By Rohan Andresen ’12
THE ROUNDUP

As the varsity golf team progressed late into their season, they welcomed an unordinary person onto the state team: a freshman.

Tyler Kertson ’13 is one of the smallest and youngest members of the team, but that doesn’t stop him from also being one of the best players.

Kertson said he began playing when he was only two years old with plastic golf clubs in the backyard. Watching his dad play in local tournaments, Kertson’s thirst for competition grew and he began playing competitively.

Before playing at Brophy, Kertson played in Junior Golf Association of Arizona tournaments, which he has won before.

At Brophy, he was one of a few freshmen who made the varsity team.

He said that golf has enabled him to meet new people and make new friends, though he did confess it was hard to get well acquainted with students on the team because of the incontrovertible age difference.

Even with the age gap, teammates see his potential and happy demeanor.

“Tyler is a great new addition to the team and he’s fun to have around.  In practice, Tyler works hard and he’s smart in the way he goes about his business,” said David Lowe ’11.

The team members are not the only people happy to have Kertson on the team.

“Tyler is a very good player, he’s been good for us this year,” said golf coach Mr. Jon Shores. Mr. Shores added that Kertson’s strongest point is putting and he is one of the best putters on the team.

“Anytime you bring up Tyler’s name (everybody) thinks of putting, because he’s a good putter. He makes more long putts than any kid I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Shores said.

Kertson’s coach and teammates said they hope he continues to play well and that he has the potential to have a big impact in the future success of the program.

Kertson said he hopes to one day play golf at Stanford and maybe even to be a professional golfer. His best score to date is three under par at a 69, and he has had one hole-in-one.