For The Tribune
High school athletes want to be at the top of their game at the end of the season.
That’s the situation Drew Royalty put himself in with the Trinity Lutheran golf team.
Royalty shot an 83 (46-37) at the Bloomington North Sectional to advance to the regional at Champions Pointe (Henryville), where he finished his high school career with a 90.
The 83 he shot at IU was his second-lowest tournament score to the 82 he shot at St. Anne’s in North Vernon.
Royalty began playing golf in middle school and moved up the ladder at Trinity from the sixth position his freshman year to being named most improved his sophomore year, to holding down the No. 3 position most of this season and being a regional qualifier.
He credits his improvement to his putter and his irons.
“My putting has been my most improved part,” Royalty said. “My putting struggled when we went away because the speed of the greens I’m not used to. The Shadowood (Seymour) greens are actually fast, and I like that.
“My irons have been pretty solid. The strong part of my game is my long irons, my 4, 5 and 6 irons.” He said his short irons also have been a positive for him this season.
Royalty, who helped the Cougars set 9- and 18-hole school records, said he enjoyed his home matches, with his low score being a 39.
He said his favorite away course is Rising Star because of past scores.
Royalty said you have to adjust to the wind in the spring.
“I’ve learned that the hard way this year, especially on holes like No. 2 and 8 at Shadowood,” Royalty said. “They are par 3s. If you leave it up in the air you could miss the greens pretty bad if the wind is bad.
“Our coach talked to us about that, when we played in wind that we had to play up two clubs hitting into the wind because it was that strong.”
Royalty said it’s important to keep focused in golf.
“In golf, the mental part is really important because on Saturdays a couple times I’d make a double bogey and bounce back with a birdie,” he said.
Royalty said he enjoyed his teammates this spring.
“The competition on our team and the camaraderie was good,” he said. “We had six seniors and we’ve been playing together since we were all freshman and we have a pretty good bond.”
Royalty enjoyed attending Trinity Lutheran.
“I liked the small classes,” Royalty said. “Everybody knows everybody. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. I enjoyed going to a lot of sporting events and making friends.”
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Name: Drew Royalty
School: Trinity Lutheran
Parents: Andy and Misty Royalty
Siblings: Taylor, Alex, Kennedy
Sports: Golf, four years; basketball, one year
Athletics highlights: Team- broke school record for 9, 18 holes; 2017 regional qualifier; 2015 most improved
Plans after high school: Attend Indiana State University
Favorite food: Tacos
Favorite team: Indiana Pacers
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