Seth Farmer knows what to shoot for in transition.
No, improving his basketball skills is not what Sedona Red Rock High School’s top state golf tournament placer this spring is using the summer between his sophomore and junior years to do.
“Maybe putt a little better this offseason,” said the former Scottsdale Desert Mountain High School freshman after two hours on, two off and two more on Phoenix’s top course, the Legacy Golf Club. “I kind of just want to get out there and play.”
Farmer’s first round toward his new role as the Scorpions’ 2017 golf star was a shaky one Tuesday, May 31, at the Encanto Golf Course, where he shot an eight-over-par 79 on the first 18 holes of the Antigua Milt Coggins Arizona Junior Stroke Play tournament.
“I started off at three-under the first three holes, then everything fell apart,” Farmer said. “I missed a tee shot that went two fairways over. There’s a little river that runs across the front nine and a city road next to the course, so if the tee shot is out, it’s out.”
If he can shoot between a 64 and a 66 in each of his final two rounds, though, Farmer believes he will still qualify for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships beginning Sunday, July 10, in San Diego.
“I’m in the top 20, so a couple under, it’ll get me in,” said Farmer, who was a second-team all-State golfer after tying for sixth at the Division III state championships May 13 at Antelope Hills Golf Course in Prescott. “It’s called performance-based entry, and you need a certain amount of performing stars to use a kind of currency to get invited to certain tournaments.”
Including the Ping Phoenix Junior qualifier at Arizona State University’s Karsten Golf Course, where Farmer looks to play next beginning Monday, June 13, after the Sedona Open was canceled at the Oakcreek Country Club due to lack of sponsorship from the Southwest section of the Professional Golfers Association.
“It’s different grass down here, just basically all Bermuda,” said Farmer, who missed the final round of last year’s Open by one stroke. “Sedona roughs are three or four inches of bluegrass, I think. You can’t really use your driver that often.
“I play a little better on Bermuda grass; you can kind of predict the grain and play your ball easier. The good thing about Sedona, most of the time it’s windy — a big factor for us, especially when I hit the ball pretty high.”
With childhood friend, Open caddy and fellow all-State second-teamer Keagan Webster having graduated May 18, the competition will also be different for Farmer at SRRHS next season.
“Keagan, I’ve lost count on how long I’ve known him,” said Farmer, who is looking to get the attention of scouts from Stanford and Oklahoma State universities. “We’ve played a lot of golf together. I’ll caddy for him if he needs it.”
Another friend since their Little League baseball days in fourth grade, junior Justin Wassell, will join fellow soccer player Julian Travaglia and seniors Neil Smith and Stesiree Ho on the Scorpions ladder next season in an attempt to meet or surpass the team’s state runner-up finish.
