TOPEKA — Peyton Goehring is simply playing the best golf of his life.
The Washburn Rural senior won the Topeka City Championship on Monday, April 27. He won in a playoff against teammate Keaton Stoner. Both players finished with rounds of 77 at Topeka Country Club.
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“I knew if I had lost, it felt good that he was going to win it,” Goehring said. “I would definitely, obviously, go up against an opponent from a different school, but it just felt like practice.”
Goehring came away with the first varsity win of his career. It’s a major highlight for the senior, who is draining every putt imaginable.
“Putting is my strong suit,” he said. “I’ve got my wedges dialed, driver is pretty good. I’d like to get my irons better, but putting is always going to help.”
As Goehring made the winning putt, a proud coach watched over his two players duke it out.
Not only was a proud coach watching, but a proud father was also standing in awe.
Washburn Rural’s longtime head coach, Jared Goehring, couldn’t help but acknowledge his son’s amazing tournament.
“It was pretty rewarding; it was never something I forced upon Peyton to do when he was younger,” Jared said. “It was all encouragement. I’ve always said to him and my daughter that if they love it and they want to compete, the rest takes care of itself.”
Golf is a major part of the father-son relationship. The duo has gone on some incredible golf trips, including a recent trip to Payne’s Valley in southern Missouri.
“We’ve had a ton of great golf memories, but that is one of the best ones,” Goehring said.
This weekend, Washburn Rural is in Hutchinson. As a team, they will play highly-touted Prairie Dunes before a tournament on Friday. It’s a great bonding opportunity for the Junior Blues before postseason golf begins.
The Hutchinson trip has become a common team-building exercise. It’s key for Washburn Rural to be together and bond during the last portion of the season. Trips like this are what make Washburn Rural golf special. Jared Goehring said that tradition and the program's values have made the program successful.
The Junior Blues won its 16th straight city title, the 15th with Jared Goehring at the helm.
It’s not just the city champion that’s playing great golf; Stoner is also thriving.
“I’ve been playing better than I have, I’ve been playing better practice rounds and getting ready for the tournaments,” Stoner said. “I want to continue to improve and make it state.”
There is still time to worry about the state championship, but it’s at the forefront of Washburn Rural golfers' minds. The Class 6A State Tournament will be played at Firekeeper in Mayetta. The local state tournament has the Junior Blues excited to play at a comfortable course.
“It would mean a lot to me, but also the entire team,” Peyton Goehring said. “We want to make it there because we know the course well and it’s really close to home.”
The state tournament is a few weeks away, but this week was one for the history books for the Goehring family.
This will be Peyton Goehring's final month of competition. He will be studying to become a play-by-play sports broadcaster at Kansas State next year. He joins an incredible group of city champions that includes major champion Gary Woodland, along with Washburn Rural’s four-time champion Andrew Becker, who now helps coach Washburn University golf.
“I’m a proud dad,” Jared said. “It was a surreal feeling because of who he is joining with past champions.”
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Peyton Goehring enjoying his golf with his father by his side