NHL Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky has become a familiar face at golf events, thanks to his daughter Paulina and her relationship to Tour star Dustin Johnson. But if his son Tristan Gretzky achieves his goal of making the PGA Tour, we’ll be seeing more of Wayne than ever. Tristan completed the first step in that journey this week, when he signed his national letter of intent to play college golf at Pepperdine University.
“My life goal is to be on the PGA Tour and Pepperdine is the college that will give me the chance to make it,” Tristan said in the school’s official announcement. “The players and coaching staff are the best in the country and I’m looking forward to spending the next couple of years grinding with them.”
Gretzky, who is 18 years old, has spent a lot of time on the course with D.J. over the years, which would be good for anyone’s game. He’s also started working with viral swing guru George Gankas. Gankas, who has worked on Tristan’s swing for a year now, is hoping to fine-tune his raw talent and turn him into a successful pro. Rumor has it that Tristan shares one aspect of his game in common with former World No. 1 Johnson: monster drives.
Pepperdine, whose sports teams are know as The Waves, is a rising force in college golf. They advanced to the NCAA Division 1 Championship in 2017. The school is located in the idyllic Southern California town of Malibu near the Gretzky’s home.
Pepperdine’s head coach Michael Beard had this to say about his newest signing: “Tristan has impressed us with his athleticism and attitude. He’s a late bloomer with a great upside. He’s a great fit for our program and the university.”
The Waves are currently ranked 15 in the GCAA Coaches poll. Tristan will likely join the team when he enrolls in the Fall of 2019, along with fellow signess Dylan Menante and William Mouw.
