Three local boys’ golfers have started the season on a hot streak, as they’ve all earned a spot on the current All-State standings list.
Owensboro Catholic’s Jakob Wellman is on the First Team, while Daviess County’s Nick Johnson and Grant Broughton are currently on the Second Team.
The ratings update weekly with players earning points based on how well they finish in tournaments.
Jakob Wellman (Owensboro Catholic)
Wellman is entering his junior season as an Ace and finds himself as the only 2nd Region player on the early First Team All-State standings list.
Wellman said he isn’t focused on his spot on that leaderboard now, but he will be when it comes down to the end of the season.
“It’s definitely good as far as the rankings go right now but I’m just trying to keep my head down and keep working hard,” he said. “Then later on down the road if I’m still there, hopefully I will be. I’m not super caught up with it right now because it’s so early, but it’s definitely good to see that the hard work is paying off as of right now.”
With his high school career halfway over, Wellman said he’s figured out what his goals were for his final two years at Owensboro Catholic.
For him, it’s about getting better and staying better.
“I just wanted to gain a lot more consistency,” he said. “I could play good rounds and I would win a few tournaments here and there in high school, but I could also throw up a round in the high 70s. I’m just trying to keep everything as low as I possibly can and just be more consistent for my team so they can rely on me more this year than they did last year.”
Wellman said the golf has gotten better in Owensboro the last several years with former OCHS players Hayden Riney and John Augenstein helping the progress move along at his own school.
“Everyone just kind of follows in each other’s footsteps,” he said.
Wellman said Augenstein has been important to his growth as a golfer.
“I’ve seen him in the offseason and I’ve just tried to mimic as much as he’s done and just trying to pick his mind and figure out what I can do to kind of get to where he is,” Wellman said. “Obviously he’s at a completely different level and it’s going to be a while until I even think about being as good as he is, but I think it’s good I can look at him and learn from him constantly.”
The Aces haven’t won a team region title since Riney’s senior year, and Wellman said that’s near the top of his list.
“I’m just trying to help my team out and hopefully capture that trophy at region, first and foremost,” he said.
Nick Johnson (Daviess County)
On a team that lost multiple seniors from a year ago, Lars King and the Daviess County Panthers have looked for Johnson, a senior, to lead in his final year.
Johnson said there’s still more work to be done.
“Right now it feels pretty good,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot of golf left to play, still a lot of things that could happen. A lot of good things I’m hoping will happen, I’m sure they will too. Starting off with a win was a great confidence booster, especially in our region. I’ve got a lot of good competition and to be on that list already with so much golf left to play is a great feeling, very reassuring.”
Johnson said it says a lot for the Panthers to have a senior and an 8th-grader on the list as multiple players have stepped up.
A big reason for that is the people involved with golf in the area.
“Golf in the Owensboro area has been fantastic and I think that has a lot to do with the people here in Owensboro that sacrifice and do a lot for the kids,” he said. “A lot of other areas don’t have that. Playing golf in Owensboro and living in Owensboro is just fantastic. I’m really blessed, this is a great area for golf and youth golf, junior golf.”
Grant Broughton (Daviess County)
Despite entering just his 8th-grade year, Broughton currently finds himself a few points behind defending state champion Jay Nimmo of Marshall County on the Second Team standings.
“It’s obviously a big accomplishment,” he said.
Broughton said he couldn’t have done what he’s been able to do so far without his teammates.
After a hot start, Broughton admitted he’s cooled off a little but he knows what he needs to do.
“The last couple tournaments, I haven’t been doing as good as I usually do,” he said. “I just need to get back in the groove and shooting good scores and placing.”
With still more than four years left in his prep career, Broughton said he’s got a simple plan.
“I need to keep progressing in my skill,” he said. “Golf, it’s one of those games, you can’t perfect it. There’s always skills to work on and I’ve just got to keep getting as good as I can.”
Broughton said he knew the Panthers would be a solid team this season but like his counterparts, he said there’s still more golf to be played.
“When we started the season, I knew we were going to be pretty good,” he said. “We’ve already won a tournament — the Daviess County Invitational — and we came in second in two or three other invitationals. We’ve got four players that will consistently shoot around 80 and those are good scores. If we just keep doing that then we’ll be pretty good for the rest of the season.”
