It was a hot summer day and senior Tyler Worthey was teeing off on the back nine at Oakbrook Golf Course. The hole was a par four with a slight dog leg to the left and 330 yards to the pin.

The safe move would have been to hit for the center of the fairway and make a simple approach onto the green and two-putt for par, but Worthey wanted to risk it. He pulled his favorite club, his driver, from his bag and swung to clear the trees. Not paying much attention to the flight of the ball, Worthey started toward the green. It wasn’t until he walked onto the green that he realized he had just shot his first hole-in-one.

“It was an awesome experience, but I’m not going to let it get to my head,” Worthey said. “I know that it was pretty lucky.”

His ability to remain humble and keep his head is what he gives credit to whenever he plays well. “I’ve hit way too many poor shots to let a good one make me think I’m the best,” Worthey said. “And the same goes for the bad shots. Whenever I hit a bad shot, I just have to laugh it off and not let it get to me. It’s not the end of the world because I have the rest of the course to make up for it.”

This season will be different for Worthey. He will be the only senior boy golfer returning to the EHS team this season.

“This season is going to be a little weird for me. I’m used to having teammates my age, but golf is more of an individual sport, so I don’t really mind being the only senior, but it’s still a little awkward,” Worthey said.

Worthey wasn’t the only person in his family to golf for the EHS team. His father, uncle and aunt all golfed for the high school. “My whole family is a golfing family,” Worthey said. “They put a club in my hand when I was 2 and I’ve played ever since. I just love the game.”

That dedication has earned Worthey the respect of his teammates and coaches. “[Tyler] is an excellent golfer and his dedication is something to admire,” Coach Dene Schickedanz

With as much love as he has for the game, Worthey hopes to continue his golfing career throughout college.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to make it pro,” Worthey said.