THIS IS OKLAHOMA: Mike Hearne Mike Hearne at “People don’t want to leave Southerndown here. Or if they do, they most Gold Club in his Welsh Men’s likely come back.” Team blazer. —MIKE HEARNE BY GINI MOORE CAMPBELL erhaps you have heard a This is Oklahoma podcast. Maybe Pyou have seen a post by This is Oklahoma with one of the many beautiful landscapes Oklahoma has to offer. But do you know the unique story of the Oklahoma- transplant who created the brand? Mike Hearne, born and raised in Bridgend, Wales, is the man behind the mic and the lens. The elder son born to Steve and Jennifer Hearne and older brother by five years to Lewis, Mike Hearne played one game of Wales’ national sport—rugby, but after getting hurt decided never to play again. He played a lot of football A young Mike Hearne with his grandfather, (soccer), but believed he was Ted Jones, at Southerndown Golf Club in only “decent,” never “amazing.” Wales. Hearne’s grandfather gave him his first golf club and sparked his interest in However, at the age of six his the sport. 42