Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Adjustments paying off for Rogers High’s Fakult.
ROGERS — Andrew Fakult didn’t have the high school golf season he hoped for a year ago, but the Rogers High junior has grown up some and fine-tuned his game, and it shows.
The 17-year-old heads into next week’s Class 6A boys state tournament on a roll.
Fakult won three 18-hole tournaments during the regular golf season. He currently has a stroke average of 71 for the fall. The junior also hit his sixth hole-in-one a couple of weeks ago at Kingswood Golf Course in Bella Vista, only a couple months after holing another ace in a summer event July 30.
Fakult said changing from a draw or right to left shot to a fade going left to right off the tee is one alteration that’s led to lower scores. His iron play has been redhot lately as well.
“Last year, I was hitting it in the water or out of bounds and losing strokes off the tee,” Fakult said. “That’s helped my consistency so much it’s incredible. It’s an easier shot to hit. It’s not going to be quite as far as the draw, but it’s so much easier to hit and control.”
He made that change back in the summer and has carried that momentum through the fall.
Fakult fired a 71 to finish tied for third at a U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier in June, then shot a threeround total of six-over at the Lockton Junior event in Kansas City to finish tied for 10th.
Rogers High golf coach Marcus Alexander said he’s now content with hitting the same shot over and over, rather than tinkering with different shots during a round. He is also handling playing with a team differently.
“Playing as an individual is a little different than playing for a team,” Alexander said. “He’s matured a lot, playing free right now and having a lot of success. As soon as that started happening, it just starting growing.
“He had all the shots in the previous years. He didn’t want the same shot over and over, so he would try to get creative, and that would get him into these trouble situations. Yeah, too much thinking on that when he could just play boring fairway and green golf and be more consistent. He’s learned to stay out of his own way. A lot
of players are trying to learn that.”
Fakult agreed he’s matured with his game and how he approaches it.
He’s riding that momentum from a solid spring and summer to a good high school season. That wasn’t the case a year ago, Fakult said.
“I played really, really good coming into that season,” Fakult said. “The high school season was not quite as good.”
He was used to practicing on his own but had to get used to having teammates around since he is home-schooled.
“When I practice on my own, I have the music in, and I’m focused on what I’m doing,” Fakult said. “When it comes to high school there are a lot more people. It just took a couple of years for maturity to kick in. The maturity to do what I need to do.”
Fakult finished with a two-day total of five-over-par 149 and tied for 12th in the state tournament a year ago. He was only one shot from all-state honors. But he’s heading into this year’s event to be held at The Greens of North Hills in Sherwood with a different vibe.
He’ll be looking to continue his recent success in the state tournament and possibly on to the Overall tournament.
“So far, I’m very pleased with where my game is,” Fakult said. “Very confident, green to tee and putters. I’m making putts when I need to, and I’m looking forward to the end of the season.”