Having eight heart procedures since elementary school is not easy; But having multiple heart diseases while also being an incredible athlete? That’s pretty tough.

This fall, Charlie Seufert ‘24 traveled to California to play in the 2022 Pure Insurance Championship at The Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Seufert played in two tournaments while in California. Seufert played in the First Tee Boys tournament, consisting of boys that work for the First Tee, an international non-profit working to teach kids lessons through the game of golf. Seufert also played in the Pro-Am tournament.

Seufert didn’t travel all the way to California to play poorly either.

“I played quite well. I shot 75 at Pebble Beach and 76 at Spyglass,” Seufert said.

Seufert finished tied for 35th for the boy’s tournament, an impressive feat considering the skill level of his opponents.

The home of numerous PGA tournaments, Pebble Beach has hosted the U.S. Open six times, The PGA Championship, and other tournaments.

Shooting a three-over-par at Pebble beach is no cakewalk. It’s even more impressive considering how hard he’s had to work to maintain his health over the course of his 16 years.

“I have a congenital heart defect that affects my pulmonary and aortic valves. I also have congenital heart disease,” Seufert said.

Seufert gained the attention of two major media brands with his success despite his heart problems.

“I was interviewed by the PGA TOUR as well as Golf Digest for their initial edition in 2023,” Seufert mentioned.

Seufert also performed well during his Pro-Am competition, where Seufert had the opportunity to play with a PGA professional.

“While playing best ball with my Pro, we shot 3 under. I played with Corey Pavin, who was able to teach me things on and off the course,” Seufert said.

Corey Pavin is one of the best professional golfers of all time, sitting in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings for over 150 weeks throughout his career.

“Corey taught me lessons regarding shots around the green, approaches, and where to hit my wedge shots. In addition to that, Corey gave me tips on how perseverance in golf will help me for the rest of my life,” Seufert said.

Seufert also mentioned the effect being around and playing alongside other PGA professionals meant to him.

“I thought it was extremely cool to meet all these professional golfers who are role models to me and were always there to teach me lessons,” Seufert said.

Seufert trains intensely for a good party of the year, with only part of his training coming from playing for the East Boys Golf Team in the spring.

“During the spring and summer I play golf every day and I am always competing in local, state, and national tournaments,” Seufert said.

Seufert has played in 10 tournaments so far in 2022, placing in the top 15 for all of them, and the top 10 in eight of them. Seufert placed second in the Meijer Cup Playoff Event at Eagle Eye Golf Club, showing his hard work has paid off.

Keep an eye out for an article on Seufert in Golf Digests’ first edition in 2023, and a piece on Seufert on @pgatourchampions on Instagram.