A common theme among ADM boys golf head coach Chris Goodale’s best teams is the emergence of a young golfer toward the end of the season. This year’s team is one of the deepest in Goodale’s 25-year tenure, but even it needs help from time to time.
Late last season, ADM rode the hot hand of then-freshman Jacob Schumaker. This year, it’s freshman Tyler Whyle.
Whyle’s excellent play comes at a crucial time, as two of ADM’s more dependable golfers are working through issues with their swings and have seen their scores go up in recent meets. The Tigers spent Tuesday in Atlantic, and the coaching staff will work on fine-tuning the swings of the two aforementioned struggling golfers Wednesday and Thursday.
Think of Whyle as the insurance policy ADM has needed during a time of hardship.
“Well it’s great because we’ve got some things we need to get to the range and work on some of these kids,” Goodale said. “They’ve got little things they’re not happy with, and we’ve been so busy with meets and trying to get practice in that we haven’t got down to the range and worked on the fine points … So this addition of Tyler has been great because he’s stepped in and he’s got the score right there right now, so we’re using it while we’re still king of limping with the others.”
The question was never whether Whyle could perform on the golf course. Goodale, for example, referenced a JV meet early in the year when the freshman fired a 38. The problem for Whyle was whether he could be counted on when away from the golf course.
Whyle was unable to compete a large chunk of the year due to a violation of team requirements. Now that he’s shored up those issues, he’s come up big in the team’s last three meets, placing within the Tigers’ top four scores in each.
“The boys all year wanted him to play because they knew how he could play, and they’re really happy that we’ve got that score to fall back on,” Goodale said. “In the past we didn’t have that score; we were just hopeful that somebody would have that score. So when we have a kid step up and be able to step up and be used when we need him, it’s great.”