Athlete of the Month

The Brewer High School varsity golf team is making a return trip to the state Class A golf team championships this year. Mike Allan is a big reason why.

Allan has compiled a 13-1-1 record in is year and has led the Brewer Witches to a 14-1 record. The 17-year-old senior has also qualified to compete in his third Maine Schoolboy Individual Championship in four years.

His accomplishments this season and contributions to his team’s success have earned him the designation as Midweek’s Athlete of the Month for October and the first Athlete of the Month for this school year.

“I’d rank him right up there in the top 10 out of all the golfers I’ve coached,” said John Norris, now in his 22nd year as Brewer’s golf coach. “He’s a great kid, very coachable.”

Allan has been the No. 1 or No. 2 golfer on the team for the last three years, and is averaging a score of 37.5 for nine holes. His best score for 18 holes in practice this year was a 65.

Norris further explained that Allan’s temperament and his ability to forget his bad shots and move on to the next one have been keys to his great season.

Allan credits his success this season to playing regularly with more experienced golfers in Maine State Golf Association (MSGA) tournaments and an improved outlook.

“I didn’t worry about my mistakes like I did last year,” said Allan. “I relaxed more and had fun instead.”

Norris and Allan both said the strongest part of Allan’s game was his long game – his driving and long irons. Both agreed that chipping and putting are the areas that need the most work.

Allan has played in a lot of MSGA tournaments this year, and he has won his share as well. He has finished first in his division four times and won almost $300 in merchandise.

His success in the MSGA tourneys came as a bit of a surprise to Allan, despite playing in them for four years. His success during this high school season, however, has not been much of a surprise to him.

“I expected to do well this year,” Allan said, “but my average is better than I thought it would be.”

His success in MSGA tourneys has bolstered his hopes to one day play on the Ben Hogan Tour – an alternative professional golf tour to the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour.

He has already gained a lot of experience playing on different golf courses around this country and abroad. He was one of only two players from Maine to qualify for a tourney in Fort Worth, Texas. He has also played in England and Scotland.

Allan’s main goals for this year have been to help get Brewer back to the state team championships and to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish in the individual tournament.

“Coach hasn’t won a state championship yet,” said Allan. “He lost one by only a stroke one year, so I’d really like to help get him one before he stops coaching.”

After finishing third in the individual championship his freshman year, Allan intends to rebound from two disappointing seasons. He was fifth his sophomore year and he did not qualify last year.

Allan plans to go on to college and play on a varsity golf team. He is interested in going to a southern college, possibly one with a golf management program.