By Catherine Garrett | [email protected]

Corner Canyon High golfer Caysen Wright received a text from head coach Derek Fox a year ago prior to a tournament that the then-junior saved and has used as motivation ever since. “You can be the best player in the state if you want to be,” was the message from Fox. 

Message received. 

The senior dropped nearly eight shots off his scoring average through this season and he emerged as the state’s best in 6A after two rounds of 69 at the state tournament at Soldier Hollow Oct. 5-6. Wright edged Layton’s Tysen Diaz and Lone Peak’s Brandon Ashworth by one stroke.

“Caysen played so steady and just kept taking one shot at a time,” Fox said. “He worked his butt off and was well prepared with a great game plan that he kept trusting. He simply went out to play golf and wanted his competitors to look at his score. It was pretty awesome and a nice proud coach moment.”

The son of Brett Wright of South Jordan and Jennilyn Wright of West Jordan said he felt going in that he had a “decent chance to do well” even after being four shots off the lead after the first day. 

“I just wanted to play free,” he said. “I felt like I was close to the lead the second day, but I kept telling myself to pretend that I was two or three shots back. I found out later that even when I thought I was still behind, I was actually tied for the lead. I still can’t believe I won! It’s crazy!”

On the final day, Wright overcame a bogey on the second hole to birdie the third and hole a 40-footer for eagle at No. 4. After a “needed bogey” at 15, according to the senior, he “pounded” his drive at the 16th hole to within 15 feet of the pin, which he holed for another eagle.

“After I buried two par putts to finish my round, my teammates told me that I was tied for the lead,” Wright said. “I couldn’t believe it and then I had the most stressful hour waiting for the others to finish playing. I was preparing to go to a playoff, but when it was all said and done, I had won and my teammates started freaking out and tackling me.”

Wright’s finish along with a tie for 15th place from junior Jackson Mauss helped the Chargers take third overall at state, 22 shots back of champion Lone Peak. Also competing at state for Corner Canyon was Maddox Vincent and Zach Labrum, who tied for 30th place, Harrison Dana who placed in a tie for 39th and Coda Anderson who tied for 64th.

“I’m so proud of these guys,” Fox said. “We seemed a bit nervous the first day and everyone seemed to settle in the second day.” 

Also on the CCHS golf team this year were Academic All-State recipient Jacob Branca along with fellow seniors Tanner Boyle, Samuel Goold and Jake Kartchner; juniors Jantzen Anderson, Jaxon Barlow, Caleb Beardall and Jack Sexton; sophomores McKray Briggs, Gavin Dosch, Alex Edwards, Jake Harker and Joshua Sampson; and freshmen Wilson Broadbent, Jackson Gale, Crew Kartchner, Davis King, Saxton Mcknight, Alexander Neeley, McKay Neyman and Hayden Trujillo.

Wright has been playing golf for more than seven years and spends hours on the course each day. “I became really obsessed with the satisfaction of hitting a good shot and the creativity you could have in golf from shot to shot,” he said.

The senior has played with Corner Canyon’s program for the past two seasons after moving from Texas his sophomore year. He earned All-State honors last season as the Chargers’ top golfer, placing in a tie for seventh place at the 6A tournament at Meadowbrook.

At state this year, Wright worked through several challenges including coming in with a lack of confidence in his putting. “Coach [Jordan] Bloxham took a silver sharpie and made a line on my Spider Tour putter. If he doesn’t put that line on there, I don’t win state,” Wright said, giving credit to that change for being able to hole two putts from over 40 feet on the final day, among other key par putts.

Wright also battled through medication struggles with his ADHD, an unsettled stomach from Mexican food the night before the final round, changing balls throughout his last 18 holes, dealing with a drone flying overhead on the 18th tee and nearly not using his trusted orange monkey head golf cover—made by his grandma Jodi—as he began second-guessing himself about trying to “not be too flashy.”

He credits Fox, Bloxham, current BYU golfer Kelton Hirsch, his grandpa “Pops” Smith and his CCHS teammates for their genuine support and influence on his golf game.

“I’ve been grinding the physical part out, but I felt like I finally turned a page with the mental aspect of the game because of some great mentors,” Wright said. “I’ve focused on self-belief talk, meditation, positive affirmation and setting goals shot by shot in taking my game to a different level.”

Wright is looking to play golf in college with his sights ultimately set on the PGA tour.