Dean Wilson grew up in Kaneohe, Hawaii. He started golf at the age of 13 by following his mother out to a public course she enjoyed playing at. Some may argue it was love at first sight. While Dean was once avidly involved in every sport possible, he immediately retired to focus all of his attention on his new found passion; golf. Dean practiced as often as possible, setting his sights on becoming a professional golfer and wouldn't let anything get in his way. Few people know that Dean's first set of clubs were actually hand crafted by none other than Dean Wilson himself. Lacking the funds for a new set, he took a job at a pro shop in Hawaii and learned how he could create a useful golf club from a new shaft and a club head retrieved from the lost and found bin. Some may have teased him, but true to form, Dean let nothing get in his way and proceeded to master the sport.

Dean attended BYU as a secondary education major. He was a walk-on on the golf team where he met his college roommate and fellow PGA tour veteran, Mike Weir. Dean credits Mike for pushing him to play the Australian tour after college which was an essential stepping stone in his professional golf career. While touring Australia was anything but easy, Dean's perseverance helped him excel and gain valuable golf experience. After playing in Australia for 2 years, he went on to play the Canadian tour and then the Japanese tour.

In Japan, Dean finally profited from his intense work ethic and was able to win 2 major tournaments as well as 4 other tournaments on the tour. This helped prepare him for Q school back in the US in order to accomplish his ultimate dream of playing on the PGA tour. While it would be great to say making it through Q school was easy for Dean, sadly it wasn't. It took Dean 9 tries to get his tour card, which meant 9 frustrating years of failed attempts, but what a fabulous example of tenacity and perseverance!

Dean's work ethic certainly has helped him get where he is today. He is well known on the tour as a "grinder" and a "work horse" but Dean wouldn't have it any other way. As he says it best "If I weren't at a tournament playing golf, I'd be at home golfing!" Golf truly is his passion, and his dedication certainly hasn't gone un-noticed. In 2006 Dean won his first PGA event at the International and finished in the top 25 on the money list. While he hasn't had the joy of winning a tournament yet in 2008, if his work ethic is any indication, it's only a matter of time before history repeats itself.

Some of Dean's Favorites'

Pass Time: Playing Poker

Food: Filet Mignon

Restaurant: Joe's Stone Crab (Chicago) & Del Frisco's (Charlotte) & Alan Wong's Restaurant (Hawaii)

Place to visit: Hawaii

Band: Bruce Springstein, U2, Tom Petty, Maroon 5, Nelly

Golf Course: Quail Hollow, Augusta National, Pebble Beach

Car: Audi RS6