"If Tiger Can Do It, I Can, Too" — What Golf Means to High School Star Harrison Shaw

The summer before senior year is usually full of a lot of “last things,” but for Harrison Shaw, the months leading up to his final year of high school have been full of firsts. 

Currently the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour (OJGT) Player of the Year points leader, Shaw, a rising senior at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, is also trailblazing his way into school and state history. In May, Shaw became the first golfer in school history—and the first Black golfer in state history—to win a state championship title. 

And, this week, he’s among the field at Pinehurst, vying for the title at the 2025 PGA High School Golf National Invitational on Pinehurst Nos. 5, 6 and 8.. 

Shaw’s golf journey began almost as soon as he could walk. 

“I started playing golf when I was about two years old,” he said. “My dad and older brothers would go out on the weekend and play golf, and I always wanted to do what my brothers were doing.” 

Shaw finally got to tag along to the course when he was two, and he’s never looked back. 

“I fell in love with golf,” he said. “I’ve been playing ever since.” 

One of Shaw’s early golf experiences was PGA Jr. League, which he credits with helping him grow his game and, in time, introducing him to competition. Shaw made two PGA Jr. League Championship appearances—in 2019 and 2021, respectively—as a member of Team Oklahoma. 

While the team, led by PGA Coach and LPGA Golf Professional Amanda Fisher, didn’t win the title either year, Shaw has fond memories of his experience. 

“I have a lot of good memories of playing PGA Jr. League,” he said. “It’s really what got me into competitive junior golf.” 

This past spring was a breakout season for Shaw, who won five of his six school tournaments, including regionals, conference and the state championship. Shaw dominated the field at the 5A State Championship, taking the title by six strokes. 

He’s still coming to terms with the achievement. 

“The state championship was a big deal for me because I was the first person in my school history to win it,” he said. “Booker T. is a historically great athletic school, and golf was the only state championship we’d never won.” 

Shaw also claimed three OJGT titles this spring and finished in the top 25 of the Babygrande D.C. Classic, an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament held on the Blue Course at East Potomac Links Golf Course in Washington, D.C., last week. 

Shaw is proud to be the first Black golfer to win a state championship in Oklahoma history, but he doesn’t take the honor lightly. 

“Coming from Oklahoma, you just don’t see a lot of Black golfers,” he said. “So, when you’re the only Black golfer, you kind of have to represent. It definitely means something to me.” 

Shaw says diversity in golf is important, for visibility, but also because it just creates more access and opportunities for the game to grow. No matter what, he’s always felt like there was a place for him in golf. 

“I never felt like I didn’t fit in,” he said. “I mean, I just look up to Tiger—he was the best in the sport. And if he can do it, then I can, too.” 

As Shaw heads toward his senior year, he’s already thinking hard about the future. The rising senior knows he wants to play collegiate golf, but hasn’t decided where quite yet. But this week, his focus is only on Pinehurst Nos. 5, 6 and 8. 

In the days before the National Invitational, he’s doing the mental work to prepare for a solid performance. 

“I feel like my game is in a good place where I could be in contention this week,” Shaw said. “My goal is to get in the top 10. I feel like Pinehurst is all about hitting the fairways and hitting the right part of the green. I’m striking the ball well, so if I get on the green and hit the fairways, the putts will start to fall.” 

The 2025 PGA National High School Golf Invitational is underway from Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Visit here for live scoring or learn more about the National High School Golf Association.