Received his first set of golf clubs at age 2. Parents said he tried to sneak out of the house whenever he could to hit balls in his yard.

Says he eventually quit playing baseball because he was using his "golf swing" in the batter's box, leading to an inordinate number of strikeouts.

Enjoyed playing "Impossible Chipping Contests" with his friends -- a group which included the late Grayson Murray, as well as fellow professionals Doc Redman and Carter Jenkins -- at Wildwood Green Golf Club in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. They would intentionally give each other the worst lies possible and see who could get the ball closest to the pin. Gerard's family moved into a home near the 15th hole at Wildwood Green Golf Club around the time Ryan was five years old.

Graduated from Ravenscroft School in his childhood hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. Notable alums of Ravenscroft School include actor Michael C. Hall (Class of 1989), best known for his award-winning performance in the television series Dexter, and former NFL safety Antwan Harris (Class of 1996), who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

In high school, was president of the badminton club and a member of the chess club. Still enjoys playing chess today. Used to play a lot of online chess, but eventually got frustrated after reaching a relatively high level of competition; he estimated he was a "2 or 3 handicap" in golf terms.

Loves music; he knows how to play the piano and played violin for 14 years. Also enjoys listening to hip hop.

Devoted fan of the Carolina Panthers (NFL football) and the New York Yankees (MLB baseball).

Played five seasons at University of North Carolina (2017-22), winning once individually and garnering 2022 All-America Second Team recognition and a 2022 All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.

Upon exhaustion of his eligibility, held the lowest career scoring average in program history among players who completed their collegiate careers (71.65), breaking the school record previously established by Ben Griffin (72.02).

Defeated Yuxin Lin in the Round of 64 before falling in the Round of 32 at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club.

Qualified for match play at the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort, but fell in the Round of 64.

Junior golf victories included the AJGA's 2015 Polo Golf Junior Classic, a match play tournament contested at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Gerard defeated fellow Korn Ferry Tour graduate Norman Xiong in the semifinals, and fellow professional Cooper Dossey in the championship match. Other past champions of the event include Stewart Cink (1989), Tiger Woods (1991), Trevor Immelman (1995), Brian Harman (2003), Cameron Young (2013), Akshay Bhatia (2018), and Nick Dunlap (2021).

Garnered 2016 AJGA Rolex Junior All-America First Team recognition alongside Ricky Castillo, Noah Goodwin, Cole Hammer, Joaquin Niemann, John Pak, and Norman Xiong.