The Worland High School golf season wrapped up last week at the 3A State tournament at the Green Hills Golf Course in Worland on Sept. 15-16. It was also the final tournament for Worland's three seniors.

Lovell's Erika Cook and Parker Paxton won the individual state championships. The two golfers also made history as both won four straight titles, becoming only the third boy and girl to do so in Wyoming high school golf.

Riverton won the boys team title, shooting a 606 over the two days, while the Wheatland girls won their side shooting a 506 in two days.

After strong starts for most Worland golfers on Day 1, Day 2 of the state tournament brought struggles.

"I think it was probably a law of averages as much as anything. We were really hoping they would have two really good days. They really wanted two really good days. And it just didn't happen for them," said WHS golf coach Ben Hofmann.

The Worland golfers weren't the only ones to struggle at state. The course at Green Hills Golf Course threw many golfers for a loop.

"If you're not straight off the tee and can't get off the tee box, you get yourself in trouble really quick, especially on the back nine with so many trees. If you're left or right, you get caught up in trees, which takes a ton of yardage out of your swing.

"Maybe kids get a little tired. A lot of them played three straight days of golf. They had a practice round on Thursday. Saturday was in the mid-80s, and maybe that had something to do with it. But if you don't hit the fairway at Green Hills Golf Course, you can get yourself in trouble for sure," said Hofmann about the Green Hills course and Day 2 of the state tournament.

The state tournament was the final outing for seniors Emerie Carver, Sam Keller and Tyshon Swalstad.

Keller, an all-state golfer last season, missed out on her second all-state honor, shooting a 91, 111-202.

To earn all-state honors, a golfer must finish in the top 10.

Missing out on becoming a two-time all-state golfer was a disappointment, but it does not discredit the achievements or undercut the hard work Keller has put in as a WHS golfer.

"She's outstanding. She's been there from Day 1, playing spring and fall. She really worked hard to get better. She's works at the golf course. There isn't a better kid in Worland High School. I really believe she's one of our true best athletes and best people. I really, really wanted it for her and felt terrible for her. I was really pulling for her as much as anybody," said Hofmann.

Carver and Swalstad were the top golfers for the Lady Warriors and Warriors at state.

Swalstad went 82, 86-168 at the state tournament.

"He's improved every single year. As a freshman, he was fairly small and didn't hit it particularly far. He's really improved from year to year as a golfer. He played a lot in summer and showed the work ethic necessary to get better," said Hofmann.

He added, "Emerie Carver's in the same boat. As a senior, she played some of her best golf at state. That was really nice to see, she had a couple of personal bests at state."

Carver shot a 96, 98-194 at state, which was a personal record for the senior.

"Golf is a funny sport; you get it going in the right direction, and you kind of cruise. You get some good feelings about it, and good stuff happens. Then there's the reverse. You miss something you think you should have had, you have a couple of bad swings and all of a sudden, the world is colliding. And it's sometimes hard to get back.

"It's really easy to lose and hard to get back. The nice thing about Emerie is she got on a comfortable streak and rode it. I was really proud of her to see how far she came in her four years, just spectacular. I can't say enough good things about our three seniors this year," said Hofmann.

Outside Swalstad, the Warriors return every golfer from this year's state team. Junior Jermaine Broussard is the team's leading returning, having shot an 81, 88-169 at state. Behind him are junior Lucas Hamer, freshman Bolen Barthelmess and junior Jace Erickson.

"The short game and practicing the right things. We have kids who love to go and play, which is great. We also need to practice the right things with the right tempo and speed. A little more intentional focus on what we're practicing and why we're practicing to really improve," said Hofmann.

What Hofmann will remember most about this 2023 team is his seniors. They embraced their leadership roles, helped mentor their younger teammates and established a work ethic for their teammates to replicate.

"I really enjoyed the seniors, and we've had them as a group for four years. I have seen such positive growth, and they've been great for the program. Tyshon, Emerie and Sam have really tried to incorporate the younger kids, boys and girls, into the program.

They have really been great to them. They've been great to me, they've given me an opportunity, and they've listened and have really worked to get better and wanted to get better," said Hofmann. "As a coach, all you can really ask for is that the kids show up every day with the intent to get better and will listen to an opportunity to get better," said Hofmann. "They're kids that I will surely miss."