Connor Gaunt
JUNIOR / CABOT HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING PLAYER: BOYS GOLF
For the second consecutive year, Cabot junior golfer Connor Gaunt is the All-Arkansas Preps Outstanding Boys Golf Player of the Year. Gaunt, 17, won the Arkansas Overall Golf Tournament for a second time, having a bogey-free round of 3-under-par at the Pleasant Valley Country Club. “It really means a lot,” Gaunt said. “I’ve worked really hard for it. It’s just a lot of hard work paying off.” Gaunt said he loves golf because it’s challenging. “You’ve got to hit a 1-inch ball into a 3-inch hole from 400 yards away in four shots,” he said. “And you can just play it for the rest of your life.” Cabot coach Mike Tucker said he was impressed with the way Gaunt won the Overall. “I was more impressed with his bogey-free round than I was anything else under those conditions,” Tucker said. Gaunt said he wished his team could have won the Class 7A state team title, but they came up short, losing to Fayetteville by 10 strokes. Gaunt also finished second in the individual standings for the second consecutive year. “I really wanted to win that team state championship because Cabot hasn’t won it in a long time,” Gaunt said, “but it was great to win the Overall two years in a row.” Tucker said Gaunt’s character stands out because he always puts his team first. “Because when you’re in team competition, you do play a hole differently than you would if you were just in individual competition,” Tucker said. Putting and the mental game are Gaunt’s strengths. “I putt really well, and I’m really coolheaded and a levelheaded player when I’m out on the course,” he said. “Whenever I hit a bad shot, I don’t let it affect me. When I’m under a lot of pressure, I don’t really feel that pressure because it’s just a shot. You take golf one shot at a time.” Gaunt, who carries a 3.85 grade-point average, committed during his sophomore year to play collegiate golf at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. He plans to major in business and marketing.