Lemont’s Eddie Scott is the 2023 Herald-News Boys Golfer of the Year

The first day of the Class 2A state finals turned into a bit of a nightmare for senior Eddie Scott and the Lemont boys golf team.

Scott shot an 8-over-par 80, and Lemont, which came into the event with state-title aspirations, finished the first round tied for eighth place, narrowly making the cut to advance to the second day as a team.

Scott, however, knew he and his teammates still could make some big things happen.

“After that first round, we knew that was our bottom-tier game,” he said. “We kind of had nothing to lose. We came into that second day with pretty much no pressure and gave it all we had.”

Scott responded by shooting a 69 in his final round of high school golf, the best score of the day.

Lemont rocketed up the team standings all the way to second place, bringing home the state runner-up trophy for the best finish in program history.

Scott finished eighth individually, and his younger brother, Joey, tied for ninth.

“Going into the tournament, we obviously had the high expectation of winning state,” Eddie Scott said. “Even going into the second day, we still had that goal, but now looking back, it was such a huge accomplishment for us to make that big of a swing, make up so many strokes and beat all the teams by that much.

“Looking back, you’re just happy it happened.”

It was quite a way to finish a highly successful high school career for Eddie Scott, who is the 2023 Herald-News Boys Golfer of the Year.

For Lemont coach Mark Hollatz, it was the perfect demonstration of his team’s resilience, something that Eddie Scott sets the standard in.

“I always tell the kids, especially the ones who want to play college golf, the coaches want to see that if you have a two-day event and you have a bad first day, do you have the guts to come back the next day and play well and not just cry and mope?” Hollatz said. “Eddie never gave up. From Day 1, he was our leader. He’s basically the definition of what I hope a Lemont golfer is.”

Eddie Scott was a four-time state qualifier. Although there were no state finals his freshman year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he finished in a qualifying position at the sectional.

For the past three seasons, he has been there for some huge team performances. Lemont finished fourth at state in both his sophomore and junior years, falling just shy of a state trophy, before breaking through to earn the trophy this season.

“Eddie was a big part of probably the best era of Lemont golf ever,” Hollatz said. “This is my 29th year here, and I talk about my Mount Rushmore of Lemont golf. I never say a kid is on it until they finish their career, but Eddie is on it now.”

Eddie knows it’s been a special run.

“It’s the team and the atmosphere we’ve built around Lemont golf. It’s not just how good we are but the respect that we gave to the school. We put a name to Lemont. That’s the biggest thing we can be proud of.

“When people see Lemont High School, they know, ‘That’s a golf team. That’s a team that can play, and they’re respectful guys and a really good group of kids that you can trust.’ That’s so awesome to be a part of.”

Eddie got to share the past two seasons with his brother, Joey, who also had a hugely successful season, winning three tournaments as a sophomore. One of those victories came in the Providence Invitational, when Joey beat Eddie in a playoff.

The siblings did their best to soak in their final year together as Lemont teammates.

“It’s such a quick season,” Eddie Scott said. “You think when it starts that you have all this time left, then you get into the postseason and then it’s like, ‘Wow, it’s over.’ You cherish all the moments you have, playing in tournaments, being in a playoff with my brother and stuff like that.”

Eddie Scott has some college visits planned as he looks to decide his next stop. He said he certainly will be golfing wherever he goes.

Beyond that, he is excited to see where golf takes him but not putting too much pressure on himself.

“I don’t have a set goal like, ‘I want to win this or win that.’ I just want to be the best golfer I am capable of being. That’s simply it. I want to be the best golfer Eddie Scott can be.”