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RANDOLPH – Bryson Eledge brought his “A” game in the latter half of his senior-year season to drive his way to the state golf tournament.
Eledge qualified for state with a stellar performance at districts, placing first.
“He drove the ball off the tee in districts, didn’t really try to force anything and just let the game come to him,” said Coach Rob Engel. “And it turns out he had a great day. To be the individual champ, too, is icing on the cake for him.”
Based on the district scores across the state, he earned the third seed and played his first round in the state tournament Tuesday.
“That’s a good thing to be in that last group. Some of the other best players are coming in that group and he’s said he plays well when he plays with other good players. He won’t be intimidated by what anyone else is doing,” Engel said.
Tuesday’s scores determined seeding for Wednesday’s play at Lake Maloney Golf Club in North Platte.
This will be Eledge’s second time at the state tournament and on the course, making the state tournament as a team during his freshman year.
“I kind of know what to expect when I’m there and that will help a lot,” he said. “I’ll definitely be nervous with all the people there watching but I’m still pretty excited. It’s definitely a lot more people than I’m ever used to.”
He’s counting on his teammates and Coach Engel to help keep him calm and the mood light.
“The other four guys on the varsity will ride out with me and be with me to follow along and hang out, support Bryson and take in the experience,” Engel said.
Between districts and the state golf meet, Eledge has been hitting the links, practicing his putts.
“My biggest goal is to place. I know I can with the scores I’ve been shooting,” he said.
The hard work has already been put in, Engel said.
“At this time, I don’t think we want to change anything. He’s playing some of his best golf. It’s just a matter of going out there and staying in the groove and just having fun with it now,” Engel said. “He needs to just keep playing his game. That’s what got him here.”
For Engel, the state tournament will be the end of an era. After 10 years of coaching golf at Randolph High School, he won’t be returning in the fall. Instead he’ll be starting a new position at Wayne State College.
When he took the reins of Randolph’s golf program for the 2015 season, the team ended as state champions and repeated it in 2016. The team fell to take runner-up honors in 2017. From that time on, several individuals have made it to the state stage over the years until another team qualified in 2021.
“I really wanted to get one more team qualified for this year before I’m done coaching. We came up just a bit short. It was sad but that’s how golf works. If we played again tomorrow, maybe we would’ve done better,” Engel said.
Coaching has been a big part of his life and he will miss it, he said.
“It’s been really fun coaching golf,” he said. “I love golf, the game and I’ve been able to share it with lots of kids over the last 10 years.”
