“I admire Tiger Woods and Rahm because they are absolute legends”: 15 year old Ukrainian-Born Golf prodigy Lev Grinberg on his journey (Exclusive)

Lev Grinberg is the current No. 1 15-year-old golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). He is currently ranked 244th overall but has ranked as low as 162nd among all male amateurs worldwide. For such a young man, that is a remarkable feat, but for Lev and the path he has traveled over the past few years, his accolades are mind-bending.

While the story of Lev Grinberg is still being written, this 15-year-old, Ukrainian-born golf prodigy is already something special.

“I came to golf accidentally,” explained Lev, “Almost every weekend, my father and I rode bicycles, and occasionally, we would stop at the clubhouse at the Kozyn Golf Club in Kiev to drink a soda. I saw a few kids hitting balls on the driving range occasionally, and my dad asked me if I would like to try it.”

Lev Grinberg was born in November 2007 in Kiev, Ukraine. At age five, he began playing golf at the Kozyn Golf & Country Club in Kiev.

Lev’s father, Illya, was not a golfer but noticed Lev taking an interest as he watched other young golfers enjoying beating golf balls on the range. It did not take long for the then-five-year-old Lev to catch the golf bug.

The past three years have been filled with great triumphs for Lev on the golf course but also great tragedy for both Lev and his father, Illya, including losing his business, all his assets, and his livelihood due to the war in Ukraine.

15-Year-Old Golf Prodigy Lev Grinberg, The No. 1 Ranked Golf in the World For His Age, and His Father Illya Talk About Their Journey Through The Game and How The War in Ukraine Has Forever Changed Their Pathway Forward – Exclusive

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been condensed and edited.

Lev, how did you get into golf?

“I came to golf accidentally; almost every weekend, my father and I rode bicycles, and occasionally, we would stop at the clubhouse at the Kozyn Golf Club in Kiev to drink a soda. I saw a few kids hitting balls on the driving range occasionally, and my dad asked me if I would like to try it. I initially enjoyed the game, and my dad started taking me to practice twice a week.”

How special is Kozyn Golf and Country Club in Kiev, Ukraine, to you?

“Kozyn was my first club; I just loved being there. The course was built on a naturally preserved area, and because of that, it wasn’t possible to make fairways during my days there… there were only tee boxes and greens. It was a beautiful and natural area with a lot of natural lakes. It was a great first experience.”

In thinking back to your first junior events when you were five and six years old, what do you remember most from those experiences?

“My first junior event outside of Kozyn was a US Kids Golf qualification tournament in Kiev. It was a two-day nine-hole event, and I won it! The memory of that early winner’s ceremony, my first “gold” medal, my first certificate, and the delicious sweets and soda I shared around the table with other kids was very special.”

You traveled with your father to Belgium regularly, starting at a very early age. You started training at the Rinkven International Golf Club in Schilde, Belgium, and many noticed you and your talent. At what point in your junior golf career did you feel like you were a special talent?

“I don’t feel I have a special talent, even now. Many people tell me I do, my father and many others, but I think that I am just a normal teenager who is trying to do his best to win in the competition; I love to compete in anything that I am doing.

In 2020, while on a training trip in Florida, you and your father were forced to stay in the US due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions, especially internationally, that were put in place. Can you tell me about your almost 2-year experience in the United States...What were some of your fears, and what were some of the highlights of those two years?

“As weird as this may sound, it was an amazing time being stuck in the US during the COVID travel restrictions.”

“I remember empty highways, empty supermarket shelves, gas for $1 per gal, uncertainty about when we can go back home, empty clubhouses…that was all scary; however, a lot of good came out of it.”

“Golf was deemed to be a safe option during COVID. Because of that, I could have ongoing training sessions with great coaches like Barry Goldstein and John Hughes, who gave me a lot of knowledge, attention, and their hearts. As we moved around Florida, I worked with several different Fitness Coaches – Sammy Lane, Dave Herman, and Garret – they all were literally killing me during our training sessions, but in the end, this made me a much stronger and better player.”

“The best of the best times during our almost two years in Florida was bass fishing – my Dad drove me to all the ponds he could find, and he and I caught a lot of bass together.”

One of your first real notable moments on a big stage happened at age 13 when you advanced to the final stage of US Open Qualifying. If you had qualified, you would have been the youngest ever to do so. You gained a lot of publicity on the Golf Channel and elsewhere. What can you tell us about that experience?

“I did not think it was something special at the local qualifier, really… It was just a round of golf at the fantastic Orange Tree GC in Orlando. What was a special memory was my birdie putt on the 1st playoff hole – it was a 9-foot double breaker and downhill putt, and from the moment I took my putter back, I knew that I was going to make it. It was an extraordinary feeling to get the qualification card from the official saying – “Mr. Grinberg, you are qualified for the second stage!”

During the second stage of qualification in Dallas, you played alongside Kramer Hickok and four-time PGA TOUR winner Scott Piercy in a miserable and nonstop rainy round. What sticks out about that experience?

