Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Hometown Hero: Markus Varjun of Tallinn, Estonia
6/12/2024 9:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — In Estonian culture, it's usually customary to keep to yourself. Even in a city like Tallinn, where the beautiful coastline and many amenities it offers are all within walking distance, its people are quiet-natured. Luckily, stereotypes are made to be broken, and Middle Tennessee redshirt sophomore Markus Varjun is a great example of that broken stereotype.
Along with his brother Mattias and former MTSU teammate Kevin Jegers, Varjun is just one of a few that have come from not just Tallinn, but all of Estonia, to the United States to play college golf. The journey and path he took to get to where he is today, however, was forged in Tallinn, a place that he holds near and dear to this day.
Tallinn is a coastal town. It snows a lot from September through April and has a mild climate during the summer. Varjun and his brother played soccer and basketball while growing up during the winter months. They spent a lot of time at Niitvalja Golf Course with their coach, Paul Pohi. In a country of just 1.3 million people, agriculture is huge. However, according to Varjun, most people are friendlier in the United States, opposite of most in Estonia, who are just naturally more introverted. Not to say that's a bad thing, but it just makes one work harder to really get to know someone and be invested in them. Luckily for Varjun, he always had his older brother to count on and help show him how to succeed in that environment.
"Thankfully, I always had my older brother (Mattias)," Varjun said. "We did everything together. We went to events together and I always had him to turn too. We spent a lot of time playing soccer, basketball and golfing. Both my parents worked a lot, so they'd drop us off at the golf course at 8 a.m. and we were there until 6 or 7 enjoying our time on the golf course."
Paul Pohi, Markus' coach, made the game of golf fun. He used to challenge him a lot growing up but did it in ways that he was always subliminally helping Varjun build the basic skills needed to succeed in golf. Even when it snowed, Pohi helped show him things he could do indoors to continue developing. Spending most of the summers at Niitvalja with Pohi helped Varjun start building that strong foundation on which his career is built upon from an early age.
"(Pohi) made things fun," Varjun said. "For a young kid, it was so fun that I could spend all day at the golf course and still have energy left. It was an awesome experience. When we were having fun, he managed to teach us all the basics like grip and posture. Everything necessary for that foundation was taught to me by him. Looking back, it was clever that he made things so fun, because it gave me the base that I'm forever thankful for."
Varjun started playing internationally as early as age 11 in Finland. Playing in those international tournaments helped him realize after about another four to five years that he could have a future in golf. With three years left in high school, his older brother Mattias began his journey at MTSU. Mattias was the first Estonian in nearly two decades to play college golf in the United States, so his experience helped prepare Markus for what was to come.
"My high school days were a constant grind to get to the college level," Varjun said. "My brother playing ahead of me taught me and helped me with what I needed to do to be able to get to my goal of playing in college."
Though he wasn't the first person that would leave Tallinn to play NCAA golf, Varjun still was someone that had to navigate the uncharted waters being that there were less than a handful of people who had done it before him.
Coming to MTSU, Varjun liked that he could play year-round here in the States because of the weather. As a kid, he traveled to Spain in the winter to play because Estonia had a good five-month snow season. The Blue Raider program drew him in because of the chance to get a quality education and be a part of a team. Growing up playing team sports helped prepare him for the team aspect that collegiate golf brought about.
"I always loved team sports, and I love that I don't have to play here individually," Varjun said. "It sounded surreal at first because it had been 15 years before my brother came to play in college that anyone from Estonia played in the U.S. Now, there's five or six of us. It's a new thing to all of us, but now it makes sense having been here for a couple years."
Varjun was both nervous and excited to get started at MTSU because he knew that the Blue Raiders had a good team. He didn't know if he'd be good enough to belong. He did his best to follow what Head Coach Mark McEntire's plan was, and things have worked out great, thus far. From the first day, Varjun has had a great sense of belonging within the team.
"Last year was a great experience," Varjun said. "We had four older players that I learned a lot from. I feel like I need to take the next step because we have a new team coming in next year. I'm ready to be a leader on and off the course. I know what it's like coming in as a freshman. I redshirted my first year and practiced a lot, but I was thankful for that. I worked hard to make the team after. It worked out well because I played well the next year. So, whether they play good or not coming in, I can help them with that and I can help the team overall."
Varjun's path from Tallinn to Middle Tennessee has been unique compared to the two that did it prior to himself, but it's come along nicely so far, and the redshirt sophomore has shown a lot of promise in his first two years in blue and white. Smashing the stereotype of being quiet-natured, Varjun finished Third Team All-Conference USA this past season and took great steps toward moving into a role as a leader.
His 72.6 stroke average was good for third on the team this season and he fired a low round of 68 on Friday, April 5 at the Mason Rudolph Championship, carding five birdies in the round. As a regular member of the five that traveled, Varjun's got his sights set on being not just a shoo-in for the lineup every tournament, but to be one of the best individual finishers so that he can help a younger Blue Raider roster back to a CUSA title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Being from a select number of players from Tallinn, Varjun is looking to leave a huge mark on that blueprint of the path to collegiate and even professional golf for young children growing up along the Estonian coastline today, just like him just a short decade ago.
"I would tell kids to dream big," Varjun said. "Nothing is impossible. I can help open that door and provide whatever I can, whether it's guidance or information. I can show how to talk with coaches, communicate within a team and just how to set up their portfolio to be visible to coaches here. I've learned a lot from both my situation and my brother's since he's transferred twice now. All the coaches know back home that they can call any of us that are from Estonia and ask us questions any time, we're just happy to help the young kids that want to come here."
