Lucius Niesen, 13, of Scotts Valley, who took up golf to be like his dad, has become legendary in the junior golf world.
On Dec. 3, he posted one of the best performances in the 16-year history of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s National Championship in Orlando, Florida.
He shot an 8-under 64 on an incredibly difficult Panther Lake Course, including 6 birdies on the Back 9.
“Simply legendary. And quite deserving of the title of #HJGT National Champion,” the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour posted on Instagram.
Asked about the key to his success, Lucius said in a past-match interview, “The putting. I had a pretty good pace and sometimes they fall in, you know.”
He had expected to finish four or five strokes under par, “but hey sometimes they fall in, like I said,” and his face broke into a grin.
Three players shot 3-under to tie for third.
In August, Lucius was one of 20 boys selected to play in the Van Horn Cup Worlds Championship.
Fellow golfer Bento Assis posted about that:
“What a great experience to play in the Van Horn Cup! Team Event: Best Ball, Stroke Play. I’m glad to be representing Brazil in this prestigious tournament. I played with my friend Lucius Niesen against @theconnorwolfe and @coledurhamgolf . It was a great match with a ton of emotions until the last hole. The game ended tied with -5. What a cool trophy!”
Lucius’ father Travis is a police sergeant and his mom Bonnie is a math teacher.
He has an older sister, Liberty.
See Lucius’ post-match interview at: https://youtu.be/phc08kJIH5E
Photos Credit: Bonnie Niesen