Anyone who has ever picked up a golf club and tried to play the game will certainly attest that golf is not a game of perfection. Still yet, for Koen King his drive to make his next shot the best shot continues to lower his scores and move his name up on the leaderboard.
“I enjoy the game of golf because it is very similar to life,” explained the Tuttle High School sophomore who was first introduced to the game at age 13 by his Uncle David. “Golf is a game that no one can master so you try your hardest to get better and better every day.”
Success on the golf scoreboard has followed the talents of King. After fighting nerves and playing conditions, King battled his way to an 11th place finish in the Class 4A state tournament last year as a freshman. Fast forward to 2022, and the 6-foot-3 King continues to find the fairways and greens to finish in the top five in his first five events this spring including winning medalist honors at the Kingfisher and El Reno tournaments.
“The mental aspect of golf is by far the hardest because no matter how good you are you are still going to have off days and hit bad shots. Just like coach says, you have to mentally overcome all of the negatives and focus on the next shot”.
His mental approach to golf is an advantage for King, anchored by his gold medal results in the classroom by posting a 4.0 GPA.
“Academic achievement and focus carry over to playing golf at a championship level. You have to have the brains to play golf at a high level because the mental aspect is the hardest part of the sport.”
King, trusting in his favorite club, a 2-iron, to keep his ball in the short grass, is putting in the necessary work to succeed, according to his coach.
“Koen is incredibly dedicated and competitive,” replied Tuttle golf coach Matt Layman. “He works hard on his game and takes pride in his team’s performance by giving advice and constant encouragement to his teammates.”
Determined, hardworking and self-disciplined, King closely clings to his father’s advice and has learned you can’t take things for granted in golf or in life.
“The best advice anyone has ever given me is from my dad. He taught me at a young age that whether you win or lose, you can do anything through God and that everything you do in life is through God’s will.”
And while his immediate dream is to be in the leader’s group at this year’s Class 4A state tournament with a chance to win the gold medal, his bucket list for playing golf includes a special round and foursome.
“My dream come true golf experience would be to tee it up at August National with the GOAT, Tiger Woods,” smiled King. “The other pairing would include John Daly and my uncle David with all of us at Amen Corner. That would be fantastic.”
