H-S Athlete of the Week: Kayden Smith, Laurel Highlands
NAME: Kayden Smith
GRADE: Senior
SCHOOL: Laurel Highlands
SPORT: Golf
SMITH’S WEEK: The Mustang senior earned his first Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) individual championship last Friday at Duck Hollow Golf Club in shooting a 1-under-par 69 prior to topping the field in the Section 2-3A Boys WPIAL Individual Section Qualifier on Monday at Butler’s Golf Woodside Course in Elizabeth after firing a 2-under-par 70.
Smith birdied the second and eighth holes on the front 9 to shoot a 2-under-par 33 at Duck Hollow. He birdied the 12th and 15th holes on the back 9, but bogeyed the 10th and 11th. Smith was close to finishing his round with a birdie on the 18th, but the putt didn’t fall, and he settled for par.
Smith, who won the FCCA tournament by nine strokes, played at Duck Hollow during the regular season against Albert Gallatin in a section match, and finished a round of 18 in the Fayette County Open at Duck Hollow on Aug. 1. Smith believes playing in the Open the past two years against veteran golfers has been beneficial to his high school seasons.
“I have been fortunate to have played in the Open and also been around some great guys who have helped me as a golfer,” Smith said. “Obviously, Coach (Mike) Revak has taught me so much, then you have guys like Bro Tajc and Jeremy Enslen, who have given me great advice. You always want to play with the best golfers.”
Smith carried the momentum of winning the FCCA tournament into the section qualifier, as he opened his round with a birdie on the par-5 hole at No. 1 prior to recording a second birdie on the seventh, which was also a par 5. He had par putts on the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth holes, but bogeyed the third to shoot a 1-under 35 on the front 9.
Smith birdied the 10th and 14th (both par 5s) on the back 9. He recorded six pars, but dropped a stroke on the 18th, although he was well clear of the target score of 79, which rewarded those golfers with a trip to the WPIAL individual championship tournament in Class 3A, which begins this Monday at Hannastown Golf Club in Greensburg.
“I had gone down and played the front 9 at Butler’s with my mom and brother, and we also played there against TJ (Thomas Jefferson) in the regular season, so I was pretty familiar with it,” Smith said. “I wasn’t as much on the back 9, but the guys I played with really helped me out.”
The WPIAL championships will consist of cumulative strike play during two 18-hole rounds. The top 36 players and ties from the round at Hannastown Golf Club will advance to the final round at Sewickley Heights Golf Club in Sewickley on Oct. 5. An aggregate score from all 36 holes will be used to determine final placement. The top 14 scores in Class 3A will qualify for the state tournament at Penn State University Golf Courses in State College on Oct. 19 and 20.
Smith will be playing in his first WPIAL individual tournament, but he is eager to continue and hopes to play as far into October as he can.
“I hope I can take this momentum and these good scores into the next round,” Smith said. “I want to keep the season going.”
READY FOR HOOPS: While Smith hopes his golf season continues until mid-October, he has grown up with a basketball in his hands, as his brother, Tim, and sister, Taylor, played hoops at the high school and collegiate level, and his father, John, is the Mustangs’ head coach.
Smith is excited to see what he and his teammates can do this season after qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs last year.
“To go and make the playoffs in such a tough section was great,” Smith said. “I also made first-team, all-section, which just added to the excitement. We had some tough years after losing Rodney (Gallagher), but I think we are on the right track now.
“I have been playing basketball since I could walk. My dad has also coached kids around the area in AAU, so I have grown up playing basketball with not only kids from Laurel Highlands, but Uniontown and the other schools in the area, too.”
STILL THINKING: Smith has college aspirations, and wants to continue as a student-athlete, but he is still weighing his options when it comes to where he will continue his academic and athletic careers. He is not even sure which sport he will play, as he has grown into the game of golf despite not seriously playing until he was a freshman.
“I am not sure of what I want to major in, but I am going to attend college,” Smith said. “My mom is a teacher at Uniontown, so my parents have always stressed academics, and if you don’t do well in school, you can’t play sports. I do want to play sports in college, but I am not sure if I will play just basketball, golf or both.”
NOT ALONE: Smith will have company when he travels to Greensburg for the first round, as teammates Dan O’Neal and Aiden Milsom each shot the target score at the section qualifier to advance.
The Mustangs have qualified for the WPIAL team playoffs, which will begin on Oct. 8 or 9 and culminate with the championships on Oct. 13 at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon.