By Maddy Gillner ’22 News Reporter
Every person has a passion, whether it’s chemistry, sports, painting, or something else entirely. For Luke Thompson ‘21, a student new to Mercersburg, that passion is golf. Last year, Thompson qualified for the Public School State Championship in golf as a sophomore. And he’s doing just as well this year.
Thompson has had a remarkable season so far, despite getting injured over the summer. According to head golf coach Doug Smith, Thompson practiced so much over the summer that got a stress fracture in his back. But that hasn’t stopped him or even slowed him down. Thompson was able to start practicing for about a week into the season, and after two weeks he had completely recovered. Almost directly afterward, he was shooting only one or two over par. In fact, he shot under par during his first match at Whitetail, a feat which Smith said he’s witnessed only four or five times in his eight years at Mercersburg.
Thomson stated, “I’ve felt pretty good. I took a lot of time to make sure I was able to play this season and help the team out.” He hasn’t let the injury—or his golf skills—get to his head. Thompson is very humble; he would never boast about his skills, and he cares more about the team than himself. Smith says, “Despite being such a good golfer, you wouldn’t know until you watched him play.” Fellow golfer Kenneth Yonke ‘22 agrees. He said that Thompson makes a great addition to the team, “helping you with techniques on the range,” as well as just being “a really fun person to have around.”
It should come as no surprise that Thompson feels right at home at Mercersburg. “My transition has been good,” he said. “The team has really helped me out with this.” He listed coach Smith, along with team captains Jack Mitchell ‘20 and Henry O’Brien ‘20, as people who helped make his transition easier.
Right now, Thompson has shot an average of 38.7 on courses with par 36. Smith said, “Having such a consistent number one golfer takes the pressure off everyone else and adds a lot of depth and a lot of strength to the lineup.” And Smith is even more excited for what Thompson will do in the future. He said, “When all is said and done, I think Luke is going to be one of the top one or two golfers the school has had.” Thompson, on the other hand, wants to focus on his own game, not his overall ranking. “There is always room for improvement,” said Thompson, “and I just want to keep getting better.” Yonke, too, knows that Thompson can go far as a player. He said, “Luke is going to do a much better job next year, and this year he’s done an incredible job.”