O-R Athlete of the Week: Colton Lusk, Peters Township
Name: Colton Lusk
School: Peters Township
Class: Junior
Sport: Golf
Lusk’s week: To say the junior had a good week would be an understatement.
Lusk opened the week playing in the PIAA individual state tournament in Class 3A, where he finished in a tie for fourth place after carding a two-day total of 6-under 138 over 36 holes at Penn State University’s Blue Course. He made six birdies in the second round on Tuesday and fired a 33 on the back nine.
One day later, Lusk and his teammates won the first team state title in the history of the golf program at Peters Township. The Indians had a combined score of 4-under-par 284, which was two shots better than runner-up LaSalle College.
“It was pretty cool to be the first team to win a state team championship in program history,” Lusk said. “The girls team also won their first, so it was a nice day for the program.”
Lusk earned medalist honors among the six teams playing Wednesday in shooting a 7-under par 65. Lusk had five birdies on the front nine and three on the back side.
“After playing the course two days in a row, I knew the course pretty well for Wednesday’s team tournament and had an idea on where to hit the ball, and where to miss,” Lusk said. “I started my round on the 10th hole, so I was actually finishing on the front nine, which is where I made a lot of my putts. My putter was on fire. That was the best 18-hole round I ever shot. My previous best was a 67 at the section qualifier at Nemacolin Country Club.”
Practice makes perfect: When Lusk began his golfing career, he would just try and hit the ball as far as he could and didn’t really worry about putting.
“My short game was never that good, but I really worked at it the last two years,” Lusk said. “I started using AimPoint, and it has helped out a great deal. I practice every day, even when the weather is bad I get some work in.”
For the love of the game: Lusk doesn’t have many hobbies, and he has been questioned to why he plays golf so much, but the answer is simple: He loves it.
“I have been asked why I play golf so much and why is it the only activity I really do, but I just love the sport and enjoy playing,” Lusk said. “No matter what happens in my life, I will continue to play for as long as I can. I have met so many great people over the years playing golf. I do go out and fish every now and then, but usually, it’s all about golf. I enjoy playing mini-golf and I also go to TopGolf with friends.”
Hitting the books: Lusk takes his studies very seriously, and he has desires to attend college and hopefully find a career in the medical or financial field. He wants to play collegiate golf and would play professionally if given the opportunity.
Compiled by Jonathan Guth