Sophomore Graham Hutchinson won the state golf tournament at the University of Maryland golf course with a final score of 141.

Hutchinson got off to a hot start, finishing day one with 69 strokes, enough to put him in first place going into day two. He secured his lead finishing with 72 strokes. This put him four swings ahead of the second place finisher.

Hutchinson says the good start was essential to his victory.

“When I get off to good starts like this it definitely takes a bit of pressure off of me when I am trying to win the tournament,” he said.

His rigorous training regiment was also crucial to his title.  Hutchinson practiced two hours a day during the week and up to five hours on weekends. He lives at the Congressional Country Club to make it easier to practice.

This season Hutchinson has been extremely consistent, scoring the highest at both district championships and the high school invitational. He used the momentum he had from earlier success to help gain confidence for states.

“I wanted to keep the streak rolling and I was feeling good about my game,” he said. “I had established that I was the man to beat and carried that confidence into states.”

Hutchinson hopes to have a future in golf, looking to get a division one scholarship, and eventually turn his passion into a career.

“Following college I will be thinking about turning professional and making my way onto the PGA tour,” he said. “This has been my dream since I first started playing tournaments when I was 8.”