Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Boys’ Golf Hoping 3rd Time’s the Charm at State

Some habits can be tough to break. For the past two seasons, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley boys’ golf has had a habit of finishing second at the Class A state tournament. But the Wolves are back this season for a third consecutive try at finally taking home the hardware.

If the third time is the charm, then W-H-A is in prime position to win their first state title in program history. If only it were that easy.

“I think experience is everything out there,” said senior Parker Brock. “Even finishing second the last couple of years might be a blessing in disguise because, the team’s been hungry to get the first win.”

Brock has already experienced that win. He took home the individual Class A state title last year as a junior, revealing a line for the rest of the team to read.

“It’s just like, stay calm on the course, not get angry about shots, just kind of hit the shot and just go hit the next one,” explained sophomore Logan Felton.

The Wolves are the top team in Class A heading into the state tournament. Even with a good lie, pressure can lead to a slice, but the boys have a way to straighten things out.

“The culture we built around here has kind of eliminated the pressure from the team,” said Brock. “Outside of the tournaments we work so hard; it feels like it’s just another day of golf with us.”

The work they’ve put in has driven them far. And yet, the Wolves have areas they plan to improve on right up until tee time next Tuesday.

“Consistency in mental game,” stated sophomore Gus Pedersen. “Mental game is 80% of golf, and you can work on it whenever and it definitely helps a lot.”

“We need to learn the spots to miss it out there,” Brock added. “It’s a game of misses and the fact that we have six guys that can go out there and put up good rounds is really going to help us this year.”

Three of those six will be taking their last swings for W-H-A at Pebble Creek next week, a sentiment that has them reflecting and hoping that their third time is the charm.

“Seeing from where we came from since seventh grade, this group of guys, it’s really crazy to think this is where we’re at now, going into the state tournament ranked number one,” Brock admitted. “We always had the dream to do that, but now that we’re here, we just got to go out and play clear-minded golf.”

The Class A state golf tournament begins next Tuesday, June 10th at Pebble Creek Country Club in Becker, MN. The boys begin with groups teeing off from noon until 1:35 p.m. from holes 1 and 10.