Performance: Gaylord's Brendon Gouin
May 25, 2017
Brendon Gouin
Gaylord sophomore – Golf
Gouin strung together four straight individual first places over the last two weeks to lead his team on a similarly stunning streak of success. From May 11-18, Gouin finished first at four straight 18-hole events, going lowest with a 68 at the Gaylord Blue Devil Open on May 16 to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.” His team, meanwhile, had won nine straight events through Wednesday and surged to No. 3 in the Lower Peninsula Division 2 coaches poll – impressive especially since the team didn’t make it out of Regionals a year ago.
That first 18-hole event was the Ogemaw Heights Invitational at the Dream Golf Course, where he shot a 77 to finish as co-medalist. Next came Gaylord’s turn to host the Big North Conference at Treetops North’s Tradition course, where Gouin fired at even-par 70 to finish first. He then did something that almost defied explanation – he switched irons between events, didn’t tell his coach, and then shot a 68 to win the Blue Devil Open at Tradition. Gouin added a first-place 76 at the Big North event at River’s Edge in Alpena to cap the personal run.
Gouin has averaged 78.8 strokes this spring over 13 events, often through tough weather typical to the north this time of year. He also wrestles at 103 pounds during the winter for an annually ranked team in Division 2 – see below for how that’s paid off in his golf game – and played soccer in the fall. As noted above, Gaylord didn’t make the MHSAA Finals last season, finishing only ninth at its Regional while starting three freshmen and a sophomore. Those then-underclassmen are starters again, and Gaylord is the likely favorite at next Thursday’s Regional at Lincoln Hills in Ludington.
Coach Tom Johnson said: “The exciting thing about Brendon is he is just a sophomore. He has no fear on the course. He always seems to work his way out of trouble no matter the circumstances. One bad shot does not lead to another. And he always wants to be the medalist in every tournament we play, knowing that his success is the best way to help out his team’s goal of trying to win every tournament they play in. What I really like about him is that he is never satisfied and works extremely hard to be successful. … The beauty of this team is that Brendon is surrounded by some really good young players that push him to excel to his best. We have sophomore Kyle Putnam that averages 80.3, sophomore Joe Kowatch averages 84.0 and junior Nick Rowley averages 82.1. The best for this team, hopefully, is yet to come. Their potential is unlimited.”
Performance Point: “The day before I ended up shooting a 70, my grandpa (Jim Gilbert, a former tour pro) asked, ‘What’s the number today?’ And I said 68,” Gouin recalled of the Blue Devil Open round. “I went out and shot 68, and it was the lowest round (303) we’ve had as a group, as a team. Last year at our first tournament, we had three freshmen and (shot) our best team score. It was a 315, and we never beat that all year, so to go out this year and beat it more than once was just great for us. … Everything (for me) clicked for a while. I was striking the ball great, my putting was very good, and I had confidence on the course. I was playing aggressively, going right at the pin and trying to do that every time.”
Pressure player: “For some of us, there might be more pressure. I’m different from all the other players; I like pressure. I like the feeling of knowing I have to do good.”
Attack mode: “The way I look at it, if I’m in trouble I don’t look anywhere. My mental (outlook) is I’m not making a par, I’m making a birdie. I’m very aggressive; my grandpa said he’s never seen anyone play so aggressively. It’s very different, my style of playing. A lot of it came from wrestling. I’m not very fearful. When I used to do snocross racing, I’d do anything.”
Grappling with golf: “(Wrestling) got me physically prepared, and mentally. Coach (Jerry) LaJoie is such a great coach. He got me mentally prepared for golf; if you’re not there to win, you shouldn’t be there at all. He’s helped me out so much in every possible way. Even if he knows it or not, he still did.”
On the rise: “We’re really a young team still. Our top four are all below juniors; we have a junior as our oldest. We’re still growing, and we’re all clicking. We have a lot of talent, and we’re starting to get better. We have two or three in the 70s; next year we’ll have three or four in the 70s. We’re going to have a good shot at getting to the top of state … but nine (wins) in a row doesn’t mean anything going into Regionals.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2016-17 honorees:
May 18: Hannah Ducolon, Bay City All Saints softball – Read
May 11: Mason Phillips, Salem track & field – Read
May 4: Lillian Albaugh, Farwell track & field – Read
April 27: Amber Gall, Shepherd track & field – Read
April 20: Sloane Teske, East Grand Rapids tennis – Read
March 30: Romeo Weems, New Haven basketball – Read
March 23: Jaycie Burger and Maddie Clark, Pittsford basketball – Read
March 16: Camden Murphy, Novi swimming & diving – Read
March 9: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central wrestling – Read
March 2: Joey Mangner, Chelsea swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 23: Isabelle Nguyen, Grosse Pointe North gymnastics – Read
Feb. 16: Dakota Hurbis, Saline swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 2: Foster Loyer, Clarkston basketball – Read
Jan. 26: Nick Jenkins, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling – Read
Jan. 19: Eileene Naniseni, Mancelona basketball – Read
Jan. 12: Rory Anderson, Calumet hockey – Read
Dec. 15: Demetri Martin, Big Rapids basketball – Read
Dec. 1: Rodney Hall, Detroit Cass Tech football – Read
Nov. 24: Ally Cummings, Novi volleyball – Read
Nov. 17: Chloe Idoni, Fenton volleyball – Read
Nov. 10: Adelyn Ackley, Hart cross country – Read
Nov. 3: Casey Kirkbride, Mattawan soccer – Read
Oct. 27: Colton Yesney, Negaunee cross country – Read
Oct. 20: Varun Shanker, Midland Dow tennis – Read
Oct. 13: Anne Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country – Read
Oct. 6: Shuaib Aljabaly, Coldwater cross country – Read
Sept. 29: Taylor Seaman, Brighton swimming & diving – Read
Sept. 22: Maggie Farrell, Battle Creek Lakeview cross country – Read
Sept. 15: Franki Strefling, Buchanan volleyball – Read
Sept. 8: Noah Jacobs, Corunna cross country – Read
PHOTO: (Top) Gaylord's Brendon Gouin watches one of his drives at the Blue Devil Open. (Middle) Gouin follows an iron shot. (Photos courtesy of Gaylord Herald Times.)
