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Sugar House Journal

Highland Golfer Takes 2nd in 4A Golf Tournament

Nov 06, 2015 12h35 ● By Bryan Scott

By Tyson Peterson

Staring down the last hole at Midway’s Soldier Hollow Golf Course, a par 5, all Oscar Maxfield, a sophomore at Highland High School, was thinking was to just keep the ball in a position where he could end the round with a par. It was the second day of the tournament, and Oscar’s hope was that he would at least end up on par. He finished out much better than that, ending up shooting two under par on the day and finishing in the top 20.

Oscar took some time out from his school work this week to sit down with The Sugar House City Journal to talk about golf, basketball and life after high school. Starting off with golf, Oscar developed a love for the game from his father. He started playing when he was eight years old, when he also won his first tournament. Working hard to improve his skills over the next seven years, Oscar ended up being one of only two individuals to qualify for the state tournament this year, an achievement he said did not come easy. 

“I had to take top ten in the region for individuals to qualify for State, and my average of 76.5 got me the ninth place spot in the region. My team took fifth place in the region, and we weren’t able to make State because only the top four teams in the region qualify for State,” Oscar said.

The high school golf state tournament this year was held on Oct. 5 and 6 at The Soldier Hollow Golf Course in beautiful Midway. 

When asked what was going through his mind when he finally got to the last hole of the tournament, Oscar said, “I just wanted to try to concentrate on keeping the ball in a position where I could end the round with a par. One of the most nerve-racking shots that I’ve ever had to hit was the approach shot on that final hole. I had to fly both water and bunkers on my way to a difficult pin placement, and when I did so I had a big sigh of relief thinking, ‘Just two-putt.’”

Not only does he love to play golf, but Oscar also loves to play basketball. He currently plays on the Highland basketball team as both a point guard and off guard. This year he plays on both the sophomore and junior varsity teams. Being surrounded by a love of sports, his family also instilled the love of basketball in him at a young age. 

 “I played Junior Jazz at the Boys and Girls Club. My love for the game has only grown since. I have played AAU basketball for Utah Pump N Run and Utah Basketball Club, and I have traveled across the West to play in tournaments,” Oscar said.

Oscar stays plenty busy with not only high school sports, but also with preparing for life after high school. When asked what his plans are for college, he said, “My plans for after high school are to hopefully earn a scholarship for golf and to go to that school to play collegiately. I am thinking about majoring in the PGA Golf Management Program; it seems like a good fit considering my great love for the game.”

The Highland golf season is done for this year, so Oscar can take a break from that now. But Highland basketball games will be starting on Nov. 9 and go through March 5