Being successful at golf usually involves a variety of variables. There’s talent, hard work, coaching. Even the equipment you use plays a factor.
The mental game? That’s also a big key, and a simple mantra can do wonders. Especially for a championship team like the Seymour boys golf team, the defending WIAA Division 2 state champions.
Their mantra is simple – “whatever.” It sounds almost nonchalant, but it’s actually more about not letting the moment consume you, as defending D2 individual state champ Vince Sigl explains.
“For the State Am last year, I won that,” he said on a recent edition of Varsity Roundtable. “And the main reason is because I had that ‘whatever’ mentality. If I hit a bad shot, if I had a bad hole, I was just like ‘whatever.’ And I actually had a real good round. I think I shot a 4-under the last day, and that was because I didn’t really care what was going to happen and that kind of freed me up to hit good shots. … The ‘whatever’ mentality is kind of just let anything be what it is. Don’t let it affect you.”
Seymour is the top-ranked team in Division 2 in the latest Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin rankings with Bay Conference mates Winneconne (second) and Xavier (fifth) close behind.
“The 2024 season we took [sixth] and we were only off third place by about three strokes, so we knew we had the talent,” Vince Sigl said. “It was just a matter if we do it or not. But that 2024 season got us all confident enough to just put it all together.”
The team welcomes the added pressure of being the hunted instead of the hunter. Vince’s younger brother Owen, a junior, said competing in summer tournaments helped raise his and the team’s confidence overall.
“I know as a team we probably thought there’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “But having tournaments in the summer built up my [confidence]. Having pressure on us also creates pressure on other teams to try and beat us.”
Tristan Drath, who was a unanimous first-team all-Bay Conference football pick at offensive line in the fall, agreed.
“I do like the pressure,” he said. “Makes it feel like you’re actually out there playing for something.”
The WIAA boys golf postseason begins May 26-27 with regional play before sectionals June 2-3. The state tournament is June 8-9 at University Ridge in Madison.
WIAA extends contract with UW-La Crosse for state track
The WIAA has agreed to a contract extension with UW-La Crosse to host the state track and field championships in La Crosse through 2034.
The WIAA announced the agreement with UW-La Crosse and Explore La Crosse in a news release last week. The WIAA will have use of the entire Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex along with Mitchell Hall and Hetzel Fieldhouse during the two-day state meet. Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex opened in 2008 and seats 9,556.
“The incredible synergy between this world-class venue and the unwavering support of the university and community creates an unmatched atmosphere for every student-athlete, coach, official and fan involved,” WIAA executive director Stephanie Hauser said.
The WIAA state track and field meet has been held at the stadium since 1990 with the exception of the 2020 season, when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox Valley Lutheran tops in latest baseball poll
The Fox Valley Lutheran baseball team is the top-ranked team in Division 2 in the latest rankings by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association. Here’s a look at the rankings:
Division 1: 1, Hudson; 2, Germantown; 3, Hortonville; 4, Franklin; 5, Stevens Point; 6, Kimberly; 7, Mukwonago; 8, Slinger; 9, Appleton North; 10, Muskego. Next 10: Kaukauna, West Bend West, Chippewa Falls, Bay Port, Fond du Lac, Brookfield East, Marquette, Neenah, Middleton.
Division 2: 1, Fox Valley Lutheran; 2, Lodi; 3, Marinette; 4, Waupun; 5, Kenosha St. Joseph; 6, New Berlin Eisenhower; 7, Rhinelander; 8, Kiel; 9, Turner; 10, Pewaukee. Next 10: Platteville, Reedsburg, St. Thomas More, Wisconsin Dells, Whitnall, Grafton, Evansville, Denmark, Adams-Friendship, Sauk Prairie.
Division 3: 1, Kewaunee; 2, Stratford; 3, Random Lake; 4, Melrose-Mindoro; 5, Brillion; 6, Cedar-Grove Belgium; 7, Dodgeville; 8, Elk Mound; 9, St. Croix Falls; 10, Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Next 10: Living Word Lutheran, Amherst, New Holstein, Bonduel, Omro, Johnson Creek, Mineral Point, Westfield, Cambridge, Boyceville.
Division 4: 1, Barneveld; 2, Pittsville; 3, Loyal; 4, Columbus Catholic; 5, De Soto; 6, Lourdes Academy; 7, Brookwood; 8, Potosi/Cassville; 9, Iola-Scandinavia; 10, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran. Next 10: Ithaca, Palmyra-Eagle, Tigerton, Gibraltar, Seneca, Shell Lake, Belmont, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, Northwood/Solon Springs, Reedsville.
Kimberly, Winneconne, Xavier lead girls soccer teams
Kimberly, Winneconne and Xavier all made appearances on the latest Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll.
In the rankings for April 28, Winneconne and Xavier were ranked No. 2 in Division 3 and Division 4, respectively. Kimberly was seventh in the D1 poll.
Division 1: 1, Divine Savior Holy Angels; 2, Madison West; 3, Arrowhead; 4, Oregon; 5, Muskego; 6, Germantown; 7, Kimberly; 8, Middleton ; 9, Verona; 10, Whitefish Bay.
Division 2: 1, Pewaukee; 2, Catholic Memorial; 3, Brookfield Central; 4, Madison Edgewood; 5, Union Grove; 6, Sauk Prairie; 7, Cedarburg; 8, River Falls; 9, Holmen; 10, Plymouth.
Division 3: 1, Kiel; 2, Winneconne; 3, Notre Dame; 4, New Berlin Eisenhower; 5, McFarland; 6, Grafton; 7, Cedar Grove-Belgium; 8, New Berlin West; 9, Shorewood; 10, Sheboygan Falls.
Division 4: 1, The Prairie School; 2, Xavier; 3, Howards Grove; 4, Kenosha St. Joseph; 5, Ozaukee/Random Lake; 6, Aquinas; 7, Lake Country Lutheran; 8, River Valley; 9, Lake Mills; 10, Brookfield Academy.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Mental game helps shape champion mindset for Seymour boys golf team
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
