Lucas Belanger and Chad Wotton let their skills and golf swings lead them into the top places at the 34th Annual Oakland County Parks Junior Golf Tournament last month.
Belanger took first place in the boys 13-14 division and Wotton placed second in the boys 15-16 division at Springfield Oaks.
Belanger played in the tournament last year and placed in fourth.
‘I was excited,? said Belanger about his win. ‘I was only one over and it was my third win of the 2008 season.?
‘I was so excited,? said mom, Carla. ‘His dad (Ed) is very proud of him.?
He is on the Meijer’s G.O.L.F. tour for his first full season and is sixth for Player of the Year.
His two prior wins were on the G.O.L.F tour at Longaberger in Nashport, Ohio and Golf Club of Coldwater in Coldwater, Mich.
‘We’re thrilled for him to be part of the Meijers golf tour,? said Carla.
His parents said Lucas has a passion for golf.
‘The way he exhibits it is through how long and how hard he practices,? said Carla.
Lucas will punt, chip and drive up to 150 balls per day at Indianwood Golf and Country Club.
Belanger has played competitively for the last two years, but began playing almost five years ago.
‘My dad is a big golfer. He turned me on to the sport,? said Lucas.
He will be attending Brother Rice in Bloomfield Hills in the fall.
‘I’m hoping to play on varsity,? Lucas said about his plans for his freshman year.
He has already spoken to head coach, Dan Bumpus, about the next season.
He hopes to play on the college level and will continue playing golf if it leads to anything like the PGA tours.
Lucas is also a basketball player and has played the game for five years. He sees himself playing point guard position for the freshman or JV team in the winter.
Wotton also splits his time between two sports.
He plays hockey and admits swinging his hockey stick at the puck has helped him on the golf course.
Like Belanger, he played in the Oakland County Parks tournament last year.
‘This was the first tournament I have placed that well,? said Wotton. ‘It felt pretty good.?
He took second place with a par of 85.
Wotton played golf for Clarkston’s freshmen team during spring and will try out for the JV team in his sophomore year.
He has played golf for the last eight years. It started when his dad, Mike, took him out to the golf course.
‘We hit some balls. I liked it and kept on going,? said Chad.
Chad began playing hockey 11 years ago.
He was always at the skating rink while his sister was figure skating.
‘I put on skates and playing hockey came naturally.?
Chad is also an avid hockey fan and stayed up to watch the Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2, to win the Stanley Cup.
His goal is to continue playing golf and play it in college.
Clarkston players took three more places during the tournament.
Taylor Hefty placed second in the girls 13-14, Jimmy Haven was second in the boys 10 and under, and Nathan Cowan took third in the boys 15-16 division.