Hayden Woelk constantly finds himself answering some version of the same question from competitors whenever he plays in a golf tournament.
 
“Are you ever not in the fairway?”
 
The answer is yes, Woelk does occasionally land a shot in the rough. But it doesn’t happen often. And while Woelk, who stands just 5-foot-7, isn’t one of the big hitters in Colorado high school golf, his consistency and cerebral approach to a sport that requires mental fortitude in order to be elite has him among the early contenders for the 2021 championship in Class 5A.
 
“At state last year, it kind of opened my eyes that I could play with those guys,” said Woelk, who tied for seventh place in Class 5A last fall. “I’d love to be back in that same spot or maybe even a little better. I’m definitely not one the biggest guys out there, but golf is about who can put the ball in the hole and I’m pretty good at that.”
 
Hitting fairways, greens and putting is the name of the game, and Woelk kicked of the 2021 season doing all those things at the Doherty Spartan Invite last Monday. The Lancers senior won the season-opening tournament for the second year in a row, carding a 2-under 69 at Colorado Springs Country Club. The round was his personal best to date, which left Woelk feeling confident going into a season that will end with the 5A state tournament being played right back where he started at the same course.
 
Woelk has a knack for staying in the moment and focusing on the next shot, which has served him well throughout his prep career. This season, he’s also focused on the Lancers’ potential as a team. With three strong golfers and a couple up-and-comers on the roster, Woelk says the Liberty team has high expectations for the 2021 campaign and he wants to make sure he does his part to facilitate the group’s success on top of his own. 
 
“I’m trying to just be a good leader, especially to the younger guys,” Woelk said. “I think we have a really good group and I think our goal would be to make state as a team because we haven’t done that in a while. We were pretty close last year and we’ll just have to all play well as a team because we’ve all gotten better.”
 
Off to a hot start and with faith in his Lancers teammates, Woelk is certainly excited for the upcoming boys golf season. That type of confidence from its leader also has Liberty head coach Joel Babbitt feeling pretty good about the team’s potential, as well as what his No. 1 golfer might be capable of in 2021.
 
“I’ve actually known Hayden and his family for a long time,” Babbit said. “Almost every time he walks out there for a varsity competition, he’s the smallest guy on the course. Now don’t get me wrong, he can poke it pretty far. But he’s not with the big guys. His game is all about hitting fairways, hitting greens and he can make putts. He’s an undersized guy but he has a lot of confidence in himself. 
 
“He’s not arrogant, but he knows he can make the shots.”
 
Whatever happens at the end of the season, Woelk certainly expects to be right there competing with the big boys. Right where he belongs.