By Matt Browning
Gus Ruddle of McPherson was voted the Salina Area Boys Golfer of the Year. Ruddle took 12th at the 4A Tournament a week after winning the Buhler Regional.
“It (winning the poll) means a lot to me because of the work I put into the game over the past four years,” Ruddle said.
Ruddle said his season was a mixed bag of results, but he was proud of how his team battled against adversity.
“I wasn’t overly excited with the outcome of the season, but we battled against tough conditions all season long,” Ruddle said. “I met some of my goals I set for the year and fell short of some others that I would’ve liked to meet.”
Mental toughness was something Ruddle had to work on this season. With conditions that were less than ideal the majority of the time, being able to overcome them was crucial.
“I would say the battle with the mental aspect of golf is where I grew the most as a player, which is the hardest thing to overcome when you are struggling with weather and not playing to what you wanted,” Ruddle said. “I think the biggest takeaway I got to take with me this season would be the mindset to just keep grinding hard and putting in the effort to get the results you want.”
