LEAWOOD, Kan. — National championship opportunities don't come around too often in youth sports.
Most of the time, we just hope our kids are having a good time playing their sport of choice.
But there's a young golf team in Kansas City headed to Texas this week to compete in the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship.
So, I had to go meet them and see how they're feeling about what can be a pressure-packed sport.
VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Taylor Hemness
During the couple of hours I spent with them before they left for Texas, I realized they were basically fine.
They're kids having the time of their lives, playing a sport they love.
But also, as their coach Liam Cahill said, "They're good."
The Hallbrook Hackers are one of 12 teams of 13 and under golfers playing in the national championship.
The cool — and rare — thing is they're all from one league at Hallbrook Country Club.
Cahill believes this is the first team from Kansas to ever make it to nationals.
"I think we're the underdogs because I know we're playing against some teams from California, Florida, Texas that are league teams," Cahill said.
I talked with two of these future club champs about how they handle the mental aspect of golf.
If you play, you know that part may be harder than the actual shots you have to make.
"Kinda just got to focus on your next shot most of the time," 13-year-old Jacob Dummermuth told me.
How?
"I don't really know,” Dummermuth said through a big smile. “It's just something in my head."
Charlie Palmer, 13, said he has his dad to thank for his approach to the mental game.
“At a young age, when I'd get really upset with a bad shot, he taught me that there's a lot of holes left to play and keep thinking about the next shot," Palmer said.
Palmer comes from a big golf family. His siblings play and his parents play.
PJ, his mom, will be in Texas this week to watch him compete ... quietly.
"You're not allowed to talk to them at all, which can be good and bad," PJ told me. "It's really nerve-wracking. But I think it is quite amazing how calm they all seem on the golf course."
Some — but not all — of the laughs on the course will be replaced by nerves in Texas this week.
But that's OK because the team's joy is still in the bag, much like another KC team Coach Liam said he's using for inspiration.
“The Royals are a little of an underdog too, so why not,” he told me. “Hey, let's go win."
The championship will be played at PGA Frisco's Fields Ranch West from October 9-13. You can watch it live on ESPN Plus and ESPN 2 starting Friday afternoon.
The athletes will play in two-person scrambles for stroke play. Golfers advance to match play later in the tournament.
—
