Pressure? What pressure?
That’s what Marmion senior Regan Konen could have been thinking on Oct. 19 after winning a three-man playoff to defend his Class 2A state title at Illinois State University’s Weibring Golf Club.
His tap-in birdie putt on a second extra hole capped a season-long performance that cemented his legacy as one of his school’s legendary players.
The 6-foot-3, 160-pound Konen took first place in eight of 10 tournaments the Cadets played and second in the other two.
His early tournament experiences in youth golf were quite different, however.
“I got my butt kicked all the time as a little kid,” Konen said. “I was never this 7-year-old prodigy — not even close. It was a long journey, and I just tried to get better each year.
“I remember being at my uncle’s house and having a plastic club in my hand. My uncle is a Ping rep. I’ve wanted to be a professional golfer since first or second grade.”
The most pressure he felt this season actually came on a nine-hole outing that proved to be a personal audition at The Glen Club in front of an audience of two — Marquette golf coach Steve Bailey and Jordan Niebrugge, his assistant.
Konen followed up last year’s state title with a strong summer, including a first-place finish with a 10-under-par in the 36-hole stroke play portion of the Chick Evans, the Illinois Junior Golf Association’s premiere event.
He did well in several out-of-state events, too, and had a full-ride offer from Division I Butler in hand. But his longtime dream school had been Marquette.
He regularly texted updates last summer to Bailey, who was interested but hadn’t seen Konen play in person.
“It was me on my own island and they were watching,” Konen said. “It was stressful, and I felt like my next four years were on the line. I had some good holes. I had some bad ones.”
Adding to the stress were the conditions. Hurricane Helene had made landfall in Florida the day before, and winds here were gusting up to 40 mph.
He struggled on No. 8, then had to hit into the teeth of the wind on a long par-3 ninth.
“It was 210 yards but playing 240-245,” Konen said. “I just stepped up and ripped a 3-iron right on the green and almost made birdie. He really loved to see that.
“One bad hole happens, and you still know you can hit that great shot.”
Konen received his dream offer on the walk back to the clubhouse. He officially signed Wednesday.
“I felt so bad having to tell the Butler coach,” Konen said. “It sucks turning down somebody offering you such a great opportunity.”
Konen credited much of his success to growing up playing the Aurora Country Club, where his parents, Brian and Ann, were members. He also caddies there.
“The greens are quick and tough,” he said. “They definitely taught me about being above the hole and how you had to hit certain shots to specific spots.
“If you’re not in the right spot out here, you’re going to learn to not go there again.”
Individual lessons, first with Greg Baresel and then with Connie DeMattia at Cantigny Golf, were big influences. And so has Marmion coach Lou Solarte, who’s the director of instruction at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville.
Solarte worked with PGA Tour pro Kevin Streelman when he was Konen’s age.
“Regan and his game are ahead of what Kevin was at the time,” Solarte said. “Regan is just so focused, nothing really rattles him.”
Regan attributed both of his state titles to working with Solarte.
“How lucky is that, to have a PGA professional as your high school coach?” Brian Konen said.
Regan Konen’s steady improvement has continued through four years of high school with his freshman average of 77.8 strokes for 18 holes dropping to 74, 71.6 and 68.8 this past season.
“Dropping from 78 to 68 in four years is pretty impressive,” Solarte said. “I liken him to a baby giraffe. In college, he’s going to put on 40 pounds of muscle. There’s no telling how far the ball can go.”
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