occasionally and spending more time at home with my family.”
As well, Hearn has been recognized with two honours that are special to him, including being inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletes Hall of Fame and then into the Brantford and Area Hall of Recognition in 2022.
“When I found out I was inducted I got pretty emotional…the hall is a tribute to what an amazing job our community has done in supporting our athletes…so to be recognized in Brantford is very special because its where I grew up….even to this day when I sometimes go through the hall with my kids…it’s something very special for me to share with them and my whole family and be there alongside others who have accomplished so much that are from our community,” he said.
