PETOSKEY — Katey Buchanan didn’t have a clear view of her No. 3 hole tee shot during the Grayling Invite on Monday, Aug. 25.
So, naturally, when she approached the green and didn’t see her ball, she began to look around.
It ended up in the last place the Harbor Springs senior golfer thought to look.
“I got up to the green and the Elk Rapids coach told me he saw it roll past,” Buchanan said. “I couldn’t find it anywhere, couldn’t find it and then (Petoskey’s) Riley Barr told me to check the cup and it was in there.”
It came as Buchanan’s very first hole-in-one and she said she was very surprised, even with it feeling pretty good off the tee.
“It was just over the distance I usually hit my seven iron with, so I teed off with my six-hybrid,” she said. “It was going pretty low and hit to the side, just where the bunker was.”
The ace came from 143 yards out, while just the hole before, Buchanan carded a birdie, giving her 3-under-par start to the round through three holes.
Buchanan’s Rams ended up winning the Grayling Invite with a team-best 379, with Buchanan’s 78 also leading all golfers during the round.
“She is our captain and leader and a very hard worker and is drumming up some interest from college coaches,” Harbor Springs coach Pete Kelbel said. “She was all-state honorable mention last year, winning a medal at regionals and helping us qualify for the state championship. This solid start this year bodes well for her and the team.”
Buchanan earned another top 10 finish at the Petoskey Invitational this week, carding a 94 in a round filled with some higher scores on a tough course.
It’s all been part of that strong start to 2025 for Buchanan, who maybe has her Christmas present to thank and some offseason work.
“I got new clubs for Christmas,” Buchanan said with a big smile. “I practiced a lot during the summer and spring, practiced inside and outside.”
Beating a number of larger programs in Grayling and hanging with a handful more in Petoskey, the Rams might be in for another state finals trip ahead, as they continue to work towards the end of the season.
“We have a couple new girls and they’re doing good and helping the team out,” Buchanan said.
While it’s only the start, it’s usually a good sign of things to come when your leader is already acing the test, literally.
Harbor Springs and a host of other area golf squads will take to the annual Cheboygan Invite on Monday, Sept. 8 up next.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: ‘I couldn’t find it anywhere’ Harbor Springs’ Buchanan talks first-ever hole-in-one
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
