Whiteland’s Davis has taken his golf game to another level

The anguish has stuck with Will Davis since last June.

Playing on a familiar course, Whiteland’s top golfer went into last year’s sectional at The Legends fully expecting to advance through to the regional round; he’d helped the Warriors make it there as a freshman in 2019, and he had designs on making it back as an individual.

But instead, there was only heartbreak. Davis shot a 79, missing out on the final individual qualifying spot by a single shot.

The dissatisfaction he felt that day has only served to motivate him since — and Davis’ redemption tour is off to a pretty good start. After earning medalist honors at both the Mid-State Conference and Johnson County tournaments last week, the senior carded a 75 under less than ideal conditions at this year’s Franklin Sectional to earn his way into Thursday’s Providence Regional.

“It was disappointing, knowing that it was my worst round of the year, and missing it by one stroke,” Davis said of last year’s postseason letdown. “So sitting there for about 11 months now, knowing what I could have done last year … it definitely fueled me.”

That fuel has propelled Davis to even greater heights. Already one of the top players in the area, he has put together arguably the best spring of any player in the county so far. Not only is he the Warriors’ clear No. 1 player with a 34.33 stroke average per nine holes, but he has also finished in the top 10 individually in all of Whiteland’s 18-hole tournaments and was medalist at all but one of the nine-hole matches.

None of that has been surprising to Whiteland coach Adam Webb, who notes that Davis will often go straight from high school practices to do more work with his personal swing coach, Ken Piepenbrink. He says that his top player is “never satisfied” regardless of how well he performs.

“He has learned the importance of being balanced mentally,” Webb said. “Balance of focus, excitement, adrenaline, frustration. … You need all of them, but not too much of one or the other. I feel he has learned to balance those emotions to help his game.”

Davis says that his biggest improvements over the past year have come on the green; he’s been knocking down 10- to 15-foot putts pretty consistently and has had a couple of nine-hole matches this season where he only needed 10 or 11 putts to complete his round.

He says he has made it a point to establish a routine of lining up every putt, no matter how long or short, so that he feels comfortable and confident stepping up to each one.

“A lot of it is mental, too,” Davis noted. “Just picking a line and committing to it, not letting your head get in the way.”

That approach should serve Davis well Thursday at a Champions Pointe course that he’s played about a dozen times. Though he’ll no doubt still feel at least some nervousness going into the biggest round of his high school career thus far, he also feels like the layout is set up to play to his strengths.

“It’s a course that I think really fits me well,” he said. “Off the tee, you don’t necessarily need to be dead straight … but around the greens you have to be sharp, and that’s where I thrive, I believe.”

The last time Davis played Champions Pointe as a Warrior, he had four teammates out there with him. This time, he’ll be on his own — but he’s still approaching his round with the idea of putting his best foot forward for the entire Whiteland community.

“The only difference is now, I’m really doing it for my school,” Davis said. “In the last couple of tournaments, I’m trying to tough it out no matter how bad I’m playing to help my team out and post a good number; and now, obviously, since I’ll be moving on alone, just trying to keep getting a good score for my school.”

And one good enough to earn him 36 more holes next week.