Sampson, the River Valley Democrat-Gazette Boys Golfer of the Year, concluded his standout time as a Pointer making it back-to-back all-state seasons. It all started with a visit to a driving range, then his curiosity, hard-working nature and competitiveness took over from there.
"After being a football player, I started playing this game every single day freshman year," Sampson said. "That was the first time I really took it seriously. I did play one round in 2020 during covid. I started playing and never stopped. I've had a great coach and have been grinding out in the yard, chipping and hitting irons. I'm super excited to go play in college at Cameron University with all this work paying off. I can't wait to go out there and get even better."
Over the course of his time at Van Buren, Sampson was able to craft his game to become one of the best golfers in Class 5A. He averaged qualifying rounds of 100 to 110 as a freshman still learning the game. Sampson as a sophomore took steps to get his average to 85 competing for spots on the varsity team.
He then found his groove putting it all together as a junior becoming the top golfer on the team, finishing second in conference and earning all-state honors. He topped off his senior year averaging a score of 74, earning all-state again while also winning multiple tournaments.
"Ryan got off to a quick start this season," Van Buren golf Coach James Lemley said. "He got second at a big tournament in Mountain Home then won the next one. The thing I like about Ryan the most is his determination to get better. When he said something about playing golf early in his career, I didn't expect what he would develop into -- but you never know. He really took to it. A lot of the time with golfers, they start young and are so far ahead of the game other kids don't catch up. That didn't intimidate Ryan. He wanted to go out there and be the best he could be. And as it turns out, he's pretty good."
When it mattered most with postseason accolades on the line, that was when Sampson was at his best. This year at the state tournament he was able to shoot a 76 to finish 11th after he made the top 10 with a round of 77 at the previous state tournament.
"I ended up playing pretty well at state to get two-time all-state and two-time all-conference honors," Sampson said. "The 5A is a really tough classification with a lot of depth. I didn't have that expectation my junior year of going out and being all-state. I played well enough, so there was some more pressure going into this my senior year. I felt it with the season coming down to one event."
When learning of winning the River Valley Democrat-Gazette Boys Golfer of the Year, Sampson said he felt honored to win the same award as one of his former teammates in Van Buren's JD Frederiksen, who earned the achievement in 2024 and now golfs at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
"He's been a great mentor to me -- him and his mom both," Sampson said of the Frederiksens. "They have been unbelievable. My sophomore year they helped me every day to get me to where I am right now. I still keep up with them. I get to win an award he won, so that's just great. It's been a really good ru... Click here to read full article
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