On a Winn streak
There was the time Mountain Brook High golf coach Benny Eaves had his Spartans boys in a tournament down in Mobile.
His boys were teeing off, so he drove his golf cart down the path some 340, 350 yards down the way, safely out of harm’s way.
“Here comes this tee shot, and it nearly hits me,” Eaves said. “It’s the longest ball I’ve ever seen a high school kid hit.”
Harlan Winn can hit a golf ball a long way. But while the senior aims to be under-par in golf, he shoots to be above-par in the classroom, and he aces both.
Winn was recently named an American Junior Golf Association Scholastic Junior All-American.
It’s the third straight year a Mountain Brook golfer has been so honored.
Twelve boys and 12 girls in their junior or senior year in high school receive this honor each year. At the end of the 2015 summer, 2016-17 boys with a top-10 finish and 2016-17 girls with a top-five finish in AJGA Open and Invitational events were invited to apply for the Scholastic Junior All-America Team.
The rewards associated with being selected for this team include earning an invitation to the Polo Golf Junior Classic along with the elevated exposure of each team member’s academic standing – a vital element in college golf recruiting.
The Scholastic Junior All-America Team selections are based on the following criteria in order of importance: SAT and/or ACT test scores; AP subject test scores; GPA; school leadership and community service; and writing skills as showcased in an original essay.
Winn carries an adjusted 4.63 GPA, according to an AJGA media release made 34 on the ACT. His best finish in 2015 was a second-place finish at the AJGA Junior at The Foundry.
“It’s a huge honor,” Winn said. “To be one of 12 guys in the country, I feel like my hard work on academics and on the golf course have paid off, and really opens up some opportunities in the future.”
Eaves, now the Mountain Brook athletics director, has enjoyed watching Winn improve as a golfer. It coincided with Winn quitting basketball to concentrate on golf – something Eaves said he was against, because he was a good all-around athlete.