It was a tough exit.
Tapped by every knowledgeable golf source to cruise into the state tournament, Gibault senior Steve Souchek fell at sectionals, missing out on the Illinois championships for the first time in his career.
“It was just one of those days and it happens to everybody,” Souchek said. “When you aren’t hitting the ball great, you aren’t getting many bounces, you aren’t having much luck at all, it is hard to play golf.
“I didn’t give up at all. I tried everything I could to keep it within reach, but it was just one of those days. I was putting atrociously, so that didn’t help either. It was just bad.”
The brass at John A. Logan Junior College knew better than to judge Souchek by his final round and brought him into the Volunteers’ fold.
A kind word in the ear of coach Tom Ferris didn’t hurt, either.
“My freshman year I played at sectional and state with a kid who went to Trico named Jamie Stock,” Souchek said. “He was friends with (Gibault players) Jeff and Spencer Harrison and he ended up going to Logan.
“Jamie was a senior and I was paired with him in the first group at state. The Logan coach was watching him and he saw me as a freshman and I am pretty sure since then he has had an eye on me. Jamie put a good word in for me and that helped, too.”
The layout of Logan is much the same as the cozy confines of his alma mater in Waterloo.
“It is similar to Gibault, so it isn’t a huge transition,” Souchek said. “But it is also big like a college. They don’t have dorms, so I get to stay in an apartment and I don’t have to get crunched into a little space for two years. I can move around. They have great practice facilities, too.”
In a very real way, the Harrisons are responsible for Souchek’s success. The laid-back, laconic brother act led the Hawks to the state tournament in Souchek’s first two seasons of high-school golf and made sure their young pal played his part.
“Going into Gibault I was OK, but I wasn’t a prodigy or anything,” Souchek said. “I would shoot 38 every time I teed it up. About two weeks into the season (the Harrisons) told me that they needed more out of me and to get better. They practiced with me the rest of the year.
“They basically just pushed me to play as well as I could and not get too excited when good things happen or too down when bad things happen. They were the best I know at keeping an even keel.”
That first year, Souchek drew a line in the sand at sectionals and helped the Hawks to second-place honors at state.
“We had bad conditions at the regional my freshman year and I shot a 76, which wasn’t terrible," Souchek said. "But then at sectional I shot 72, which helped us get a school record for team score. That was big.”
In Souchek’s sophomore season, with Jeff Harrison graduated, the team fell out of the running. But Souchek finished eighth overall as an individual. The next year he climbed the ladder even higher and finished runner-up in Illinois.
“Both of those summers I played in a lot of tournaments and played well, but not great,” Souchek said. “All that golf gets to you and during the regular seasons I didn’t play well, but I turned it on when the postseason came.”
Souchek was born to play golf and he would have played, and probably excelled, no matter which school he attended. But there is no question that his path was blazed clear, and his game honed to a razor-sharp edge, by his time at Gibault.
“I learned how to win,” Souchek said. “Before that I had won a couple of tournaments, but once I joined the Harrisons we took second in state and won pretty much every match we played together. I pretty much medaled in every match after that. I learned how to practice better and use my time better.
“If I had gone to any other school and not gotten to play with the Harrisons, I don’t think I would have gotten any of that. I think I am a better player because of it.”
