Where it all started
Lev started playing golf at age of 5, at Kozyn Golf & Country Club, Kiev, Ukraine. As a 6 year old kid he won his first junior club competitions there.
His father Illya, a former badminton top athlete, came to Belgium for business on a regular basis, during most of his holidays Lev joined his father to Belgium, where he was immediately spotted as an exceptional talented junior golfer at Rinkven International Golf Club.
As a 7 year old, he competed in Belgium’s national junior U12 competitions, as well as on the US Kids circuit, with great success, systematically over classing older children.
2017: first international victory
In 2017, age of 9, he won his first international competition at the Cyprus Junior Open, with a score of 83 (par 72). From then on, he further developed as a junior golfer, winning multiple national (Belgian) and International competitions, also in higher age categories. His development progressed, also thanks to training camps in wintertime in the US.
Lev and his father were forced to remain in the US due to the Covid related travel restrictions beginning 2020. Lev joined Team Florida, and played and won several tournaments for the golf team.
Thanks to excellent coaching he made a lot of progression, competing in the US competitions at highest level and prequalifying for the US Open in the summer of 2021.
European Tour debut
Lev reached 3rd spot on the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings and #179 on AJGA, as a 13 year old.
End of summer 2021 Lev came back to Belgium, representing his home club Rinkven to immediately win the national Interclub title (title successfully defended in 2022!), and to finish 6th spot on the individual ranking of the European Team Club Championship, still only 13 years old.
Early 2022 Lev won the Waterloo Grand Prix in Belgium, earning his place on the WAGR rankings.
Lev entered his first DP World Tour event in May 2022, at the Soudal Open at Rinkven – still only 14 years young, where he became the second youngest kid ever to make the cut on the European Tour.
Ambition and dreams
Lev has the combination of being a gifted young athlete, with clear ambitions (becoming the number one golfer in the world) and living that dream with discipline, hard work, and mental strength.
He is supported by a top class team of professionals on all different aspects of the game. His career is still young, but all strengths are there to realize his sportive dreams!
What my coaches say about me
I met Lev during a tournament in France. I was very impressed with his level, his ball striking and his short game which already makes him a world elite amateur player. In addition to his technical qualities and his certain gift for this sport. Lev is already very Pro in his technical, physical and mental preparation. His maturity, his thirst for victory, and his fighting spirit make him a real competitor. at 15 Lev is already charismatic. Lev is a very endearing young man, he gives off positive vibes and his strict education has allowed him to acquire real human and sporting values. He knows he can count on me to help him take the different steps towards his final goal!
I began working with Lev two years ago while he was attending a golf academy here in Orlando. Like many elite juniors, Lev had a plan for the technical side of his game but didn’t have a plan for his mental game. At our first meeting, I could see that he was serious about learning the mental skills he needed to take his game to the next level. I also could see that he had a real love for the game, which is so critical for the long-term development of a player. <strong>We put together a step-by-step plan that included: improving his decision-making ability, helping him deal with adversity during tournament rounds, and giving him some tools to create solid daily habits. He is an eager student and soaked up the information quickly. Lev set himself apart from other juniors because he not only took in the training but actually used it in competition to improve his performance.</strong> The results have been outstanding. He qualified for US Open sectionals, made the cut in a full-field European Tour event, won many junior golf events, and is currently one of the top players in the world for his age. Finally, he is not only an elite golfer but also a great young man. He has a really fun personality and a great presence about him. I know he has an exciting future ahead of him in golf, and I look forward to being a part of all of his accomplishments."