By Matt Browning
A golfer would be hard-pressed to find a resume as good as Newton’s Naomi Koontz.
The senior had a low round of 65 at Salina Municipal, a 2024 stroke average of 70.3, which was ranked No. 2 in all classes and No. 1 in Class 5A, she won the Derby Invitational, Salina Central Invitational, Newton Invitational, AVCTL Div II Championship and the 5A Regional Championship in Hutchinson.
So what is in store for 2025?
“One major goal I have for our team is to have a good team finish at league and possibly qualify for state,” Koontz said. “Individually, I would love to just keep getting better and play my best golf at state.”
Courses are getting longer, so Koontz understands she has to be able hit the ball further. The longer her drives are, then more often she has scoring clubs in her hands.
“One area that I am wanting to improve on is continuing to hit the ball further and get stronger,” Koontz said. “I have been working out at the gym and done some swing speed training in order to get stronger. To prepare for this season, I have been playing in a lot of summer tournaments and I got to travel to many different states, which was very fun.”
