By Steve Dallape

To eight-grader and philosopher Bryer Harris, golf is a lot like life. "I think golf's like life, because there's a bunch of different surprises with every shot. And also, you have to keep your composure and stay calm, no matter what happens next." Wise words for such a young man, but what Bryer knows about golf (and life) belies his age.

His prowess on the links began developing at an early age, when his dad would take him to the driving range from the age of four or five. "That's kind of where I picked it up," he remembers. He's been playing ever since, and recently shot his best round ever - a four-under 31 at Pine Hills. He's got a couple of friends his age that he sometimes plays with, but usually golfs with older players like his uncle or members of the high school golf team, which he plans to join next year. One thing he has not managed to do on the course yet is sink a hole-in-one. "I've been close, but I've never had one. Hopefully soon," he adds, laughing.

After golf, basketball is Bryer's favorite sport, and he's been playing it almost as long. During a game when he was in fifth grade, he sustained a serious injury, hyper-extending and dislocating his left knee. "Most of the time, you scrape your knee, and you get back up and it's like, 'that didn't hurt bad! But I got up, and I couldn't walk," he recalls. His dad, an emergency room physician, was by his side right away, but he had to spend two days in the hospital and limit his activity for quite a while after that. "That was really tough on me, because I'm really not the person you see in the house all day," he says. But he acknowledges that some good came of the experience. "Sports have taught me valuable life lessons" he states. "Stay determined, stay calm." Determined and calm, kind of like his favorite golfer. "I look up to Jordan Spieth, because he was really good at the start of his career, and then he's fallen off a little bit. But, I think he's kept his composure and kept working at the game, trying to get better" he relates. "If that ever happened to me, I'd want to be the same way."

Besides Spieth, Bryer looks up to his dad. He marvels at the way his father works so hard and has so many responsibilities, yet still makes time for his family, and Bryer would like to follow that example when he has a family of his own one day. Family is important to Bryer, and he enjoys a close relationship with his two younger sisters.

"We do a lot together," he says. "Our bond is pretty tight." One of the things his family all does together is travel, and Bryer recognizes the value of experiencing diverse locales and meeting different types of people. "I feel very lucky to be able to travel," he says.

With high school on the horizon next year, Bryer is beginning to ponder his future. "If I really wanted to, and put my mind to it, I could hopefully go on the PGA Tour," he muses. Talented as he is, he knows that's not a sure thing, so he's working on a backup plan. He's thinking of studying neuroscience and perhaps becoming a doctor, like his dad. As far as colleges go, he's still undecided. He has two cousins that attend the University of Iowa, "So, that'd be cool," he says. "But my favorite school is Pitt." He's a straight-A student, so he should have no trouble getting into any school to which he applies.

Until then, he will spend his time doing all the things he loves to do - playing golf, hanging out with friends, traveling and spending time with his family. There's a common thread that runs through so much of what Bryer does - fun. It's not that he isn't serious or committed, it's that he believes that you can be serious about something, and still have fun doing it. In fact, if he was given one wish that he could use for anything at all, he says, "I might use it for me to be happy with whatever I do in life, and just have fun." More life philosophy worth paying attention to, from the sage of the golf course, Bryer Harris.