The BigRich Sports Report

I love a good golf story. It could be Tiger winning the 2019 Masters or Phil Mickelson winning the PGA Championship a few weeks ago. 
The unexplainable happens on the golf course more often than anywhere else. Something that, no matter what, you have to root for. 
It’s on a slightly smaller scale, but Aurora’s Tate Nachtigal’s play during districts and the Class B state tournament had that feeling. 
Trying to explain the rapid improvement in Tate’s golf game is impossible to do. Heck, Tate himself couldn’t explain it. Aurora coach Craig Badura didn’t have a solid explanation, either. 
Tate began the 2021 golf season having never really played any competitive golf whatsoever. The 2019 season would have possibly been his first season of varsity golf, but that was ripped away by COVID. 
This is how unreal some of this is. During my preseason talk with coach Badura, Tate wasn’t even a 100 percent for-sure thing as Aurora’s No. 5 golfer. 
That’s the way he started the season, though, playing in the Seward Invite. During that event, Tate shot a 91 -- a respectable score. 
However, over the course of two months, Tate has consistently shaved 10 strokes off his score. 
Every golfer who has ever played the game would do backflips over that type of improvement. 
Let’s just jump to the district tournament. 
Surely, if Tate is going to qualify for the Class B state tournament, it would have to be through the entire team qualifying. 
To do so any other way would require a top 10 finish, something he hadn’t done at all to date. 
He was teeing off from Hole No. 10 as Aurora’s No. 5 golfer. There’s just no way, right?
This is why we love golf.
Tate made the turn inside the top 10 after shooting a 40 on the back nine. The problem at York CC is the front is much more difficult, most would agree.
I guess not for Tate. 
He shot a 41 on the front, including the most clutch par save of his life to post an 81. 
Those who have played York CC before know that’s a very respectable score, especially for someone getting used to competitive golf. 
There was no one at the district awards ceremony who expected to hear Tate’s name read off. 
He proved them all wrong, though.
Yeah, but surely there’s no way he can make any noise at the state tournament. 
I know for a fact that I was through with doling out low expectations for Tate’s golf game. I was ready for anything. 
During the conference tournament, which was played at Elks CC, the same course as the state tournament, Tate shot a 93. 
He took another 10-plus strokes off that during his state tournament run. 
I followed Tate for much of his second round at the state tournament. In fact, when I got there, I stood behind No. 9 green and the first shot I watched was his approach to the green. 
Tate hit an absolute laser to within three feet from what I assumed was close to 150 yards out. 
Birdie. 
From that point, Tate was just one over through his next six holes -- one of the best stretches of golf from anyone in the tournament. 
What makes Tate so good on the course is his uncanny ability to stay out of trouble. The kid just never really hits it too far left or too far right. 
Probably the hardest thing to tell a high school golfer, or any golfer for that matter, is to talk them out of using the driver. 
For whatever reason, that advice has stuck with Tate. 
He doesn’t use his driver a ton, and while he may be missing a bit of distance because of that, the ability to continually stay in the short grass may be more valuable. 
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a golfer more dedicated to his 3-wood than Tate. He used the 3-wood a ton off the tee and maybe more so than anyone else, used it a bunch on his second shots, even from the taller grass. 
For a guy who can’t swing a 3-wood to save his life, it’s impressive to watch Tate masterfully use that club. 
He’s just so even-keeled on the golf course that it’s hard to get a read on what he’s feeling or thinking. 
That’s a great asset to have playing golf and it’s a similar take he has to playing basketball. 
“It was beyond my expectations. The kid is so even-keeled,” Badura said of Tate’s state tournament play. “You see it on the basketball court and that carries over to golf. I hope he plays some competitively over the summer because he’s only going to get better.”
While being Aurora’s No. 5 golfer, he’s played much of the season without a ton of guidance or advice from coach Badura while during the round. 
Badura admitted at districts that Tate is usually out there just doing his own thing. He even worried about following him around the final few holes of districts while Tate was in the thick of contention because Badura believed that might spook Tate, since they haven’t been around him much all year. 
Turns out, that wasn’t a factor. 
Then there’s the short game. 
Coach Badura called Tate one of the best chippers Aurora has ever had. Considering the Huskies have had players like Caleb Badura and Alex Kubik, a couple college stars, that’s an impressive statement. 
It’s true, too. 
“He’s a good ball striker and probably the best putter on our team,” Badura said. “Something clicked with him. He was the guy that got it done for us.”
Maybe it’s his basketball background and having that certain feel, but he always has a knack for getting the ball close to the hole. 
Same thing goes for some of those longer putts. Tate always seems to have the right touch, followed by the ability to knock in those testy 3-5 footers. 
That’s where many of those 10-15 shots he’s made up over the course of the season came from. 
Tate also seems to always avoid the big number, another critical statistic. 
During the state tournament, Tate recorded two birdies over the course of the two-round event. While he had plenty of bogeys, Tate only recorded five doubles over 36 holes. Not once did he have a higher score than double. 
Tate Nachtigal was known as a pretty good basketball player back in March. No one really looked at him as a golfer. 
Two months later, he was three strokes short of a top 15 finish and a medal at the state golf tournament. 
Looking to improve your golf game? Just work on the school of Tate. 
What a story. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.