TRES HILL MAKES HISTORY

For the last few years, it has been our juniors who have been "putting Elk City on the Map"... Tres, Ryder Cowan, Tate Trotter, and previously Berek Dyson, Keegan Hall, Joby Gray. We have two State Highschool 4-A Championships.... but Tres takes the lead as the best junior ever to come from Elk City. 

Earlier in the year, he won the individual title in the Oklahoma 4-A Championship with an 8 under par total of 208. He won by one. Third place was over 20 shots behind. Tres was two behind with eight holes to go, but played steady with three birdies to win by one.

Now, earlier today, he won the State of Oklahoma Golf Amateur Championship. Tres won six matches in three days. In the championship match he was three down after 10 holes, and came back to win one up.  

During his high school golf days, he won several tournaments. In 2019, he won the Club Championship over several seasoned players, by scoring 70 and 65. Winning by two. In 2020, he was second to the man he beat in 2019 (Dustin Gunkel, who was part of one of the teams that won a state championship in the 90's). 

I met Tres the second day of work in 2011, it was the end of winter. He was 7 or so and was playing with a Kinsley Hall, about two years his senior. Kinsley went to school on a golf scholarship three years ago. You could see then that he was an "upcoming good golfer". Short, compact backswing, and great

follow strong follow through. His putting was always good, and he is one kid (okay, young man) who practices his weaknesses to get better all the way around. As the years went by and he began beating everyone regularly, including me (*) when he was about 13, everyone knew he was someone special. 

This is by far the biggest win anyone from Western Oklahoma has ever had, no one from Elk City. Not even close; and at 18 years of age, he has to be among the youngest winners of this famed amateur championship.

In closing, Tres has not only proven to be a great player, but he is the

"complete package", as he is as good kid (okay, young man) as he is a golfer... actually better!

Tres will be attending Oklahoma City University.

(*) One of my greatest pleasures as golf professional is to share time with kids who want to compete. And I always make them play for something. Our usual bet was that the loser would have to smell the shoes of the winner at the end of the round. All I can say is that his mom never taught him to deodorize his golf shoes!