“After I made a birdie on the second hole, Mr. Piercy turned to me and said – “Hi, I am Scott.”- Even though I did not qualify, it was a fun and pleasurable experience, especially playing with a four-time PGA TOUR winner like Scott.”

Illya, you and Lev eventually returned to Europe from the COVID-19 travel lockdown in the US. In early 2022, as the world watched, the war in Ukraine began. The news must have shaken you both to the core. When did you first learn of the conflict?

“The news about the war came to us during Lev’s winter training in Spain, and we couldn’t believe it was happening. I called my father, who was living in Kiev, and he was terrified and devastated. Every night, there were sirens and explosions. Unfortunately, my dad could not stay with me and Lev in Europe due to his age. We were both missing my father very much.”

“At the end of March, I found out that my business, including all my assets, were destroyed, literally bombed down to the ground level, and there was nothing we could do about it. My warehouses were located very close to the biggest golf club in Ukraine known as Golfstream, and it too was destroyed.”

“I hope the war will end soon, and people can return to normal life. I hope young men will stop shooting at each other and parents will not receive death letters anymore.”

Lev, remarkably, despite the tragedy unfolding with the war, you had an opportunity to debut on the DP World Tour at the age of only 14 at the Soudal Open at Rinkven in May of 2022. You made it into the field and became the second youngest player ever to make the cut on the DP World Tour (European Tour). Can you tell us about that experience and your other two starts after that on the DP World Tour?

“This was an amazing experience and a strange but fantastic feeling simultaneously. The DP World Tour Soudal Open was played at my home club, Rinkven, but everything was so different. It was the same course, but at the same time, with the tournament set up, it was a different course…all of the same club members, but I couldn’t recognize them... After round interviews, kids with pens for autographs. Everything was like one bright picture; I could not believe it was happening to me. I played amazingly and made a couple of great shots and a few great saves,” Lev recalled.

“Two weeks after that, I played in The Dutch Open. This was a little different experience because something happened to me where I didn’t feel my game like I did at the Soudal Open. I scored ten over par on the first day. Somehow, however, I was able to concentrate in round two and shot level par. I was proud of myself at the end of the day.”

“This year, in May, I missed the cut by only one stroke at the 2023 Soudal Open. But in playing rounds with Mr. Stephen Gallacher, I had a fantastic playing lesson, an experience I will remember forever. At that moment, I was only dreaming of being a part of the European Team for the Junior Ryder Cup and having Mr. Gallacher as our team captain…this is now something that I will get to realize in just a few weeks…it is very exciting!”

In your three appearances on the DP World Tour, you played with many Tour stars, including Lars van Meijel, Santiago Tarrio, Johannes Veerman, Alan De Bondt, Garrick Porteous, Justin Walters, and Stephen Gallacher. However, these stars of the European circuit were not the first he had played with. Can you share your experience of approaching European star Thomas Pieters when he was only nine and asking him to play?

“It was my 9th birthday, and I was celebrating at Rinkven Golf Club. Thomas Peters was there. When he was practicing on the range, I walked up to him and asked him if he would play a round with me…and he said yes. We played with my functional training coach, Diederick Van Dorselaar, who was my caddy at the Soudal Open. Thomas signed a glove for me at the end of the round. I had a lot of fun. I learned a lot from him, especially about his demeanor on the course.”

Like many young golfers, I am sure you have role models you look up to in the game. Who are a few PGA TOUR stars that you emulate and admire?

“I admire Tiger and John Rahm because they are absolute legends. With Tiger, I feel like even in his greatest rounds, he always finds a way to improve and save a stroke, which I admire. With Jon Rahm, I feel he and I have similar attitudes in how we handle things on the course. Rahm’s short game is very nice to watch, and I like how he chooses the shots to hit around the greens.”

For a kid who is still only 15 years old and has accomplished so much, what are some of your dreams and aspirations in the short and long term?

“For the rest of this year, my most important goal is to win the Junior Ryder Cup with the European Team in a few weeks and to play well in the European Club Trophy in Portugal with Rinkven IGC. I also want to play well and achieve a top 5 finish at the South Beach International Amateur in December.”

“Every year, after the season ends, my Father and I start planning and setting goals for the next season. We haven't discussed it yet; however, I am considering setting the following goals…getting into the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings…Be selected to represent Continental Europe in next year’s Jacques Leglise Trophy…we won this year over GB&I, and I won 3 of 3 matches…I want to play in one or two DP World Tour events, achieve a top 30 finish…and win at least one major Amateur Event in Europe, the UK, or the US.”

“My big goals and dreams are to play College Golf in the US and win a PGA Tour U card to gain access to play on the PGA TOUR. I want to one day be the number one player in the world.”

Illya, you are undoubtedly a very proud father. What do you admire most about your son's tremendous gifts with all that Lev and you have been through in recent years?

“Lev never gives up; whatever happens during a round of golf, Lev is fighting until it ends. Lev is a naturally born fighter, and he is extremely competitive. I could not be any prouder of him.”

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To learn more about Lev or how to help him and his father as they look to rebuild after their losses in Ukraine, visit Lev.Golf.