The Livonia Stevenson boys golf team wants to qualify for the Division 1 state finals.
Considering the regional the Spartans play in, that’s a lofty goal. But based on this year’s results, it might actually happen.
Led by Garrett Teahan’s 3-over-par 74 at Twin Lakes Golf Club near Lake Orion, Stevenson shot a program-record 306 at regionals in 2025 but still finished sixth because five teams shot under 300, including eventual state champion Detroit Catholic Central.
That’s the same competition the Spartans will face again on May 26 at Mystic Creek Golf Course in Milford. CC returns, looking for a third straight state title, while state powers Brother Rice and Bloomfield Hills are also in the field.
“We play in the toughest regional in the state, by far,” third-year coach Butch Bond said. “The teams in our regional are highly skilled. When you have five teams under 300 like our regional had last year, and two of them didn’t even get to go to states, that says how competitive it is right there.”
Fortunately for the Spartans, they’re having arguably the best season in program history, smashing records while piling up tournament and match wins, so they’re excited for the challenge ahead.
They opened with a second-place finish at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Preseason tournament, shooting the best 18-hole team score in program history. They later topped it while winning the Embers Varsity tournament at Edgewood Country Club in Commerce. Ashton Higham, Garrett Teahan, Jonah Mariani, Sebi Renges and Pauly Martin combined to shoot 294 there.
They’ve also won a tournament at The Dream and The Nightmare Golf Course in West Branch while producing individual medalists at three separate tournaments and 18 top-10 finishes. That’s a big reason Stevenson is ranked 11th out of 470 teams by the MHSAA, the highest ranking in program history.
They’ve also taken care of business locally, winning the Livonia City Meet and clinching the 2026 city championship, along with the KLAA-East title after dominating dual matches. The Spartans have broken the program’s 9-hole team record twice this season, including Teahan, Owen McGlinch, Jonah Rizkallah, Higham and Josh Kovie shooting 137 at Fox Creek, their home course on 7 Mile.
And perhaps most impressive, Kovie shot a 69 to tie the program record for the lowest 18-hole round in school history.
“We’ve just got a great group of guys, and we’re all shooting really good,” said junior Ashton Higham, who broke the program record for lowest 9-hole score with a 32. “The team really changed this year, and we’re all playing really well.”
That speaks to the dedication and work the group put in during the offseason after last year’s regional finish. Had they not been up against the state’s best teams, they likely would’ve made the state finals at almost any other regional.
Instead of moping, they got back to work.
Higham, for example, worked with instructor Jeff Goble at the Swing Factory in Plymouth, making swing changes, improving his grip and dialing in his putting.
Others, like McGlinch, spent countless hours on the simulator at his house.
The rest met weekly with Bond to create plans to improve their scores this spring.
“As soon as I finished coaching the girls, we started meeting in the offseason, and I’d meet with a couple of players at a time, focusing on what they needed to work on right then,” Bond said. “We worked a lot on short game shots in the winter, just distance control from 100 yards and in. So they’ve put in a lot of time on their own to improve, and we’re definitely seeing the results this year.”
Bond said Stevenson’s internal competition has made the Spartans better. They each want to outdo one another on the course, and that drive has shown on the scorecards.
Now they’re hoping that work pays off in Milford. Keeping up with the likes of CC, Rice and Bloomfield Hills won’t be easy, but they’re ready for the challenge. They’ve already set nearly every program record imaginable, and they’re not done yet.
“It’ll be a great test, and there are a ton of really good schools with great players that’ll be there,” McGlinch said. “That’ll really test us to see where we’re at.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Livonia Stevenson boys golf keeps breaking records
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
