Last year, as a freshman, Patrick Elder '22 watched as the Second Baptist School took the TAPPS 5A Men's Golf State Championship.
Elder was a sub on last year's team. Being in that role he had the chance to learn from athletes like now-Texas Longhorn Travis Vick '19 and fellow alumni Donovan Dastmalchian '19 and Samuel Oelfke '19, who all finished in the Top 11 in the state tournament.
"I learned how different players think about their game because everyone plays differently," Elder said. "One of the big ones was Travis Vick. He was number in the United States at one point. It was cool getting to watch him play and how he analyzes his game and chooses every single shot."
Now, with those guys gone to graduation, Elder is the elder statesman on the Eagles golf team.
"Last year we had five seniors and now we have six sophomores," Elder said. "I'm the guy they are all looking up to. So, there's definitely a big change there."
The 2020 golf season is here and Elder is already off to a good start. At the first varsity tournament of the year, Elder finished second after shooting an 81.
First Varsity Golf Tournament in the books. Patrick Elder got second place in the Ridgepoint tournament by shooting an 81. #sbsvision pic.twitter.com/NQHt4giJHf
— SecondBaptistSchoolAthletics (@SBS_Athletics) February 19, 2020
When asked about what he has improved on the most in last year, Elder didn't say anything about the physical part of playing golf.
"I think I've gotten stronger mentally," Elder said. "A lot of golf is mental because it's a slow game. It's not something that's just instinct. It's not like shooting a basketball, where you go up and shoot. You have to think about it for a long time before you hit the shot."
VYPE: What do you enjoy the most about attending Second Baptist School?
"I came from a public school, so because it's smaller you know everyone and you can have more of a relationship with people," "Also, everyone's super nice and all the teachers really care about you and they want to help you. I think that's something a lot of other schools don't have." – Patrick Elder '22
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