At the end of March, Zachary Frazer and the rest of his golf team at Coppell High School in Coppell, TX competed in the District Championship tournament. Competing with 14 teams and a field of 83 total golfers, Zach's team needed to finish in second place in order to move on to Regionals. It was a two day tournament and one of the most exciting rounds of golf I had a chance to follow (with hole by hole updates from Zach's parents).
The first day of the tournament was a rough start for Coppell. The team shot a collective 328 which put them 5th place - 18 strokes behind the 2nd place team. Zach Frazer ended the day in 15th place individually. It was an almost insurmountable comeback in most situations, especially considering the serious wind they would have to face on the course during the final round. Coppell coach Spoor said, "It was just one of those deals on the first day where as things went along we just weren't getting the ball to drop in the cup the way we needed it to. I think we were just trying too hard to make something happen and that made it worse."
However, on day two, the team came roaring back. They shot 35 strokes lower as team and ended up squeaking into 2nd place to move on collectively as a team to Regionals. The pack was led by none other than Zach Frazer who shot 4 under par and stormed all the way back from 15th place to being the District individual champion. Coach Spoor said about Zach's performance "The mental toughness of that kid -- to put together a run like that shows a lot of resilience. I'm proud of Zach. That was a great job by him to get out there and keep plugging away."
For Zach to put a bow on his high school golf career in this fashion was spectacular. It's a true testament to his relentless dedication to his craft, the hundreds of rounds of golf, the thousands of hours of practice, the tens of thousands of balls hit, the unwavering support of his parents in supporting his passion, the skilled coaching and mentors along the way, the studying of players, the dozens of books and podcasts to improve his mindset, and the hours of visualizing and dreaming about what he wants to achieve. He has put in the work and set himself up for success based on controlling all of the things that he could control along with the way. Zach is one of the most teachable and coachable people I've ever met and am super proud of the man he is becoming.
Zach is planning to take a gap year this coming year, work on his golf game and make some money for college, and aggressively work towards getting a Division I golf scholarship for 2022. But regardless of what lies ahead for his future in golf, he is laying a foundation for his life that will help prepare him for a life of meaning, fulfillment, and happiness.
Pictured below: Zach teeing off/ Zach holding the District trophy along with his team
