The Fountain Hills High School golf team celebrated the end of its season with two fun matches. The Falcons showed their parents how much they improved this season at the family scramble last Wednesday, May 17, and they played in the Big Brother, Big Sister “Tee Up For Kids” Topgolf Tournament for a second year in a row last Saturday, May 20.

The Falcons have won the Topgolf Tournament both years they’ve entered. Juniors Ethan Schafer and Thomas Tiebert finished first and second overall this year. After a long and hot spring season, the Falcons ended the year on a high note.

Golf is a mentally demanding sport, and the high schoolers navigate more than just the pressure to compete during the course of a season. The Falcons found ways to relieve pressure with jokes and fun activities, and according to one player, they stopped to eat chicken at Raising Canes after every match.

“It was very energetic,” junior Jaxson Butcher said. “I mean, everyone was always in a good mood and excited to be able to golf with each other.”

Butcher was one of several new faces in the golf program this year. He started practicing on his own time last summer and became a frequent starter this year, and even led the team in the second to last match of the regular season.

The Falcons were No. 23 last year and finished No. 19 this year, but they were still four rankings shy of qualifying for the state tournament. Butcher said there is a “100%” chance he practices this offseason and like all of his teammates, Butcher thinks the Falcons have a good chance at making a state run next year.

Sophomore Savannah Miller was on the team with seven players last season and said that the Falcons had to divide into three groups instead of two at practices this year. She noticed a few other differences with 10 players this year, and according to her, she was competing for the number four and five spots in the starting lineup with freshmen Adam Oberg and Riley Murdock, as well as sophomore Shannon Breen, pretty much all year.

Miller played in the starting lineup some last season and was a week one starter this year. She said it’s a good feeling to know you can play in the starting lineup, but she knows the competition is only going to get tougher since the team doesn’t have any seniors graduating this year.

Miller said the competition makes her want to work harder. She will continue to work on lessons from earlier this year, including a putting and chipping clinic put on by Steven Alker, the 2022 PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year. Miller keeps a constant reminder of his lessons with her since she uses a putter that Alker donated to the program.

Head coach Bob Buczek was grateful to Alker and all the parents who supported the team from beginning to end. Buczek said he took a different approach from last year and was more confident about certain things in his second year. He also said that he doesn’t have to push his players too much, because they’re all driven to improve themselves.

“We took second place a lot. We played against some of the best teams, and barely lost to some of the best teams,” Buczek said. “We’re that close to being one of the top 10 teams, and I think that’s one of the keys. I think everybody thinks that we have that ability. It’s not me putting pressure on them. I think they’re looking at it as, ‘we have that ability.’”

Between underclassmen standouts like Miller, Breen, Oberg and Murdock, and incoming freshmen such as the reigning individual middle school champion Savannah Simonson, the future is bright for Fountain Hills golf.

Butcher, Schafer, Tiebert and Ben Wise will look to lead the team as seniors next year. The Falcons haven’t qualified a team for state since 2021, but they will be on a mission to change that next year.

Buczek said he saw his own players gain confidence as the season went on. The Falcons gained valuable experience this year, and they’re determined to capitalize on their opportunities next year.

The players are looking into summer camps as well as practicing on their own time. Buczek is happy with the progress his golf program has made over the past two years, and he’s excited to see how big it can grow.

“I think we can be really good,” Breen said. “All of us are going to improve over the offseason. Everyone’s already in a good spot and just going to keep going because there’s no seniors.”