I think he’s going to be something special down the road if he gets a little stronger and starts hitting it better, but Connor is a special kid. I look forward to coaching him the next few years. Great family and Connor is going to be something special.
Bloomington South coach Dustin Carver
Three years ago, Bloomington South boys’ golf coach Dustin Carver was just one of many who saw the potential in a freshman who had just picked up the sport and yet earned a spot in the varsity five.
Now a junior, Connor Byon is starting to count himself as a believer as well. This year, the Panthers’ steady No. 3 golfer, behind two future Division I players, is ready to make his third straight appearance in the state finals. Surrounded by great talent, he has risen to the challenge of playing for one of the state’s 10 best programs during his stay.
“Obviously, looking back from the start, I didn’t really expect to be in this position at all,” Byon said before starting practice at the Bloomington Country Club on Saturday morning. But the fact that I am is pretty awesome.
“It’s been a surreal moment for not just me but my family as a whole. I didn’t know what to expect heading into high school sports as a whole, but the fact I’ve had a really big involvement in such a great program has been a blessing in my life.”
‘South’s secret weapon’ the headline said before the state finals in 2021. No so in the shadows anymore. Carver remembers the email sent to him by Paul Pedersen, co-worker with Connor’s father Kevin in Indiana University’s Sports Management program.
More: Boys’ golf: What to know for the state finals
Basketball had been Connor’s first love. Lack of a growth spurt had him looking for something else to excel in to go along with his sterling academic record. Father and son worked on Connor’s game and showed up at South ready to work some more.
“I had no idea who Connor was and he came out and proved himself,” Carver said. “And he’s just been kind of a rock star for the last three years.
“And for as good as a golfer he is, he’s an even better kid. Smart, likeable. He can sit down and have an adult conversation, so that’s kind of a cool piece with Connor.”
Giving himself a shot
As a late-comer to the sport, especially when compared to a few of South’s players who have been at it hard since early in their grade school years, he had to work hard and work smart, to elevate his game so quickly.
And whether it’s at BCC during practices, at IU’s Pfau Course any time of year or getting in a practice or competitive off-season round with teammates Happy Gilmore and Nick Bellush, Byon has done just that.
“Long hours away from practice,” Byon said. “A lot of individual practice, it’s really just been me, by myself, going out to IU a lot, going out to other courses, really trying to really understand my golf game.
“And I couldn’t do any of this without my teammates, especially Happy and Nick, I’ve practiced with them a lot out of high school season. They’re really helped me succeed and push me harder than I could push myself. “
So has swing coach Craig Bowden, who has been a big benefit to the Panthers.
“He’s a gift God has given us,” Byon said. “Not just for myself but for the team. He’s helped us so much and he pushed us through and tells us we’re a lot better than we think we are.”
More: Close calls: Bloomington South, North’s Knapp punch tickets to boys golf state finals
Playing his own game
A big key was not rushing the process. Years can’t be made up in months and Byon’s game had to suit him. His skill sets are different than his teammates.
“Connor’s the type of kid who is going to play his own game,” Carver said. “He’s going to practice the way he needs to practice. He’s not going to try to do anything different to change to try to keep up with somebody. He’s his own golfer and worked extremely hard to get to where he is.
“He has an incredible mindset on him. That is the one thing that I truly love about the kid is he thinks the game entirely and doesn’t let his emotions get too high or too low.”
As a freshman, Byon had to make up for a lack of length off the tee, so his work around the greens and decision making are top-notch.
“His short game is tremendous,” Carver said. “He uses different clubs around the greens. He understands certain lies and what club he needs to hit. Now that he’s hitting more greens in regulation, there are more birdie opportunities and more opportunities to get his score around even. And he doesn’t miss many fairways off the tee.”
Confidence was one of the first things Byon had to grow in his game. Freshman are usually on a rollercoaster and Byon was no different. But Byon’s maturity helped him out there.
“Eventually it will kick in and it really did kick in, especially for Connor about midway through his freshman year,” Carver said. “He solidified that spot and earned that spot. The freshmen understand the expectations of the program, it’s just a patient game with me, and then you’ll see them come around.”
Golf under pressure
Byon leans on what he learned and the values that were instilled in him during the process.
“I have surprised myself a lot,” he said. “But I could attribute it a lot to the family values I have that my dad and mom have instilled in me. And that’s to just work hard and put everything I have into anything.
“(Bellush and Gilmore have) been playing a lot longer than I have, but that shouldn’t give me an excuse if I play bad. We’re in the same place at the same time thinking about what’s happening now.”
From the start, Byon has been tough as nails in the postseason.
Freshman year, he had a 74 at sectional and then tied with Gilmore for low score at regional with another 74 and had an 83-80—163 at state, finishing as the sixth best freshman. As a sophomore, he went 76-74 and lowered his score at state to a 77-76—153, good enough to be the seventh best sophomore and tying for 21st overall as the Panthers’ No. 2 scorers.
His run so far this year includes an even par 71 at Cascades and a 76 (with a 35 finish) at regionals. He’s ready to tackle the state course again.
“Just going in with no complacency,” Byon said. “We’ve worked toward this all my three years in the program. We’re very fortunate to have someone like Carver to tell us it’s no different than what we’ve been doing, it’s just maybe a little more important. But it shouldn’t change things as far as putting pressure on ourselves.”
During a practice round at Prairie View, he took a good hard look at 16, 17 and 18.
“It used to be those last three holes,” Byon said of what part of the course challenged him the most. “But I’ve kind of matured a little bit on that course and I understand that that course is full of a lot of patient golf. And that includes the last three holes, whether I’m playing well through 15 or not, I need to finish strong.”
Heading to the next level
School over golf. Always. But each gets the same level of commitment and work ethic from Byon, so naturally, he now has his eyes set on doing both at the collegiate level.
“I’ve sat down with Carver and my parents and had some conversations about, ‘Do I want to keep doing this in college?'” Byon said. “And the answer is pretty simple. It’s yes. I love the competition and more so, I love being a student-athlete. It makes me really know what to put my time into and helps me balance my life out.”
And here’s where Bowden helps out again. The pro is good friends with the head coach at Brown where a combination of good test scores and golf scores is required by the Rhode Island program.
“It’s been a dream of mine to study at an Ivy League school,” Byon said. “It’s something that my grandparents joke about, ‘I wish someone would go here in our family.’
“Having the opportunity to do that is pretty special for me, not just in athletics but more so what I can accomplish for my family as a whole.”
His mind is definitely in the right place to get it done. It’s further proof he’s becoming the kind of player Carver thought he could be.
“I’ve always attributed my mental game to being the biggest part of my golf success,” Byon said. “But this year, I think I’ve made a leap in understanding that I can compete.
“In the past I’ve had, you say, so-called impostor syndrome, knowing that even if I do go out there and I can compete, I didn’t look at it like, ‘Oh, you’re one of those guys.’ But I now I can kind of go into it knowing, I’m just as good as they are. I’ve worked as hard as they have and I should give myself a lot more credit.”
Contact Jim Gordillo at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Above and Below: Bloomington South junior putting together special golf career