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By Ken Tucker Fri Nov 2, 8:11 PM ET

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Have you heard the one about the guy who wanted to be a professional golfer but scored a top 10 country song instead? Meet Jake Owen, who but for a career-ending injury during his first year of college might be chasing hole-in-ones instead of No. 1s.

Raised in Vero Beach, Fla., Owen and his twin brother, Jarrod, excelled at sports. By the time he was 12, Owen had decided on his career path. "I couldn't wait to get out there and start playing with Tiger Woods," he said.

After high school, Owen and his brother went to Florida State University in Tallahassee, where Jarrod had been awarded a tennis scholarship and Owen would try to become a walk-on member of the golf team. But a waterskiing accident during his first semester on campus altered Owen's course. After reconstructive shoulder surgery, he was told to put down the golf clubs for at least a year.

Looking for an alternative to "twiddling my thumbs," Owen turned to music. "My neighbor had a guitar in his closet, so I kind of stole it from him," he recalled. "I had never played guitar or really sang, but I just started playing and singing and teaching myself to play."

Owen, who grew up listening to country, eventually landed a gig at a local bar and found his new passion, with benefits. "I got $75 and free beer," he said. Soon, he was playing at fraternity and sorority parties.

While his local popularity grew, so did his resolve to follow his new dream. "I had nine hours of school left at Florida State and decided I would call home to Mom and Dad and tell them I was going to head to Nashville," he said. "Something just told me I needed to go, and I did."

Despite some initial interest from Warner/Chappell Music, success didn't come easily. Owen frequently drove back to Tallahassee to perform weekend gigs to make money. But when a song he wrote was placed on hold by Kenny Chesney, he started to draw attention. After making the rounds of Nashville labels, Owen signed with RCA.

Owen has released three singles to radio, the first of which, the party-hardy "Yee Haw," reached No. 16 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs slightly more than a year ago. The introspective ballad "Startin' With Me" made it to No. 6 in July of this year, and current single "Somethin' About a Woman" is No. 44 and rising after nine weeks on the chart.

His album, "Startin' With Me," has sold 216,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Currently on the CMT Tour with Sugarland and Little Big Town, Owen has also opened for Chesney. And even though he didn't grow up with dreams of being a country star, Owen appreciates where he is now.

"Four years ago, I was sitting on a barstool in college playing for my friends, playing Kenny Chesney songs," he said. "Fast-forward to today, stepping on a stage for the first time with him and opening a show -- it was pretty cool."

Owen is also grateful for the fast track his career has taken so far. "I am definitely very aware and humbled by the fact that it didn't take as long as I know it does for a lot of people," he said. "My life has always worked out for a reason."

Reuters/Billboard