Houghton 3-Peats, Negaunee Ace Shines
June 2, 2016
By Keith Shelton
Special for Second Half
CHAMPION – With a strong golf game that can travel just about anywhere and a top three as strong as any in the Upper Peninsula, it wasn't hard to understand how Houghton secured an MHSAA Division 1 U.P. Finals three-peat Thursday at Wawonowin Country Club.
Whereas the Gremlins' closest competitors struggled mightily on certain holes, Houghton stayed consistent as it has all season, despite windy conditions, and retained the title with a 317 score, 10 strokes better than runner-up Negaunee.
The Miners had their share of advantages this go-around, playing on their home course. And while they celebrated top golfer Carter Mason earning medalist honors with an even-par 72, Houghton's overall depth proved stronger and its golfers able to translate their games to a not-so-familiar course.
"Going into the year, we didn't know what we'd have in the back end of our rotation," said Gremlins coach Corey Markham. "We knew our top three were real strong, but our four and five golfers – George Butvilas and Ben Strong – really came up big for us. They came on strong as the year went on, and they proved to be very important in today's score."
The Gremlins were led by third-place Gunnar Stein, who shot an impressive two-over 74, especially given a two-hole string on the back nine. Stein struggled on holes 14 and 15, taking a six on 14 and a seven on 15 after losing a ball in the water. The two holes pushed him out of the medalist spot despite a double bogey free day on the other 16 holes.
"Gunnar had it under par for a while, but he had a triple bogey on 14," said Markham. "To keep your head straight and come through that is tough to do, but he did just that. It's a testament to his golf ability, and his mental state."
Mason had no such problems. Playing the course where his family has had a membership for the last decade, he avoided big mistakes and was the lone golfer to come in at par. Kingsford's Dylan Dalsanto was runner-up with a 73.
"My putting was the best part of my game today," said Mason. "I started off with three bogeys in the first five holes, but then I came back with birdies on 6, 7, 10 and 16.
"On 15 (which has water), I played the tee shot safe with the 3-wood, and stayed short of the water."
Last year at Pine Grove, Mason was far back from the leaders, shooting in the mid 80s. The double-digit improvement was validation of his work during the summer.
"Last summer, I played almost every day," Mason said. "I started hitting my irons a lot better and making a lot more putts this year. My putting has definitely improved.
"There were a few holes that could have been improved today, but it was pretty good," Mason added.
Gremlins senior Wyatt Liston placed fourth overall with a 75, followed by Bryce Douglas of Gladstone and Nathan Rousseau of Escanaba, both with 81s.
Negaunee's runner-up team finish was a pleasant surprise for Mason. The Miners have played second fiddle to Escanaba and Gladstone at most events this year. Escanaba's top golfers struggled on a number of holes, resulting in a third place team score that was slightly disappointing, though coach Brian Robinette was pleased with the effort.
"Wawonowin is a course that demands that you're on with your golf swing, on with your short game, on with the mental portion of things," Robinette said. "You have to be able to pick yourself up and dust yourself off after a double bogey. You need to keep your emotions in check.
"Our five boys went down swinging, and I'm proud of the way they handled themselves. They put a lot of pressure on themselves, as all competitors do. The looks on their faces tell me everything I need to know."
The Gremlins will lose Liston, who with his sophomore sister Kaaren on the girls team made a formidable tandem for Houghton golf over two seasons.
"The Listons are an awesome golf family," said Markham. "They just live for golf. They're very talented.
"It's going to be sad to see Wyatt leave, but he won his share of U.P. championships as a team at Houghton. Kaaren is only a sophomore, and such a good solid golfer. We're looking for two more good years out of her."
Negaunee, on the other hand, had no seniors this year. Led by Mason, who will be a senior next season, the Miners will be on the watch list for a Division 1 title.
"We're going to have the same exact team next year," said Mason. "We should improve over the summer, and we'll have a good chance to win next year. We'll see how that goes."
PHOTOS: (Top) Houghton's Gunnar Stein watches his tee shot on No. 17. (Middle) Negaunee's Carter Mason chips onto the No. 14 green. (Photos by Keith Shelton.)