The seniors on the boys golf team have just a few more weeks until their final match on May 27. With their time on the team coming to an end, they are feeling very nostalgic, while wanting to play harder.
With this being their last season on the team, some are planning to continue playing golf, whether it’s just in their free time or not, but their time on the team won’t be forgotten. Being the upperclassman on the team, they are bound to take an underclassman under their wing and teach them what they wish they would have learned early on. Senior and Captain Caden Kerr did this with freshman Gage Segura to help him get the hang of golf.
“He is growing into a good golfer and has potential for many years ahead,” Kerr said. “I’m so happy he is motivated to play and takes coaching from me seriously.”
While these seniors have been on the team, looking back and reminiscing on their first few years might hit them all differently.
Kerr said that it's hard for him to say he's happy it's his last season, but he is happy that during his senior year he has been playing solid rounds. Previously, his first few seasons were rough, but he still made many memories, his favorites being the friendships he has built with all of his teammates, who he’ll miss after this season. Another memory is when he drove the green in county his senior year and made a birdie.
While he’s leaving, he’s excited to see the underclassmen grow as they continue their journey on the golf team.
“[The younger players] will be good,” Kerr said. “Don’t think about how the team has lost a lot, but think about how much you have grown as a player. Yes, the win ratio of the team will be down, but you will get better. Place in M.I.C., please Jeremiah and Noah, you both have the ability to place there.”
Senior Conner Lee, who is also a captain, has made a lot of memories on the team, playing since his freshman year. He initially joined because one of his coaches recommended it to help relieve some anger from his football season. While on the team he has made many memories and played many courses, his favorite course being Coffin. One of his favorite memories is beating Lawrence Central and getting the trophy.
Being a captain, he sees a lot of the struggles of the underclassmen that he once went through as well.
“Don’t get frustrated with it,” Lee said. “No one’s going to be perfect at it. You’re going to miss those simple putts or simple shots you know you can hit. Just stay calm with it. There's plenty more golf to go.”
The emotions and nostalgia start to hit Lee toward the 17th or 18th holes at a match, because he knows it's probably going to be his last time playing a lot of those courses unless he goes and pays to play there himself. He plans on continuing to play golf in his free time with his friends, but he would’ve loved to go to college to play.
Senior Lance Walters has been playing golf for five years. He chose golf because he thinks it's the most rewarding sport to play. Walters’s two favorite memories on the team are when he made a hole in one and when he took his 3-year-old brother Brooks to the course. He thinks his brother's happiness on the course should be something all golfers achieve.
Senior Luke Lykins has been playing golf since sixth grade, and he chose to play because he has a heart condition and golf is a sport he’s able to play and enjoy. One of his favorite memories is from this year. The team had a friendly competition against each other on the golf range to see who could hit it to a certain point or hit the farthest. Lykins said he would love to play golf in college after he comes back from his mission for his church.
Lykins said he is going to miss high school golf, and he has made some of the best memories from it.
“I'm glad that I'm going to be able to make my last year my best one,” Lykins said. “It's been a lot of ups and downs, and I feel like it really hasn't gone exactly like I wanted it to, but we've played in some tough tournaments with some tough weather, so I would for sure say that it’s been difficult, but we've worked through those tough times as a team and gotten past them.”
Boys golf has matches coming up on May 17, 20 and 27, with sectionals in June. Their coach, Stephen Crumlin has watched these boys grow in many ways, while they were realizing it is a very hard game to play and how hard they had to work to improve. These boys have much more confidence and patience now than they did in the beginning.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these kids,” Crumlin said. “They have done everything I’ve asked them to do. They are so gracious and humble to their opponents and thanking the opposing team. These kids didn’t have golf as an opportunity before. They’ve taken this opportunity and represented WC very well.”