MIHS boys golfers compete at national invitational

Published 2:30 pm Thursday, July 24, 2025

Mercer Island High School (MIHS) head boys golf coach Nick Baker’s voice was brimming with excitement when he described what the Islanders accomplished two days earlier.

Five local linksters finished tied for 19th out of 55 teams at the PGA High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina from July 20-22. He was thrilled to say that it was MIHS’s best-ever finish at a boys national golf event.

After the Islanders notched first place at the 3A state tournament in May, the Board of Governors of the PGA National High School Golf Association invited the squad to participate in the prestigious event.

So, golfers Alex Harwood, Jack Besecker, Ryan Jacobson, Yijoon Seo and Lucas Kornylo packed their bags and journeyed across the country to take on some of the nation’s best high school golfers. They were accompanied by Baker and assistant coach Ben Halter at the invitational.

Rising senior Seo led the locals by finishing tied for 47th with a final tally of 75-75-69-219 during the three-day tournament on three different courses. He shot a three-under-par 69 in the final round.

Recent graduate Besecker tied for 50th with scores of 71-77-72-220 and rising senior Harwood tied for 65th with scores of 67-75-79-221. Baker said that recent grad Jacobson and rising junior Kornylo became more consistent throughout the tourney and fought back the final day to score 79 and 80, respectively.

Baker singled out Harwood’s five-under-par 67 and Besecker’s one-under-par 71 rounds as solid performances.

As for Seo’s stellar performance, the coach said, “He hasn’t broken par yet up until this tournament. I’ve been encouraging him all year, telling him that he’s way too good not to be shooting under par, and that’s the truth. I knew that he was going to break it eventually. I thought it was going to happen a lot earlier in the year, but for it to happen at Pinehurst in the national championship on the very last day, and he shot 69 three-under-par, that was really, really special.”

Seo said he was ecstatic after shooting big during his final round. His mental game came to the forefront and pushed aside any struggles he had the previous two days. It was all about focusing on the same spot and the exact shot, he added.

“I really peaked on that day and played to my potential, which I would say I didn’t do for an entire year,” he said. “I honestly think I could do it again right now. I think my experience is an unforgettable memory that will never be recreated, even if we go to nationals next year again.”

One memorable shot for Seo on the final day was when he nailed a birdie on the 15th hole. After striking the best three-wood shot of his life from about 235 yards out — from the rough, uphill and into the wind — the ball landed eight feet from the hole. An eagle wasn’t to be, but he sank the birdie putt.

Highlights off the course in North Carolina for Seo were playing poker at night with his teammates, sharing laughs and eating meals at restaurants.

“Those guys, we’ve been with them for an entire year. I’ve played with some of those guys for three, four, five years. And I would say it’s probably the highlight of my life,” he said.

Baker soaked up the Pinehurst history while the Islanders spent eight days at the legendary resort alongside the other teams, which included Newport High School from Bellevue. Team MIHS made the most of the trip by also shooting three practice rounds.

“It’s just sort of a magical place. You can feel the history in the air as you’re walking all throughout the venue. You can’t help but think of all the great players that have been there before you: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Walter Hagen,” Baker said. “It was in just an incredible setting, which is a fantastic place to have a tournament and to have this trip to cap off our phenomenal year after winning state.”