Junior Cole Mayon and sophomore Cory Case qualified for the state golf tournament, which begins today in Georgetown. Mayon tied for fifth at region, and Case finished tied for second. For both athletes, it is their first time competing at the state tournament.
Success at Region did not come easily. Mayon needed a strong finish on the 18th hole to qualify for one of the three spots available to individuals.
“So I was walking up to my 18th hole, and I didn’t know because I didn’t check the leaderboard or anything,” Mayon said. “I hit a shot on the 18th, and my coach was like, ‘If you two-putt it, you’re going to State.’ I was very scared, to be honest. I knew if I two-putted it, it would be an awesome moment.”
Mayon and his coaches said that in the buildup to the Regional tournament, he and his teammates did not make any major changes to their standard preparations. In the days preceding the competition, the athletes focused on spending time on the driving range and staying sharp. Ahead of State, the strategy remained the same – avoid disrupting what has brought the program success all year.
“I was just pretty nervous [at Region],” Mayon said. “But I feel like that’s a good thing. This year compared to last year, my mental game has been a lot better. Last year I would say hit a double bogey and I would just kind of quit and give up. But this year I would try to go make a bunch of birdies to fix it, not just give up.”
The environment around the program this year has provided Mayon with opportunity for friendly competition and exchanges of ideas with his teammates. Mayon said that the way that the team gets along with each other makes their time together more enjoyable and more engaging. He looks forward to competing alongside Case once again at State.
“Being able to go with my teammate Cory is pretty cool,” Mayon said. “We always have a good time, so just the fact that I’m even going is awesome in itself.”
Coaches Jason Watson and Angela Chancellor agreed that the strong bond between the two state athletes has been a factor in their success.
“They’re good friends,” Watson said. “They work well together.They’re both pretty even keel. They don’t get too excited about anything or get too disappointed about anything. So it is a neat dynamic with those two. And they’re passionate about the game.”
The program has known success at state on both the boys and girls side, and Watson and Chancellor have plenty of experience competing at the state level and winning state championships. The coaches hope that this run by Mayon, Case and the rest of the team will set a precedent for another era of the program’s dominance.
“It’s almost like we’ve come full circle,” Chancellor said. “This could be a run. They’re good enough to be good for a while. This is our first step [towards] going the next five or six years having strong teams. We’re hoping that they can be the guys to put KPark out there again.”
Mayon said that if he were to win State, the first person that he would share the news with would probably be his mom.
“She’s been there to help me, and she’s been at every tournament,” Mayon said. “So it would be a cool moment to tell my mom for sure.”
He explained that the key to his success has not been any tricks or revelations, but the inevitable commitment to his sport.
“It’s tiring,” Mayon said. “[Golf is a] physical battle and a mental battle, but it’s all worth it. Just be consistent. It takes a lot of hard work.”
