Buffs’ top player repeats as WAC Golfer of the Year
It is unusual when an already good athlete looks to find ways to become even better.
Such was the case at the end of the 2021 spring high school sports season with Garden City High School golfer Theo Juhl.
Juhl won a highly competitive race for Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors over Great Bend and Dodge City golfers to conclude a successful junior campaign.
He concluded his junior year with a top 20 finish at the Class 6A state tournament in Winfield.
Yet, he was not satisfied with his season in which he averaged 77.15 strokes for each 18-hole round after a season in which he played 13 rounds.
The improvement that he experienced allowed him to repeat as the WAC Boys Golfer of the Year as he completes his high school career.
Photo: Garden City High School Athletics
“I knew I had improved my junior year, but I also felt like I could get even better with more practicing on the areas where I needed the most improvement,” Juhl said in a recent interview. “My putting was the biggest area, and I took a lesson and then worked a lot during the summer (2021) with my dad. He is as good a putter as there is around here. And it all helped.”
Indeed, it did, as Juhl lowered his strokes per round average to 73.7 for the 12 rounds he had played to date prior to the Class 6A state tournament (May 23-24) at Mariah Hills Golf Course in Dodge City.
He won three of the five WAC tournaments, placed second in another and sixth in the other.
“My goal this year was to finish the best I could in the WAC and I wanted lower scores to know that I could play good golf,” said Juhl.
The early March preseason weather, dominated by high winds and chilly temperatures, kept practice opportunities to a minimum. When the Buffs opened their season in Edmond, Okla., at a 36-hole tournament against some of the elite Sooner state teams, it was quite the debut for Juhl.
He shot steady rounds of 75-79—154 and tied for 19th individually against some of Oklahoma’s top golfers.
“I think that was a good one to go to,” Juhl said of the journey south to Oklahoma. “There were several really good teams and we played with one of the teams that won one of the Oklahoma class state tournaments. It helps a lot because I usually play better when I’m playing with better players.”
Of the five WAC tournaments, one at each of the conference school’s home course, Juhl shot lower score at three of them and was close his 2021 scores at the remaining two.
“Almost every time, I was able to shoot a lower score, except the Great Bend tournament,” said Juhl of the 80 he shot at StoneRidge Golf Course. “It’s just not the type of course that fits my game. I couldn’t putt those greens.”
That final WAC tournament came at the end of a busy three-tournament WAC schedule that saw the Buffs host a 36-hole home event at Buffalo Dunes and Southwind Golf & Dining on a Saturday, followed by a Tuesday tournament in Liberal and a Thursday meet in Great Bend. All the same week he was preparing to finish his senior year of classes and go through graduation exercises.
“It was a crazy busy week and I didn’t have much free time to practice the way I wanted,” Juhl said.
Juhl is one of four seniors on this year’s Buffaloes’ team, and he along with teammates/classmates Jack Koksal, Aaron Allen and Aedryc Ortiz, along with freshman Maddix Shook have one remaining goal and that is to make the cut at the Class 6A state and play the final round with an eye on a top three finish.
They won their regional at Terradyne Country Club in Andover on May 16 when Shook fired a 68 and Juhl a 70 to carry the team to a total four-person score of 298.
“The biggest thing for me this year is my mental approach to the game,” Juhl said. “I thought I matured from my junior year. Last year, I would get a bad number and it would get in my head. This year, I just start grinding to finish the best I can. Last year, I struggled with putting, and this year it’s better.”
Juhl is excited to have the state tournament in Dodge City at the familiar Mariah Hills layout. When the Buffs hosted their own tournament in early May, the wind howled the entire two rounds and the Buffs held their own against two of the top 6A schools – Blue Valley and Blue Valley-West. He hopes the wind blows again at the state tournament.
“I’ve been playing Mariah Hills since the eighth grade and I like the layout,” Juhl said. “Winning the WAC (team and Player of the Year) feels good. The whole team’s been playing good and we know we have a chance to do some good things at state.”
Juhl’s plans for the future are still in the works, but certainly playing collegiate golf seems to be in the cards.
Dodge City’s Cooper Scheck finished second in the individual standings while Great Bend’s Scott Heilman was fifth. Juhl’s teammate, Shook, finished third, Allen was fourth and Koksal sixth. Ortiz was second team all-WAC.
Garden City coach Trent Specht was named Coach of the Year.
A Juhl of a Senior Season
- Tournaments (9), through Class 6A regionals
- Tournament Rounds (12)
- Scoring Avg./18 holes (73.67)
- Lowest Score (67, twice)
- Highest Score (80, once)
- WAC Tournaments (5)—Won 3, Runner-up 1
WAC All-Conference Boys Golf – 2022
| First Team | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Theo Juhl | Garden City | 69.0 |
| Cooper Scheck | Dodge City | 65.5 |
| Maddix Shook | Garden City | 65.0 |
| Aaron Allen | Garden City | 58.0 |
| Scott Heilman | Great Bend | 51.5 |
| Jack Koksal | Garden City | 51.0 |
| Second Team | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Aidan Robinson | Dodge City | 46.5 |
| Aedryc Ortiz | Garden City | 39.5 |
| Carson Gilmore | Liberal | 23.5 |
| Grayden Gamblin | Dodge City | 22.0 |
| A.J. Peters | Dodge City | 21.5 |
| Ashton Hernandez | Hays | 19.5 |
Team Champion: Garden City
Player of the Year: Theo Juhl, Garden City
Coach of the Year: Trent Specht, Garden City
