CLASS 3A BOYS GOLFERS TO WATCH IN 2025
 

 
DREW BUCHMAN, COUNCIL GROVE
 
Buchman has been one of the most accomplished golfers in the state over the past three seasons after taking up the sport only after an injury and subsequent surgery forced him to give up baseball. Following a solid freshman season where he captured the Flint Hills League title and placed fourth at the Class 3A state tournament, Buchman has been nearly unbeatable the past two seasons. He won five tournaments as a sophomore, including league and regional titles, and then as a junior, captured six tournament crowns, including his third straight league title and second straight regional title. He shot a career-best 65 at the league meet and a 67 at regionals. He bounced back from a 14th-place state finish as a sophomore to tie for third at state last year with a two-day total of 151 leaving him 11 shots behind champion Lunden Esterline of Wichita Collegiate but just one behind runner-up Lane Workman of Santa Fe Trail. Buchman was first-team All-Class 3A and carried a 72.9 scoring average last season.
 

 
BRENNEN COFIELD, IOLA
 
Cofield’s second trip to the Emporia Municipal Golf Course last year went much, much better than his first one. At the 3A State Preview meet in April, Coffield managed only an 87 and tied for 43rd. But after capturing the Class 3A regional title at the Osawatomie regional by five shots with a 76, Cofield rode the momentum to a much better showing at Emporia at the Class 3A state meet. He fired a first-round 76 to put himself in the top 10 and then shot a 83 on the second day to finish tied for 14th with a 159.
 

 
LUNDEN ESTERLINE, WICHITA COLLEGIATE
 
Esterline set the bar high in first high school season, winning the Class 3A individual title by 10 shots over defending champion Lane Workman of Santa Fe Trail at Emporia Municipal. He also led Collegiate to a third-place team finish at state after the Spartans captured Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division IV and Cheney regional crowns. Esterline claimed medalist honors at the league meet with a 66, and shot a season-low, 7-under 64 to win the Collegiate Classic by three shots over eventual 5A champion Asher Whitaker of Kapaun Mt. Carmel on Crestview Country Club’s South course. Esterline took a 69.9 stroke average into the state tournament, where he posted scores of 67 and 73. He finished the season with five rounds in the 60s.
 

 
ALEX GALLEGOS, ST. MARYS
 
Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament as a sophomore in 2023, Gallegos was hoping to build off that as a junior. He enjoyed a solid season that included a runner-up finish at the Mid-East League Tournament and a fifth-place finish at the Bears’ Class 3A regional tournament. The season didn’t quite end the way he had hoped, however, as he shot an 84 on the first day and didn’t qualify for the second day.
 

NOAH GARCIA, LAKIN

Garcia finished just outside of medal position at the 3A state tourney last year as a junior. Garcia tied for 21st at state after shooting rounds of 79 and 84 for a 163 total. He tied for fourth at the regional tournament at Norton with a 78, helping the Broncs win the team title. Garcia won the Elkhart Invitational with a season-best round of 73 and also won his home tournament at Lakin with a 76. He was the runner-up at the High Plains League tournament at Buffalo Dunes, carding a 79 to finish four shots back of winner Bodie Higgins from Elkhart.

 

 
ELI JONES, NORTON

Jones closed out a strong junior season by tying for fifth place at the Class 3A state tournament. He finished with a 76.6 season average and also recorded a career low round of 70. Jones earned first-team All-3A honors from the Kansas Golf Coaches Association after being named to the second team as a sophomore. He captured four tournament titles (Mid-Continent League, Goodland, Hill City and Phillipsburg). Jones is a three-time state qualifier. He tied for 21st at state in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

 

 
LANDON LANGSTON, WICHITA COLLEGIATE
 
Langston played a good Robin to teammate and 3A individual champion Lunden Esterline’s Batman, completing his own solid freshman season with a 12^th-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament. He finished second for the Spartans in scoring average at 77.2 and made a good first impression with a 73, good for a fifth-place tie at the season-opening Andover Invitational. Langston’s next lowest round came in the Cheney regional at Cherry Oaks, where he carded a 75 to finish fourth and helped Collegiate edge the tournament host Cardinals by eight shots for the team title with a 312 score. Langston’s rounds of 76 and 81 at state helped the Spartans earn third place.
 

