Boyer takes on sectionals
Colby senior Brayden Boyer had to get up bright and early Tuesday morning in order to make the 9 a.m. tee-time at Golden Sands Golf Club in Cecil. He would represent the Hornets in the WIAA D-3 sectional meet, hosted by nearby Bonduel, going up against golfers from 24 schools from around the state. As an individual, Boyer needed to place in the top three golfers not on the two top teams in order to move on to the state meet. Over 18 holes, Boyer shot a 118 on what would prove to be a fairly difficult course for the senior.
Wind gusts averaging 20 mph were the sole drawback to otherwise perfect weather conditions. However, when coupled with a course that featured numerous hazards and narrow fairways, these winds would make navigating the front nine a difficult task for Boyer. He’d hold steady with sixes on the first two holes, but he would run into trouble on the third and fourth. Using ten strokes to complete the third and then 11 on the fourth would put the Colby senior in an early deficit.
He would settle into some consistency afterwards, but could not find a place to make up for the lost strokes. He’d finish with a 62 on the first nine holes and a 56 on the back nine, giving him a final score of 118. This performance was somewhat of an outlier for Boyer, as he had put up scores of mid 40’s for each nine holes played over much of the season.
Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s meet, Boyer certainly had much to be proud of in his final season with the Colby golf team. “It has been a pleasure to coach Brayden,” head coach Brandon Butkus stated after the meet. “He has always asked the right questions and knew when he shouldn’t take a specific shot or knew when he messed up.”
With Boyer’s exit, the Colby Hornets’ season also came to a close.
“This was my most enjoyable season in my 12 years,” Butkus stated when asked about the season as a whole. “All the kids from junior varsity through varsity were a joy to be around. This year was a different year in many ways. Every match we attended; on the way to the course the kids were talking golf, reviewing the course and talking strategy, [it’s] something I haven’t had in years past.”
While six of the 13 current team members will be graduating, including Boyer, Butkus hopes that the great work put in by the junior varsity team and JV coach Ben Bartlet will translate to success for next year’s team.
