Las Vegas, Nev. (January 5, 2015)—It’s true, Las Vegas golfer Brady Exber is an amateur. But don’t let that fool you. The man plays world-class golf. And he’s got the trophies and titles to prove it. But even with all of Exber’s accomplishments, there are two new ones that may top them all–British Senior Amateur Golf Championship winner and Golfweek’s Senior Amateur Player of the Year. His ‘major’ win across the pond even caught the attention of fellow Las Vegas golf resident and reigning Golf Digest top instructor Butch Harmon. –By Bill Bowman
The 58-year-old Exber’s year in 2014 was about as impressive as they come and the highlight was the British Senior Amateur Golf Championship. How impressive was that victory?
“When we landed back in Las Vegas after I won I must have had 300 messages congratulating me,” he says. “And when you have Butch Harmon calling and leaving a message saying, ‘Buddie, that’s a great accomplishment. You’ve won a major,’ that tells me it’s really something. I can’t believe I won that tournament. When you see all the other players, ones I consider to be really, really good players who have won it and some that haven’, it’s really amazing and pretty special.”
Among his victories in 2014 were the Stocker Cup Invitational, the Yeamans Hall Senior Invitational, the Azalea Senior Invitational and, the big one, The British Senior Amateur Golf Championship. Those wins, along with an incredible season playing in less events than most of the other top senior amateurs in the senior rankings, earned him the Golfweek Senior Amateur of the Year designation.
It’s something that didn’t come easy. Exber, a minority owner of the Houston Astros, has a reputation as a tenacious worker with a focused work ethic on the golf course and the range. “It’s kind of weird,” he says. “I just try to do the best I can every time out. When other people get excited about what I’ve done, that’s when it hits me that it is pretty special. Me? I’m just trying to go about my business. I don’t worry about the week-to-week things. I just try to concentrate on each tournament.”
Exber racked up 5,945 points for the year in the race for the Golfweek Player of the Year with Ron Carter of Monticello, Ind., coming in a distant second with 4,958 points. The events included are played world-wide and each carries a point value. Exber credits much of his success to his hard work, but also to swing changes directed by Butch Harmon School of Golf professional Vic Wilk who he has worked with for the last couple years.
Exber is no stranger to golf success. He’s won multiple Southern Nevada Golf Association titles and Player of the Year awards, and is a member of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame. The avid competitor is already looking ahead to 2015.
“I’m not sure it can get any better than this year,” he says. “When you’re the No. 1 player in your division, you just can’t beat that. Trying to stay No. 1 is going to be difficult. I’m getting older and it’s hard to keep the skills.”