As the boys golf season approaches, teams are eager to improve and set themselves apart from the competition in district and region play.
Daviess County:
Daviess County boy’s golf heads into 2021 looking to use a balanced team effort en route to success on the golf course.
The Panthers return a myriad of athletes that were key contributors to the program last year that will help make a push for a regional title.
A few of those being freshman Grant Broughton—someone Head Coach Lars King will be a top player in the region—as well as senior Braden Whistle who King expects to lead the team as a veteran.
“He (Grant) is a great young player,” King said. “He had a solid summer with multiple wins. I expect him to be a top player in the region this upcoming season. Braden Whistle will be a seasoned verteran, as he has been on the team for multiple years now. I expect him to lead this team to numerous victories. They both have the capability to shoot under par and I hope to see it from both of them this season. “
King also thinks players like juniors Gabe Vincent and Grayson Powers can also be solid contributors with the improvements they’ve made in their games.
With this group of players, King hopes that they can bounce back in the postseason from a disappointing go-around in 2020.
“I really had a rough mindset after last year’s regional tournament,” King said. “We were one of the favorites entering the event and didn’t play very well. I want that to resonate with the team. Winning another regional title is the goal this season and we have the pieces to make that happen. I expect to win multiple tournaments this year. As always with golf, the competition is you vs. the course. That’s where we have to win this year in order to be most successful.”
In order for that to be the case, Daviess County will have to stay focused and come together as a team according to King.
“I think our other key to success is staying focused and patient,” King said. “Throughout qualifying I noticed a lot of bogies being made while chasing birdies. We can’t do that and expect to win events. Every stroke counts. I am hoping we can instill a team first mindset, where they are all trying to score the best possible to benefit the team. We have to realize that four scores of 78 will win all events in our region including regional.”
Owensboro:
The Red Devils come into the season with an extremely young group, but Head Coach Pat Hume thinks this team could shock folks this season.
Leading that young core is Owensboro’s top three, consisting of freshmen Will Hume, Will Rickard and Cole Crews.
This trio will be joined with senior newcomer Ryland Chaney, looking to make an impact after recently starting to play golf.
“Ryland has picked up golf over the pandemic and has used his athletic ability to become a solid golfer,” Hume said. “This is his first year playing for OHS so becoming consistent will be his main goal for this season.”
While the team is young as far as grades go, these athletes have gained experience in the past year and Hume thinks this will help them be competitive throughout the season and for the foreseeable future.
“We are young grade wise but are starting to get some players with some golf experience both in high school golf and through the GO Junior Golf Series. I am hoping that this experience will allow us to become more competitive as the year goes on and peak in late September. The future of OHS golf is bright as seven of the nine golfers are freshmen or eighth graders and the top-three are all freshmen. I am excited to see how they progress over the next four seasons.”
In order for this young team to succeed, Humes said that they must avoid penalty strokes and strive for consistency while using a positive mindset on the course.
“Most of my golfers are multi-sport athletes, some playing football and golf during the same season, so developing some consistency and avoiding penalty strokes will be key,” Humes said. “All are very good athletes, many who are very young, but who like to compete so I think we will surprise some people including ourselves as the season progresses. Staying positive in the game of golf is also crucial. We will have bad holes but hopefully their competitive nature will allow them to bounce back and grind their way around the course.
Owensboro Catholic:
As Owensboro Catholic goes into the 2021 season, the Aces hope to use a strong work ethic combined with experience to push them to the top on the golf course.
On the well-rounded roster there is a trio of upperclassmen that will serve as the top golfers for Owensboro Catholic.
Those names include senior Jakob Wellman, as well as juniors JT Payne and Noah Johnson. Head Coach Bretnea Thomas expects Wellman to step up from his recent leadership and have the best year of his career yet.
“Jakob is an all-around phenomenal player,” Thomas said. “He has the maturity, the drive, and the grit to compete at high levels and be a leader for his team. He has really been in a leadership role for the last few years on our team, but this year I know that he will want to go out with a bang! He has been competing in high-level tournaments for the last couple of years in the off-season and has put in a lot of work to make this season for Catholic his best yet.”
Thomas said that Payne will provide the team with confidence and consistency every day, while Johnson’s great spirit and preparedness for games will be a huge factor in the team’s success.
Some other players Thomas thinks could stand out include Houston Danzer who joins the roster as a freshman after playing for the Aces in seventh grade, as well as Hayden Crabtree.
Thomas said that while Crabtree’s path to Owensboro Catholic golf may have been unorthodox, he’s going to be someone to watch out for now that he’s there.
“Mr. Joined the Catholic family last year, but chose not to play golf,” Thomas said. “He is a team player at heart, and struggled to join Catholic during the golf season, as he previously played for OHS in middle school. I love that he took his team commitment so seriously, even though his family chose to send him to OC. Mr., his favorite nickname, has already shown in tryouts this season that he is capable of shooting some consistent scores, and I look for him to play in most varsity events.”
The Aces also have a number of seniors that will bring experience to the team, paired with multiple freshmen that could see varsity time as well, hoping to fill in the production of those who graduated.
“We are filling the void of a strong player in Reece Higdon from last season,” Thomas said. “This leaves our team open to some new, inexperienced golfers that are wanting to make a name for themselves at Catholic. While they may not have the experience of a graduating senior, they do have the drive in spirit to compete weekly at a high-level. My expectations are to trend scores downward all season and work on minimizing large numbers. Our focus revolves around finding our strengths around the course and working on consistency.”
All in all, Thomas and company are excited to get the season underway and ready to maximize their potential.
“Going into my 9th year of coaching at OC, I am confident as ever that our team will pull together a great season,” Thomas said. “We have older members that are excited about the potential of the new players on our team and are looking forward to getting to work. We have some shoes to fill from two seniors graduating and I’m looking to see some improvement in our newcomers to fill those spots.”
Apollo:
Apollo heads into the 2021 season looking for steady improvement and overcoming weaknesses to ensure success on the course.
The Eagles will hit the links and be led by a returning cast of Trevor Cecil, Ethan Celements and Mason Julian in the upcoming season.
“Trevor Cecil, Ethan Clements, Mason Julian are the top returners based on the number of rounds that they have played this last year and this year,” Head Coach David Lyons said. “Trevor Cecil has made great improvements over this past summer. Ethan had an early injury that he has recovered from and will show improvement each time he plays. Mason will improve each time he plays and will round into a solid golfer by the end of the year.”
Lyons expects newcomers like Alex Bowlds and Caleb Poe to also make an impact as part of the supporting cast.
“Alex is inexperienced based on his number of rounds, but wants to get better,” Lyons said. “As his number of rounds increases, he will make big improvements. Caleb played last year and will make some of the other players work harder because he has improved. Caleb will make this team more competitive as the season progresses.”
The ultimate goal for the team is to improve mentally on the course as the season goes along, which Lyons believes will come with experience through practice and games. Only then will success follow.
“My expectations for this team are for them to improve each day,” Lyons said. “Work each day on their weaknesses and to be a better golfer and team by the end of the season. The keys to success are practice and patience. Practice your weaknesses. Patience to allow the growth to happen in due time.”
