Junior golfer Christopher Whittle has been making a name for himself on the golf course this year. In their recent quadrangular match with Creighton Prep, Lincoln Southeast and Millard North, Whittle had the second best store on the team after shooting a round of 78. Whittle’s score came second to his teammate Jackson Benge, who had a 77. Westside’s combined team score helped them finish third in the tournament.
Westside had to play through temperatures just above freezing and winds gusting up to 10 miles an hour. These conditions are far from ideal for a game like golf, but it is necessary to understand how to play in them. Although a third place finish is not ideal for the Warriors, Whittle believes that this performance was a good starting point and learning experience for the team.
“Our performance at Johnny Goodman was not exactly what we wanted,” Whittle said. “But it was a good start to the year. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and was happy with the results for the first competitive round of the year. It’s a round I can build on going into our next events and the rest of the season.”
It is clear that the positive mindset of a golfer is a necessity. Whittle clearly has this. Head coach Jered Hellman can vouch for Whittle’s mindset and overall work ethic when it comes to improving and learning.
“CW is one of the hardest-working athletes that I have worked with in my career,” Hellman said. “Not a day goes by that Christopher isn’t working on his game. Christopher is the most intelligent golfer I have had the privilege to coach, so his academic load is extremely high as well. I was blessed to be the JV coach during CW’s freshman year. I got to know him well and see how he thinks and processes things on the golf course. This carried over to his sophomore season, my first as the head coach, and this familiarity with each other greatly helped our team’s success.”
Whittle is surrounded by what is arguably the most successful group of golfers in the school’s history. So how does he as a player and teammate stand out? He was a major asset not only in the last tournament, but also the state championship last year. He finished fourth among the Westside golfers at state.
“In the World-Herald article after the state championship last season,” said Hellman. “I said CW was our catalyst. He struggled the first day of the state tournament, and we found ourselves down by four; we were able to figure out some things on the driving range after, and he came back and played a phenomenal round of golf on day two. His finish on day two helped lead us to our first state title. Christopher is a coach’s dream. He works hard, has a fantastic attitude, is inclusive, and cares more about our team’s success than his success. Christopher is a difference-maker, and I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes.”
Moving forward, Whittle has high expectations for what his team can accomplish, with so much returning talent. But he also understands that there is always room for improvement.
“We are all trying to get better overall and have specific things we are working hard on in our game to do so,” Whittle said. “One big thing we are working on is the mental side of golf. We are trying to take our rounds one shot at a time and not get too high or too low. Stay present in the moment and not worry about the past or the future. I’m trying to do this as well as I can and help everyone else out, especially the younger kids on the team.”
Overall, Whittle has come a long way from where he started. Starting golf before he started elementary school, Whittle has been on the course for almost his entire life. His time in the competitive circuit however, is a little bit newer.
“I started playing golf when I was three or four years-old and enjoyed it a ton growing up,” Whittle said. “I only began playing competitively my eighth grade year. I got hooked big time on the game then and started playing a lot more. The last few years I’ve improved dramatically and my scores have lowered a ton. Now, I’m just trying to get a little better everyday and improve my game as much as I can.”
Whittle and his teammates will travel to Grand Island for an invitational at the Riverside Country Club on Friday, March 29.
