Teen sets new course record at Wing Pt.

BHS junior Austin Hurt shoots a 61 in preparation for fall’s prep golf campaign.

Austin Hurt is quite modest when talking about his accomplishments on the golf course.

“It’s nothing to write home about,” he said, smiling. “It was just a ho-hum round.”

But his final score of 61, shot July 23 at Wing Point Golf and Country Club, set a new course record, besting the previous holder, former Bainbridge High School and St. Mary’s College star Joe Lanza’s 63 by two strokes.

Wing Point golf pro Dave Tunkkari said the course is not an easy one.

“You don’t hear of a high school kid coming in and shooting 61,” he said. “He keeps shooting like that, he’s gonna make a lot more money.”

Hurt, who is a scratch player – meaning he plays without a handicap – shot three under for the front nine, then turned it on in the last nine holes as he went seven under to finish 10 under par.

The 6,000-plus-yard layout is par 71.

“Everything was falling for me,” Hurt said. “All the putts were going in. It was a fun day.”

Hurt said he wouldn’t make the record-setting round “a big deal,” although the country club took his picture and may frame it along with his scorecard.

“I have a lot of respect for the kid who set it before me,” Hurt said. “They were saying the course was set up a little easier the day that I shot it, (but) it’s a tough course. You gotta hit the ball in the right spots and you gotta make the putts.”

Tunkkari, whose personal best on the course is a 63, praised Hurt’s round.

“He’s a very talented player,” said Tunkkari, who has watched Hurt play for the 10 years he has been the course pro. “We’ve had people shoot 66, 65 before, but 61 is blowing it out of the ballpark.”

The junior-to-be, who helped the Bainbridge High School golf team win a state championship earlier this year, recently finished fourth in the Washington State Junior Golf Championship.