When Todd Duncan graduated from Shady Spring High School in 2021, he had a plenty of hardware sitting on his shelf at home.
As a freshman, Duncan had opened many eyes around the state when he finished top-5 in the Class AAA individual championship at the state tournament in Wheeling.
When the Tigers were reclassified to Class AA, Duncan won the AA individual golf championship title in both his junior and senior seasons.
His senior year included a team championship in golf and basketball where he earned all-tournament honors.
While he loved basketball, golf was the sport that ultimately took him to the next level.
It not only took him to the next level, golf landed him at the school he had long dreamed of playing, West Virginia University.
Now the question becomes, can his days at WVU take Duncan to the top of the amateur ranks and possibly professional golf?
Of course, only time will tell, but after one year wearing the gold and blue, Duncan himself admits he is already a different player.
“It definitely matured my game. If you don’t have your best, you still need to get into the clubhouse as close as you can to even par,” Duncan said. “My ball striking is unbelievably better. I feel like I have gotten a lot better from college (golf) with the experience of (battling) players that are better than me. BIG 12 play is unbelievably hard. If you don’t get better playing in that conference, it is on you and not anyone else.”
Getting better was keyed by the fact that Duncan was able to make the adjustment to college life and all of its demands.
The perks of playing Division I golf didn’t hurt either.
“I had a great time last year. My teammates were awesome and I had a lot of good times. We would get up, get on a plane and go down south. It would be snowing in West Virginia and we are in Miami, Fla. playing golf, so that is nice,” Duncan said, smiling. “I will be going back at the beginning of August for my sophomore year. Hopefully a good year is waiting for me.”
Before he heads back to Morgantown, Duncan looks to keep the winning momentum going when he plays in the 103rd W.Va. Amateur later this month at the Greenbrier.
When asked about his keys to success in the Am, a year’s worth of college experience comes pouring out.
“I have to get my mindset into making pars. If you can limit your bogeys, you are going to play good golf down there. If I go out there and make 18 pars, I can’t be mad,” Duncan said. “If I shoot even par for all four days I will be in the top-5. It’s all about going out there and keeping a level head, attack the pins when they come to you and make birdies. I need to get around the golf course as easy and as simple as possible. I think I have a shot if I just play well and keep it together.”
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This past weekend at the Mountain State Golf Classic, you didn’t have to walk far to find current and former Shady Spring standout athletes playing golf.
One of those Tiger alums was all-state guard Tommy Williams.
The fact that Williams found his way onto the golf course is no big surprise when you consider he was also an all-state baseball player.
“I have been playing golf ever since I started working at Glade Springs back when I was a junior in high school,” Williams said. “I have been playing a lot ever since then and I love it. It is something I do a lot.”
While he has been the consummate team player on the court and on the diamond, the links provides a different challenge and a different reward for Williams.
“In golf you have to rely more on yourself and not other people,” Williams said. “That is kind of what I like about it. It is all on you and you can’t blame it on anybody else.”
Williams fared well over the three-day tournament, playing himself into the first flight.
Once he graduates college, Williams will only get better at golf, but for now basketball is his main focus.
During his sophomore season last year, Williams averaged 10.4 points per game for Glenville State. His best night came against Fairmont State where he poured in 24 points, making half of his 10 attempts from behind the arc.
The fact that his best effort came against the Falcons comes with a slight touch of irony.
“I loved Glenville, but we just had a bunch of people in the (transfer) portal,” Williams said. “I was in the portal about a week or two and Fairmont texted me. I went to take visit and I loved it.”
Fairmont State is hoping Williams can provide them with the same magic that he showed in their meeting last February.
“It was an easy transition. The location was big and I really liked the culture around there. I felt really welcome there,” Williams said. “They are a winning program and always have been. I like the way they play and it kind of fits my game.”
