Family · Kentucky Golf
Roots
Where Bryan Conway's story began — and the people who made it possible.
Where Bryan Conway's story began — and the people who made it possible.
Ben Conway
For Ben, Walter & Judy
Behind every round Bryan Conway plays is a story that began long before the first tee.
It is a story of family.
Bryan's brother, Ben Conway, was more than his brother. He was his teammate, his friend, and one of the most important parts of his life both on and off the golf course.
Their journey together didn't end after their championship years in high school. Ben followed Bryan to Morehead State University, where the brothers were roommates during Bryan's sophomore year. They had grown up together, competed together, and now were sharing the college experience together.
Tragically, it was during Bryan's sophomore year at Morehead State that Ben passed away, cutting short a life and a bond that meant more to Bryan than golf could ever measure.
Ben never had the opportunity to see where Bryan's journey would eventually lead—the victories, professional golf, the years away from competition, or the return to the game decades later.
But his place in that journey never disappeared.
Every old team photograph, every memory from those championship years, and every story about two brothers growing up together serves as a reminder that Ben Conway will always be part of Bryan Conway's golf story.
And behind both boys were their parents, Walter and Judy Conway.
To Mom and Dad—thank you.
Thank you for the sacrifices that nobody saw.
Thank you for the rides to practices and tournaments, the entry fees, the equipment, the encouragement, the long days, the difficult days, and the countless little things parents do that children often don't fully understand until much later in life.
Thank you for believing in your boys.
Walter and Judy are no longer here to watch Bryan compete, but the foundation they built remains with him every time he steps onto a golf course.
Today, when Bryan tees it up again at 51 years old, he carries more than a golf bag.
He carries his history.
He carries the lessons of his parents.
He carries the memory of his brother.
And he carries the Conway name.
The scorecard may say Bryan Conway, but this journey has never belonged to Bryan alone.
For Ben.
For Walter.
For Judy.
Always remembered. Always part of the journey.
Long before Bryan Conway began building his own legacy in Kentucky golf, his father, Walter B. Conway Jr., had already made his mark.
Walter was a University of Kentucky graduate, accomplished golfer, and Vietnam veteran who served two years as a Military Police officer—earning a Purple Heart, two Bronze Star Medals for heroism in ground combat, and the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Walter was a talented competitive golfer and a 1968 Daniel Boone Golf Tournament champion at Frankfort Country Club.
Walter also served two years in Vietnam as a Military Police officer, earning a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, and the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Years later, Bryan would follow his father's path and capture the Daniel Boone himself—not once, but twice, in 1995 and 2018.
That gives the Conway family a remarkable place in the tournament's history:
Father and son. Three championships, 51 years apart. Two generations of Conway golf.
Walter accepting the Daniel Boone trophy at Frankfort Country Club, and teeing off in front of the gallery—the same tournament Bryan would go on to win twice, more than a generation later.
Walter's story extended far beyond golf. He served two years in Vietnam with the United States Army as a Military Police officer, earning a Purple Heart, two Bronze Star Medals for heroism in ground combat, and the Presidential Medal of Honor.
The original newspaper account documenting Walter's service and heroism is preserved here as part of the Conway family history.
Walter with fellow Military Police officers during his service in Vietnam.
Walter and his wife, Judy Conway, raised two talented golfers in Bryan and his late brother, Ben.
Their influence, sacrifices and support helped create a family story that continues today.
Walter and Judy are no longer here to watch Bryan compete, and Ben's life was tragically cut short while still in high school. But each remains an important part of Bryan's journey.
A father who won before him.
A brother who played beside him.
Parents who believed in them.
A legacy Bryan continues to carry forward.
Bryan's development as a golfer was shaped by more than family—he also learned directly from one of the game's true major champions.
Gay Brewer, winner of the 1967 Masters Tournament, took Bryan under his wing as a mentor, passing along the kind of knowledge that only a major champion can offer.
Conway's name has been on Kentucky golf trophies since he was a teenager. He and his brother Ben helped Franklin County High School win back-to-back Kentucky boys' state championships in 1991 and 1992, following their father Walter Conway into the game — Bryan and Walter would each go on to hold the same rare double: a state championship team title and a local country club championship.
