St. Clair setting example of perseverance and drive for QHS golf teammates to follow

QUINCY — Hunter St. Clair sees his game improving daily. He wants his younger teammates to see that as well and follow suit.

The Quincy High School junior golfer played the back nine Saturday in 1-over 36 and closed his round of 4-over 75 with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to secure a top-10 finish in the 75th Quincy Invitational at Westview Golf Course.

The youthful Blue Devils played a man short as sophomore Ty Novosel was ill and couldn’t come to the course, and they struggled with consistency, finishing 14th in the 16-team field with a 454 total. Still, St. Clair believes something significant is brewing with this group.

“My goal is to set an example for these guys so that hopefully by next year we can look better as a team,” St. Clair said. “We’re not that bad right now. There is definitely a lot of potential on the team. So if I can do my best to play well, I can lead by example. That’s the goal.”

His sticktoitiveness should resonate.

Playing in the No. 1 group off the No. 1 tee, St. Clair was even par through six holes before suffering three consecutive bogeys to close the front nine. He regrouped and made a push to climb the leaderboard.

“I hit it really well,” St. Clair said. “I wish a couple more putts would have went. I didn’t putt bad, but I couldn’t really get one to fall.”

Still, it gave him top-20 finishes in back-to-back seasons in the Blue Devils’ signature event.

“It’s good to hear a QHS name up there,” St. Clair said.

He’s confident his game can keep him on the leaderboard as the season progresses.

“It’s starting to get better,” St. Clair said. “I had a couple rough tournaments to start off, but I’m starting to see things going in the right direction. The putter is starting to heat up. The ball striking is better. Hopefully things are on an upswing.”