 
ALEX MAJORS, WICHITA TRINITY ACADEMY
 
One of two state qualifiers last season for Trinity, Majors earned his first Class 3A medal, posting a 36-hole score of 160 to tie for 18^th at Emporia Municipal. Majors opened with a 76 in more benign conditions than the final round, when he carded an 84. The performance came on the heels of a strong showing at the Cheney regional, where he finished second to eventual 3A state champion Lunden Esterline of Wichita Collegiate. Majors made a late charge to pull even with Esterline before finishing one shot back with a season-low, 2-under 70. Majors also carded a 71 at Cherry Oaks to earn medalist honors at the Central Plains League meet and led the Knights to the team title.
 

MAX MCGREGOR, GARDEN PLAIN
 
McGregor and the Owls move up to Class 3A this season after finishing sixth in 2A last May at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills. McGregor experienced the tournament’s highs and lows over two days, posting scores of 73 and 94. After starting the final round tied for fourth, McGregor dropped to a tie for 17^th, still good enough to earn an individual state medal. He earned All-3A honorable mention along with teammate Tate Nelson. The duo returns to help Garden Plain tackle the classification transition this spring.
 

KORY MEIREIS, KINGMAN
 
Meireis earned his third trip to the Class 3A state tournament last season, tying for 14^th at Emporia Municipal after finishing 13^th as a sophomore at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills. He tied for 36^th in his weather-shortened state debut in 2022. Meireis earned All-3A second-team honors last spring after posting a 76.9 scoring average with a low round of 72 and five regular-season tournament victories. A Hesston College signee, Meireis was an all-state first-team choice as a sophomore and takes a career scoring average of 78.3 into his final season with the Eagles.
 

TATE NELSON, GARDEN PLAIN
 
A three-time state qualifier in Class 2A, Nelson earned his first state medal last May by finishing seventh individually with rounds of 76 and 82 at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills. His performance led the Owls to a sixth-place team finish. Nelson will try to end his high school career back in southwest Kansas at Garden City’s Buffalo Dunes, this year’s state destination in 3A. Garden Plain has moved up in classification, with Nelson and fellow senior Max McGregor back to lead the way. Both earned All-3A honorable mention in 2024. Nelson missed the 18-hole cut at state as a sophomore and tied for 50^th in his state debut in 2022.
 

 
LUCAS PRADO, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN

Prado returns for his senior year looking for his third top-10 finish of his high school golf career. He got his first as sophomore when he helped Heritage Christian win the 3A state team title. Prado shot a 153 to put himself in a four-person tie for fourth. He returned as a junior ready to lead the way for the Chargers. Prado took second at regionals, while his team finished one stroke behind Wellsville for second place in the team race. He’d end up being the only Charger to reach Day 2 of state, shooting a 77 on both days to finish seventh with a 154. While he was 14 strokes back of the state champ, Prado was also just four strokes back of the state runner-up. As a freshman, Prado took third at regionals before finishing 25th at state by shooting an 83 during that year’s one-day tournament.
 

ROMAN SCOBY, SABETHA
 
Scoby was Sabetha’s top golfer for the bulk of the 2024 season as a junior, posting top-two finishes at six tournaments. That include a trio of victories as he won the Big Seven Preseason Tournament, the Marysville Invitational and the Holton Invitational. Scoby shot career-best 71s at both Marysville and Holton and added runner-up finishes at the Sabetha and Nemaha Central Invitationals as well as the Bluejays’ Class 3A regional meet. While teammate Cole Grimes finished as Sabetha’s low man at state, Scoby earned his second straight state medal, tying for 18th with a two-day total of 160. He earned second-team All-Class 3A honors after holding a season scoring average of 77 and helping lead the Bluejays to a runner-up team finish in Class 3A as Sabetha finished with a 643 total to finish eight shots behind state champion Hesston.
 

 
GRANT WATERSON, HESSTON
 
Waterson, a senior, has been part of two state championship teams and a third-place finish in his three seasons with the Swathers. He played his most prominent role in last year’s Class 3A title run, tying for ninth individually as Hesston fended off challenges from Sabetha and Wichita Collegiate for an eight-shot victory. Waterson posted a 36-hole score of 156, two shots behind teammate Palmer Welsh, who tied for seventh. Welsh, an All-3A second-team selection, has graduated, leaving Waterson as Hesston’s most experienced returnee. His junior season highlights included a third-place finish with a career-low 72 at the Andover Central Invitational. Waterson also helped the Swathers win the Central Kansas League title with a fourth-place finish and shared fourth individually with Welsh as Hesston posted a four-shot victory at the Southeast of Saline regional.