Troyer Ends Season At Regional
19 Jun 2009

by Eric Christiansen
The dream of competing at the state tournament ended prematurely for MHS golfer Josh Troyer.
Troyer finished with a 39-40-79, three strokes shy of making the cut. He finished 18th overall out of 74 golfers at Orchard Ridge.
The regional originally started Thursday, but after Troyer finished three holes, the tournament was suspended because of rain until Friday morning.
“I think that helped me because it made the greens softer,” Troyer said. “I don’t have a lot of backspin, and especially hitting a longer iron, the ball would stick.”
Troyer had no problems hitting the greens on his first three holes, parring all three.
“Josh started off like a pro,” coach Gary Goshert said. “He was hitting fairways and greens in regulation, and had some good runs at birdie putts.”
Putting, however, was what Troyer feels cost him his chance at state.
“I had seven or eight putts that were within an inch of going in,” he said. “It was frustrating. If I could get those close putts to fall, I would have easily made it out.”
Despite not moving on, both Troyer and Goshert feel he played some of the best golf of the season.
“This was the most consistent round I’ve had,” Troyer said. “I missed one fairway on the front nine, and I was hitting the ball well.”
“He really struck the ball well off the tee and hit a lot of greens,” Goshert added. “I couldn’t be more proud of one of my golfers the way he approached things mentally, physically, as well as his character on the course.”
Troyer went on to par number five, but bogeyed six and seven. He responded with a birdie on number eight and a par on nine for a 39.
He bogeyed 10, 12 and 15 before double bogeying 17, which put him at 40 for the back nine and 79 overall.
“I chunked it into the water on 17, but I think by that point, I knew I wasn’t going to move on,” Troyer said.
Although Troyer’s high school golf career has ended, the legacy he leaves will be felt.
“We lost a solid golfer two years ago in Doug Hayden and last year in Brecken Kennedy,” Goshert said. “From Josh’s sophomore year on, he was looking at Doug and Brecken and how they did things, and patterned his approach somewhat after theirs. This was Josh’s turn this year. He put his own little twist into things, but he is like a little professional out there. He is like a little professor with his attention to details. He has a lot of compassion for the game and for other people. He ended things on a positive note.”
Troyer gives a lot of credit to Goshert, his coach for four years.
“It would have been nice to take him to state,” Troyer said. “We both worked on things, and my game is the best it’s been all year. He kept me relaxed throughout the season. We both had a certain view of things, and sometimes we conflicted, but then we would meet in the middle. We bounced ideas off of each other, and it worked well.
“He has affected my game and my life,” Troyer continued. “He is an extra father figure, other than my dad.”
Troyer also had support at home from his parents.
“They are both big supporters,” Troyer said. “My dad would talk to me about certain shots, or which club I was using, and my mom was always pushing me and supporting me. They were huge in keeping me focused.
“I also want to thank everyone who supported me all season, and especially at regional,” he said. “It means a lot to me.”
Troyer is still undecided as to where he will be attending college, but golf definitely be a big part of his college career.