Developed his game at Perche Creek Golf Club alongside Interstate 70 in Columbia, Missouri. Perche Creek featured a driving range with bays and mats, an 18-hole par-3 course, a miniature golf course, batting cages, and go-kart track. Around age 8, Jake Poe, a former walk-on golfer at Stanford University and University of Missouri who owned and operated Perche Creek, noticed Steelman hitting balls on the range and told his parents, “If you ever need someone to take a look at his swing or give him advice, I’ll be happy to do it.” Poe became Steelman’s first swing coach, and the two have remained close friends.

Did not own a brand-new club until around the time he was 14 years old, when he bought a Titleist 913 driver with money he saved from two years of walking his neighbor’s dog, and a friendly discount from his swing coach at the time, Jake Poe. Prior to that, he perused huge bins of used clubs at Perche Creek, and he remembered his greatest find being a Titleist 910 7-wood, saying, “I can tell you everything about it. It had a red and black Bassara shaft... I hit the crap out of that thing and used it until the face cracked about five years later."

Ross’ parents, Jim and Kristin, remember taking him to the practice area at A.L. Gustin Golf Course – which is operated by the University of Missouri and sits across the street from Mizzou Arena – and watching him chip and putt for hours.

In addition to Perche Creek and A.L. Gustin, practiced a good amount at Columbia Country Club, where he enjoyed playing five holes and then working on pitching and chipping at the practice area.

University of Missouri was the only college he truly considered, and he committed to longtime head coach Mark Leroux around January of his sophomore year at nearby Rock Bridge High School. Steelman recalled, “I didn’t have a ton of offers. I was a good high school player, wasn’t great. I didn’t play in a bunch of the massive stuff around the country. Being a kid from Columbia, Missouri, playing at the University of Missouri is a dream come true in every aspect of life.”

Uncle and aunt, Wayne and Susan Kreklow, were the head coach and top assistant coach, respectively, for the University of Missouri volleyball program from 2000-18. Mizzou won two Southeastern Conference Championships under the Kreklows.

Watching Seinfeld episodes on a couch is his pastime.

Loves coffee. Drinks it black with a splash of cold water. He did not drink much coffee until he transferred to Georgia Tech, which he said required some later study hours.

Known to drink ginger ale the night before competitive rounds because he discovered Ben Hogan believed it gave him better feel in his fingers.

Finished No. 4 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, earning Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of 2023, along with an exemption to Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

Moved from No. 6 to No. 4 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking off the strength of a T2 finish at the 2023 NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he held the 18-, 36-, and 54-hole leads but bogeyed his final three holes to finish a stroke behind individual national champion Fred Biondi.

Played two and a half seasons at University of Missouri (2019-21 – resdshirted after enrolling in January 2019) and transferred to Georgia Tech (2021-23) for his final two seasons; he earned a 2021 All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honor at Mizzou, followed by a 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Georgia Tech.

Posted a 69.50 scoring average in his final season at Georgia Tech, following Bryce Molder (69.43 in 2000-01), former teammate Christo Lamprecht (69.44 in 2022-23), and Ollie Schniederjans (69.51 in 2013-14) as the fourth Yellow Jacket since 1993 to post a sub-70 scoring average.

Delivered the winning point in both rounds of match play at the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, helping Georgia Tech win its first title since 2019 and its 19th all-time title – which, at the time, tied Wake Forest University for the most in conference history.

Recorded two individual victories at Missouri, winning first as a redshirt freshman in September 2019 and again at Mizzou’s home course, The Club at Old Hawthorne, in April 2021.

Enjoyed strong summers on the elite amateur circuit in 2021 and 2022; he reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont (Pennsylvania) Country Club, recording a top-10 at the 2022 North & South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (courses Nos. 2 and 4), earning medalist honors in stroke play before bowing out in the quarterfinals of match play at the 2022 Western Amateur, and qualifying for match play at the 2022 U.S. Amateur.

Won the Cameron Eddy Trophy as the stroke play medalist at the 2022 Western Amateur; he defeated Adrien Dumont De Chassart in the first round of match play, but fell to Travis Vick in the quarterfinals.

Defeated Ricky Castillo to reach the quarterfinals of the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club; he was eliminated by Austin Greaser in the quarterfinals.

Suffered a broken wrist prior to his senior of high school and reaggravated the injury after he enrolled at Missouri in January 2019, leading to his redshirt season.

Won the individual state title by five strokes at the 2018 Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 4 Championship; he totaled a 8-uder 136 across 36 holes, breaking the 36-hole state championship scoring record by four strokes, while Rock Bridge won the team title by 23 strokes.