Lutheran North's Holmes' Switch to Golf Pays Off

The Mustangs baseball team's loss is the Mustangs golf squad's gain.

senior Chris Holmes made the switch from baseball to golf after his sophomore year and has been tearing up the course ever since.

In his first summer tournament, Holmes promptly shot a 76 and made the top five on a team that finished fourth in the state in Division 3 last year. He shot several rounds in the mid-70s during the summer of 2010, which put him on the radar of college coaches and he has since earned a scholarship at Cornerstone University.

"Most recently, Chris shot 75 for us in a match on May 14 and finished among the top 10 players in an extremely tough field," said Lutheran North golf coach Mike Morris. "Chris is averaging 76 for us in our 18-hole tourneys, is a senior co-captain and is a leader by example." 

Holmes is mentally tough, especially in the clutch.

"Chris is a 'big event' player," Morris said. "The tougher the course and the bigger the tournament, the better he plays. At a recent tourney where he shot 75 and earned an individual medal, he was 2-over-par entering his 15th hole. He hit his drive into trees and had to take a one-stroke penalty to remove the ball from the woods."

After Holmes dropped the ball, he was forced to play his shot down another fairway to give himself a chance at getting on the green in four on this par-5 hole. He hit a strong first shot, then hit the next to 10 feet from the other fairway and over trees to almost make the par putt.

Holmes then parred the final three holes to shoot a 3-over par 75. 

"Many players would have taken an 8 on that hole and then mentally collapsed, shooting a 79 or 80," Morris said. "Chris is very strong mentally and just wouldn't allow that to happen. After he finishes a hole, you can't tell whether he made a 3 or a 7 by looking at him. He knows that to play great golf he needs to avoid the emotional roller coaster and believe in himself."

Our Macomb Patch Athlete of the Week has consistently earned all-academic honors at Lutheran North by exceeding a 3.5 GPA while earning a letter in athletics. He will attend Cornerstone University next year and has received both golf and academic scholarships.