A Red Deer teen was smack dab in the middle of a golf showdown between Alberta and Montana recently.

Logan Hill, a 17-year-old student at Hunting Hills High School, was part of the team of young men and women who tangled with their American counterparts at the 21st Junior Ryder Cup in Whitefish.

The boys managed to pull out a win while the girls’ squad, which included Innisfail’s Courtney Dixon, came up just short in their matches.

For Hill it was quite an event to remember as he shot what he says is his best round of his short career.

“I shot 66 in the best ball and my partner shot 70 and that made our best ball score to be 61,” he said.

Hill added he enjoys the individual aspect of golf where if something needs to be changed in the middle of a round he can make adjustments on his own. However, he said he did like this taste of being with a partner on the course.

The six-member team is made up of players from around the province but Hill said there wasn’t any difficulty in getting along with each other.

“I knew all of them and we’re all friends which made the bonding a lot better than it would if you didn’t know anybody. It was really good. I holed out for eagle on one hole and my partner was more excited than I was. I was happy, but I wasn’t jumping up and down.”

As the season winds down Hill is involved in a variety of individual events and he is getting set to compete in the high school provincials at the end of September.

At the end of his school days Hill said he’d like to continue to play the game at the university level maybe south of the border.

Right now he’s working on his mental focus but he’s also putting in two to three hours of practice six days a week on the physical part of the game.

“I try to balance it but mostly just practice (as opposed to playing),” he said. “I will try out some shots I don’t have access to on the course.”

Once the snow flies though the game of golf sticks with him in order for him to keep his competitive edge.

“I do cross-fit and I hit balls but I’m going to try to go down south this year and maybe play in some tournaments.”

The long-range plans may still be a ways off from being finalized, but the immediate future is very clear in his mind.

“I just want to play consistent the next few weeks and finish on a good note.”

Sounds like a good plan.

sports@reddeerexpress.com