After a successful sophomore season with three top 25 finishes and one of the best stroke averages on the team, Wyoming native and UW golfer Eddie Stewart is this week’s Student Athlete of the Week.
“It was very cool to get this honor, but to be honest I thought I never would be selected,” said Stewart. “But I am very excited about it and having it just gives me that much more motivation to improvement.”
Stewart played high school at Jackson Hole High School where he lettered three times. During his sophomore and junior seasons he was the Western 3A conference golf champion. He also was named All-State and All-Conference his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.
During his senior year, Stewart attended Saddlebrook Preparatory School and the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy where he earned hardest worker and leadership awards. He was a member of the 3A State Champion Jackson Hole High School ski team his junior year and was named All-State the same year in skiing. Stewart showed great success in the classroom and made honor roll all four years.
“Playing in college is obviously a lot more different than high school play,” he said. “It’s a lot more demanding and a lot harder competition. But the fact that it has provided me with more of a challenge has only made me a better player. I might not be winning as many tournaments as I did in high school, but that just makes me work that much harder.”
As a junior, Stewart has earned many honorable titles for himself and for his team. During his sophomore season, he earned the Cowboys’ second-best stroke average for the season. He averaged 74.97 strokes per round while also shooting Wyoming’s low round of the season at 67 (-5). During the spring of 2012 he recorded two top-30 finishes. In the fall of 2011, he began playing excellent golf recording three top-25 finishes in the first four tournaments of the fall, including a top-10 and top-20 finish.
Stewart also had an excellent start to the 2012 fall season winning his first collegiate event while helping the Cowboys to their first event victory since 2000. At the Battle in the Tetons, Stewart put together three under-par rounds on his way to a five-shot victory. Stewart shot rounds of 68 (-4), 69 (-3) and 71 (-1) for a three-round total of 208 (-8), which tied for the third-best tournament score in Cowboy history. After five tournaments in the fall, Stewart carried the Cowboys second-best stroke average of 74.33.
“This season is coming along as far as progress goes,” said Stewart. “We’ve had a bit of a rough start especially because we are at the disadvantage with Wyoming weather. I think as we have our next couple tournaments coming up though, we’re bound for major improvement.”
Looking to continue playing golf through his senior year while earning a degree in International Studies, Stewart has many things he would like to achieve after his time competing for the brown and gold.
“I really like school and I’ve always done my best to be the best student I can be. It’s been a real learning experience learning how to balance school and sport which has helped me mature as a player and as a person.”
Having many ups and downs in his time spent playing for the Cowboys, Stewart shared his knowledge concerning student athletes having a successful collegiate career.
“Be patient and be willing to learn. Your freshman year will always be tough because you have so much to adapt to. But you eventually get in the swing of things and learn so much about yourself and about what it takes to be the player you always hoped you’d be.”
