By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
It’s a beautiful spring afternoon and only a couple of hours away from an extended weekend for high schoolers. Now, c’mon; what are the chances you’d find a senior golf star – only a few days away from graduation — anywhere other than a golf course?
Byrd’s James Holtsclaw certainly wouldn’t be the first soon-to-be-graduating senior to find his way to the front office to check out early. But instead of dissecting the fairway, Holtsclaw could be found dissecting pigs in Human Anatomy class
Rather than digging through his golf bag for a ProV1, he was digging through the organs of a pig. “It smells bad, but it really doesn’t bother me,” Holtsclaw says. “But some think it’s gross.”
His definition of the word “gross” has nothing to do with formaldehyde and more to do with large numbers — the kind that appear on a golf scorecard. Like triple bogeys. “That,” he says, “is true right there.”
Judging by the golf career Holtsclaw has had at Byrd, that hasn’t been much of a problem.
It only seems as though Holtsclaw has been at Byrd for about 10 years, but it is about to come to an end. And he has every intention of closing it in style.
Very special style.
Holtsclaw and the Jackets are trying to accomplish a feat that may never have happened in any sport in Byrd history: Win a fourth straight state championship. That’s what they will be shooting for in a few weeks at the state tournament in Lafayette.
And it’s not as if he has just been along for the ride in the previous three championship years. Last year he was second on the team and placed in the top 10 as the Jackets won by two strokes.
As a sophomore, he was part of a deep Jackets team that won the title by three strokes and as a freshman in 2022, Holtzclaw shot 67 on the opening day and finished third overall as the Jackets won by five.
The quest for four straight titles isn’t taken lightly by Holtsclaw and the Jackets.
“I try not to think about it,” he says. “Has any team won four state championship in a row (at Byrd)? I think that would be a really cool thing to do. I feel like that’s a really big reason to go out there and practice even harder than I have been.”
High school golf has changed quite a bit in the last few years. First of all, there isn’t the depth of teams that there once was and more schools are electing to have qualifying matches amongst themselves rather than playing other teams.
This year, Byrd’s 10 varsity golfers were divided into two teams with co-captains Shep Smith and Holtsclaw holding a draft to choose their own squads and play against each other. Holtsclaw is the first to admit that his draft skills might leave a little to be desired.
“I did not draft too well,” he says.
Not an issue, especially since he’s got plenty of other things going for him.
“I’d say my strengths are my ball striking and if I can get the putter hot, it’s hot,” he says in a self-assessment. “I haven’t been driving the ball as well as I’d like and I need to figure out some of those inconsistencies. And sometimes my mental side isn’t as good as it needs to be. I get mad because I care so much about it.”
The Jackets will play in the district tournament on Tuesday at Querbes with regionals and state to follow.
“My main improvement has been my mentality,” he says. “I’ve always seemed to play well at Byrd (in the school season) even if I haven’t been playing well up until then. Something just clicks in my mind and I want to be supportive of my teammates and play good golf because that’s what I’m hoping I can do for me and for them.”
Golf may be an individual sport, but Holtsclaw fully embraces the team concept of high school competition.
“Just spending time with my friends is really it,” he says. “I think the reason we have the most success is because of how much fun we have out there. When we have practice rounds, we will be goofing around and trying to hit shots around trees, just like anybody else would with their friends.”
Once the Byrd season is over, it will be on to the next step as he has a full summer season lined up before he heads to Louisiana-Lafayette to compete for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
But when you boil it all down, the things James Holtsclaw likes most about golf are pretty simple.
“Competing,” he says. “And winning.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com