Day One:

The 2013 Division one (DI) Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Boys Golf State Tournament has begun.

 

As the sun peeked over the mountains and the light hit green grass on an early Friday morning, the sound of clubs swinging and team chatter filled the Aguila Golf Course.

 

The boy’s varsity golf team completed day one of the state tournament and found themselves 13th out of 21 teams.

 

Ben Harden, a senior golfer, finished the day 1-under, a gross of 71 strokes, and placed 6th out of the top 21 individual performers.

 

To compare, Harden improved on last season’s state tournament performance. His first day of the previous state tournament last year was a gross of 80 strokes, or 8-over.

 

Harden had an exceptional performance, especially for an early tee-time.

 

When asked about his day, Harden looked disappointed. He thought about the day for a moment, then answered by saying, "Despite what everyone is telling me, today was an off-day for me."

 

Even on Harden’s “off-day,” he earned 5 birdies. However, Harden had 4 bogeys scattered throughout his day.

 

Throughout the course, Harden had a bittersweet relationship with par-5 holes. Two on Harden’s Bogeys were on par-5 holes, and two of his birdies were on par-5 holes.

 

"Looking at tomorrow, we just need to shoot better overall and we should be alright."

 

Day Two:

 

The boys once woke up early once again and prepared for the final day on Aguila Golf Course. 

 

Before leaving the school, Coach Ramseyer gave a few words of advice to his team.

 

He told the boys he was extremely proud of them for performing the way they have performed throughout the season, and that today—especially for his seniors—was the most important day of their career at Mountain Pointe.

 

Ramseyer also set a few goals for his team.

 

Coming into day two, their goals were to simply “golf better than they did yesterday.”

 

…

 

After their performance, the Pride had done exactly what Coach Ramseyer asked of them; they finished 8th out of 21 teams.

 

While the team reached their goal, Ben Harden achieved something greater.

 

Harden placed first in the DI AIA Boys Golf State Tournament, his third tournament victory this season.

 

Harden finished the tournament 6-under with a three-stroke lead over Chaparral’s Jake DeForest.

 

"I can't believe I won," was Harden's first thought when Coach Ramseyer delivered the good news.

 

Harden continued and remained humble by saying, “Without my coach, my family, and support from my teammates, I wouldn’t be here today. This is their win.”

 

After all teams completed their rounds on the course, everyone gathered around the clubhouse scoreboard and waited for the official standings to be recorded.
 

Following mixed reactions of celebration and disappointment to the scores, members of the AIA and Aguila Golf Course congratulated the top 10 individual golfers for their outstanding performances.
 

As Harden walked to the podium and received the well-deserved title of champion, his parents could be easily spotted peeking over the heads of the crowd beaming with joy.  

 

On the ride back to school, Harden relaxed and listened to his own music while thinking about what he had accomplished throughout his years on the golf team.

 

When the team arrived to school, they weren’t greeted by adoring fans; instead, they received distant waves from tired Saturday School students boarding their yellow school buses.

Before Harden left for home, he had one thing to say,  “I have no idea what comes next for myself as far as golf, but I’m looking forward to that uncertainty.”