It’s hard to get Mitchell Schow to want to spend some time indoors.
The professional golfer and Ogden, Utah native spent his formative years among the Wasatch peaks and pristine nature of Weber County. He still finds solace in the outdoors, both in independent fishing trips and through ice fishing with his father.
“Growing up in Utah, I’m pretty fortunate to have the mountains in my backyard,” Schow said. “I drive 20 minutes away and I am miles from another body. Anytime that I can get outside, I think of golf and fishing and being outside is kind of my downtime, my relaxing time.
“Anytime that I go camping or off-roading, it’s to go to a place to fish or to get away and experience being one with everything.”
While Schow learned to bait a hook and explore the wilderness around him, he also spent time learning the game of golf. Through hard work and natural ability, he won three high school state championships before playing at the University of Utah.
“I can’t remember a moment where I didn’t have a golf club in my hand,” Schow said. “I grew up playing baseball as well, and when I was probably 12 years old, my dad said I had to pick a sport. I picked golf, and so far it's working out pretty well for me.”
Schow earned a PGA exemption to the Barracuda Championship after he won the 2024 Reno Open. While some players might enjoy the long drives or finesse putts, he favors the personal challenges and self-competitiveness he finds on the links.
“When I’m out there, it’s me versus me,” Schow said. “I’m a big proponent of the mental game and controlling your thoughts, and I like challenging myself in that aspect.”
As Schow searched for golf companies to support his path to the PGA TOUR, a simple Instagram search brought him to GenTeal Apparel. The two were a natural fit.
“When I graduated from college, I reached out to them based on what their values were and what they were promoting,” Schow said. “They embody everything I stand for and everything I want to look for in a company.”
As Schow dons a clean, pressed collared shirt on the grass, he looks back to a dirtied one. Struggling to find reason and meaning to play during a Korn Ferry Tour event in 2023, a boy who favored Schow as a youth asked him for an autograph. The boy’s shirt, filled with signatures on the back, wanted Schow’s on the front, and Schow plays to inspire up-and-coming players who spend their time outside, just like him.
“I’ll play until I can’t anymore to get another moment like that,” Schow said. “Nothing in my life has even come close to that feeling.”
