Zebulon Barnes received a full scholarship to Lincoln University to play golf. Barnes started playing golf at a young age but took a seven-year hiatus from the sport.
“I started playing tournaments when I was six,” Barnes said. “It’s been one heck of a journey.”
He played several sports, including basketball and soccer, until his father urged him to return to golf.
“We had a hard-time talk and he told me that [basketball players] they started when they were really young,” Barnes said. “We talk a lot about life, everything in general but I appreciate my dad and my mom so much.”
On the days that he practices, Barnes wakes up at 5:00A.M. to exercise at a gym and starts practicing at a golf course at 8:00A.M. Barnes takes care of his homework in the evenings and takes time to meditate.
A key aspect of golf is staying focused. Barnes knows what to do when doubts about his gameplay drift in his head.
“I’m always positive but sometimes my mind gets a little negative if I hit a bad shot,” he said. “The good tournaments, the one I’m top five or top 10 or I win, my mind is really positive and in the beginning of the round, I’m thinking I already won the tournament.”
Being a youth golfer for the Tee Divas and Tee Dudes organization gave him opportunities to excel. Through the organization, Barnes was able to compete on a golf course similar to a PGA course.
“There are a ton of people I’ve met through Tee Divas Tee Dudes, a ton of opportunities, a ton of golf tournaments,” he said. “I’m super grateful that Tee Divas and Tee Dudes provided me with this opportunity.”
Outside earning a scholarship, Barnes enjoyed the campus and his future teammates at Lincoln.
“I really bond with the players and build a really good relationship with each and every one of them,” Barnes said. “The coach told me that the players had a good time hanging around with me.”
For Barnes, being a student athlete means being a role model.
“Sometimes people don’t really pay attention to that aspect,” he said. “Just being a positive example.”
His favorite class is video editing. He took a class when he was young and another class during his high school years.
“I took a video editing class during my sophomore year and it was so fun,” Barnes said. “I love to do skits with my friends.”
