Eagan golfer poised to keep it fun for

Always a good golfer, Nick Kuchera really started to excel when he, well, stopped caring so much.

As an Eagan freshman and sophomore, Kuchera felt pressure to shoot low scores for talented, veteran teams.

"I definitely felt pressure to go out and play well. We had a bunch of good players back then so I guess it wasn't really my team," said Kuchera, now a senior and the team's bona fide No. 1 player. "Now, I'd say it's more of my team so I just go out there and try to have a good time and keep the guys in a good mindset."

The bulk of Kuchera's athletic attention and resources are spent on and around the hockey rink. He and his brother, Derick, helped lead the Wildcats to their second consecutive state hockey tournament this past March. Both will play junior hockey next season.

When Nick decided to focus more on hockey, it took his golf game to another -- and more peaceful -- level.

"I've started to have a little more fun with golf, and I think that's kind of helped me in a way, too," said Nick, who grew up golfing mostly with his brother and their father. "As I got less serious about it, I think it's helped me take all the pressure off me. Mentally, I'm more focused and relaxed out there. I think I just go out there and play and have a good time now."

Nick Kuchera took home section medalist honors two weeks ago, putting together a two-round score of 143 at Keller and Bunker Hills. He finished eight strokes ahead of the second-place finisher while leading the Wildcats to the team section title. He finished third overall in the competitive South Suburban Conference and has made an appearance in the top-10 individual state rankings this season.

"He's pretty level-headed. He's one of those guys that at the golf course you have a hard time telling how he's playing," Johnson said. "Instead of hanging his head, Nick focuses on what he needs to do to get better to change the momentum, instead of demonstrating it by showing everybody poor body language. It shows."

Eagan carries talent into the Class 3A state tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday. But the team still has yet to reach its full potential. It locked up the section championship with a four-player score of 315 at Keller and 311 at Bunker Hills, good enough for a five-stroke cushion ahead of East Ridge. That's been typical, Johnson said. The Wildcats have been in the 310 to 320 range all year.

Reed Becker has shot mid to high 70s and started coming on toward the end of the regular season. Ryan Punch, Drew Bauer, Christian Butler and Derick Kuchera can shoot in the low 80s. Johnson is waiting for four of his players to put together solid rounds on the same day.

With Nick Kuchera playing consistent golf, maybe his calm demeanor will rub off on teammates as they enter a high-powered state tournament field this week.