Along with his brother Mattias and former MTSU teammate Kevin Jegers, Varjun is just one of a few that have come from not just Tallinn, but all of Estonia, to the United States to play college golf. The journey and path he took to get to where he is today, however, was forged in Tallinn, a place that he holds near and dear to this day.
Tallinn is a coastal town. It snows a lot from September through April and has a mild climate during the summer. Varjun and his brother played soccer and basketball while growing up during the winter months. They spent a lot of time at Niitvalja Golf Course with their coach, Paul Pohi. In a country of just 1.3 million people, agriculture is huge. However, according to Varjun, most people are friendlier in the United States, opposite of most in Estonia, who are just naturally more introverted. Not to say that's a bad thing, but it just makes one work harder to really get to know someone and be invested in them. Luckily for Varjun, he always had his older brother to count on and help show him how to succeed in that environment.
"Thankfully, I always had my older brother (Mattias)," Varjun said. "We did everything together. We went to events together and I always had him to turn too. We spent a lot of time playing soccer, basketball and golfing. Both my parents worked a lot, so they'd drop us off at the golf course at 8 a.m. and we were there until 6 or 7 enjoying our time on the golf course."
Paul Pohi, Markus' coach, made the game of golf fun. He used to challenge him a lot growing up but did it in ways that he was always subliminally helping Varjun build the basic skills needed to succeed in golf. Even when it snowed, Pohi helped show him things he could do indoors to continue developing. Spending most of the summers at Niitvalja with Pohi helped Varjun start building that strong foundation on which his career is built upon from an early age.
"(Pohi) made things fun," Varjun said. "For a young kid, it was so fun that I could spend all day at the golf course and still have energy left. It was an awesome experience. When we were having fun, he managed to teach us all the basics like grip and posture. Everything necessary for that foundation was taught to me by him. Looking back, it was clever that he made things so fun, because it gave me the base that I'm forever thankful for."
Varjun started playing internationally as early as age 11 in Finland. Playing in those international tournaments helped him realize after about another four to five years that he could have a future in golf. With three years left in high school, his older brother Mattias began his journey at MTSU. Mattias was the first Estonian in nearly two decades to play college golf in the United States, so his experience helped prepare Markus for what was to come.
"My high school days were a constant grind to get to the college level," Varjun said. "My brother playing ahead of me taught me and helped me with what I needed to do to be able to get to my goal of playing in college."
Though he wasn't the first person that would leave Tallinn to play NCAA golf, Varjun still was someone that had to navigate the uncharted waters being that there were less than a handful of people who had done it before him.
Coming to MTSU, Varjun liked that he could play year-round here in the States because of the weather. As a kid, he traveled to Spain in the winter to play because Estonia had a good five-month snow season. The Blue Raider program drew him in because of the chance to get a quality education and be a part of a team. Growing up playing team sports helped prepare him for the team aspect that collegiate golf brought about.
"I always loved team sports, and I love that I don't have to play here individually," Varjun said. "It sounded surreal at first because it had been 15 years before my brother came to play in college that anyone from Estonia played in the U.S. Now, there's five or six of us. It's a new thing to all of us, but now it makes sense having been here for a couple years."
Varjun was both nervous and excited to get started at MTSU because he knew that the Blue Raiders had a good team. He didn't know if he'd be good enough to belong. He did his best to follow what Head Coach Mark McEntire's plan was, and things have worked out great, thus far. From the first day, Varjun has had a great sense of belonging within the team.
"Last year was a great experience," Varjun said. "We had four older players that I learned a lot from. I feel like I need to take the next step because we have a new team coming in next year. I'm ready to be a leader on and off the course. I know what it's like coming in as a freshman. I redshirted my first year and practiced a lot, but I was thankful for that. I worked hard to make the team after. It worked out well because I played well the next year. So, whether they play good or not coming in, I can help them with that and I can help the team overall."
Varjun's path from Tallinn to Middle Tennessee has been unique compared to the two that did it prior to himself, but it's come along nicely so far, and the redshirt sophomore has shown a lot of promise in his first two years in blue and white. Smashing the stereotype of being quiet-natured, Varjun finished Third Team All-Conference USA this past season and took great steps toward moving into a role as a leader.
His 72.6 stroke average was good for third on the team this season and he fired a low round of 68 on Friday, April 5 at the Mason Rudolph Championship, carding five birdies in the round. As a regular member of the five that traveled, Varjun's got his sights set on being not just a shoo-in for the lineup every tournament, but to be one of the best individual finishers so that he can help a younger Blue Raider roster back to a CUSA title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Being from a select number of players from Tallinn, Varjun is looking to leave a huge mark on that blueprint of the path to collegiate and even professional golf for young children growing up along the Estonian coastline today, just like him just a short decade ago.
"I would tell kids to dream big," Varjun said. "Nothing is impossible. I can help open that door and provide whatever I can, whether it's guidance or information. I can show how to talk with coaches, communicate within a team and just how to set up their portfolio to be visible to coaches here. I've learned a lot from both my situation and my brother's since he's transferred twice now. All the coaches know back home that they can call any of us that are from Estonia and ask us questions any time, we're just happy to help the young kids that want to come here."
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