Twelfth in a series of stories highlighting the academic and community achievements of Rocket student-athletes.
 
By Steve Easton, UToledo associate athletic communications director
 
TOLEDO, Ohio – It took a while for junior David Amm to realize how much playing golf could mean to his life. Growing up in Zimbabwe in southern Africa, he worked hard to become the best golfer possible, not thinking about the places it would take him.
 
"Playing college golf became a big goal of mine probably a little later than most people," said Amm, who grew up in the capital of Harare. "I didn't know a whole lot about playing golf in the United States until I had a couple of friends come over to play here when I was in 10th grade.  The U.S. was just another part of the world that I never dreamed about going to."
 
Amm showed he could compete with professionals at an early age when he became the youngest ever participant in the Zimbabwe Open in 2014. He then captured Zimbabwe's Junior Golfer of the Year award in 2015 and earned a spot on his country's senior golf team. He won his first senior amateur event at the age of 16.
 
That was when he started testing his game on an international level. Amm competed against two of the best amateur fields in the world at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Tokyo and the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico. He also traveled all the way to Miami for the Junior Orange Bowl, where he caught the eye of the Toledo head coach Jeff Roope.
 
"I was about 16 when I traveled to Florida and South Carolina for a couple of tournaments that a lot of college coaches were at," Amm said. "That was when I met Coach Roope, and he asked me if I was interested and I said absolutely. We started talking and I was impressed with what I heard."
 
That wasn't the first time Roope saw Amm compete. He coached the Team USA squad in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup and had a chance to watch him play in person.
 
"I could tell David possessed a lot of potential and I was thrilled to have a chance to get to know him when I started recruiting him," Roope said.
 
Amm didn't have any idea where Toledo was at the time, but he did learn that on top of receiving an opportunity to continue his education he would have the opportunity to practice and play at one of the best courses in the world.
 
"Getting a scholarship was very important to me and my family," he said. "Zimbabwe is not as developed as it is in the U.S. which made the chance to come here an easy one. Getting to play at the Inverness Club played a big role as well."
 
In Zimbabwe, the golfing conditions were quite a bit different for Amm compared to the courses the Rockets compete on during their tournaments.

"It's a completely different ballgame over in Zimbabwe," Amm said. "The courses are not as long. It's much firmer and drier back home.  They are a little easier, but with the courses not as in good of condition that provides challenges as well. They did provide me with the practice time though and opportunities that I needed to become a good golfer."
 
Another aspect that indirectly prepared Amm for college golf was being homeschooled by his mother Pam. He is the second-oldest child in a family of five and said the flexibility of homeschooling really helped when he started traveling for golf.
 
"When I made the Zimbabwe national team and represented my country in some of the finest events in the world it really helped having the flexibility to get my work done according to my schedule," Amm said. "I brought books with me and tried my best to keep up. I had to be self-motivated, and if I knew I was going to be gone for six days I would get ahead with my work."
 
That same type of discipline has carried over since he arrived on the UToledo campus. It has helped him post a 3.804 grade-point average in the College of Business. He is planning to enter the field of finance, a path similar to that of his father Rowland, who is an accountant.
 
"My mom and dad always pushed me to do my best in all my classes, but math has always been a strong subject for me," Amm said. "I like working with numbers and am a bit more motivated for those classes."
 
Another thing typically spurring Amm on is spending time with his teammates and being pushed by them to pursue a common goal. Unfortunately, that is not happening right now due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He is one of two Rockets on the men's golf team that is currently on campus after not being able to return to his homeland last spring. The rest of his teammates are back home and taking courses online just like him.
 
"It's been different," Amm said. "I miss talking to the guys at practice and just joking around. We know there is a time for having fun and a time for being serious too. We all have the same goals in common and we're working towards them to make our team better."
 
The Rockets are hoping to have a chance to do just that when they get back together in person to play in tournaments next spring. For Amm, it will be another opportunity to continue his journey to places he never knew were possible.

Previous Stories About Academic and Community Achievements of Rocket Student-Athletes
Sept. 24 - Erin Hunt Expanding Her Future Options in Medical Field
Sept. 22 - Emma Sampson Making the Most of Her Time at Toledo
Sept. 17 - Alex Kelker Follows Fast Track to Graduate School
Sept. 15 - Spencer Littleson Using Business Classes to Prepare for Coaching Career
Sept. 10 - Ashton Cassel and Betsy Lueck Perfecting Nursing Craft with Rockets            
Sept. 4 - Chloee Kleespies is Driven to Help Other Diabetic Athletes
Sept. 1 - Stephanie Sherman Follows New Course to Surprising Career Path
Aug. 27 - Amelia Lee Programming Herself for Future Success
Aug. 25 - Competition Breeds Success for Mariah Copeland
Aug. 21 - Eileen Carney Gets Her Teeth into Student-Athlete Experience
Aug. 18 - Bryce Harris Followed His Heart to Find a Career Path