Tyler Lippert’s golf game is picking up momentum.
As the Mason County grad enters his junior year at Eastern Kentucky University, Lippert has strung together a couple solid week of golf as he was a semifinalist in the KGA Match Play Championships this week, preceded by a qualifying spot at the Kentucky Open at the end of the month last Friday.
“I’m putting a lot better than I have in the past few months or so. It’s starting to click with my swing like back in high school and I’m getting my game back where it needs to be,” Lippert said.
The Match Play Tournament played at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond is something different for Lippert, normally playing in stroke play tournaments. But he may be on to something…he got to the quarterfinals last year and followed it up with a semifinal exit this year, falling to Rob Crockett 4 & 2. Getting to that point, Lippert knocked off Jonathan Ice 1 up, Cooper Collins 1 up and Kevin Waldie 3 & 1. The win over Collins stood out to Lippert the most, Morehead State’s top golfer.
“I’m honestly not really a fan of match play. You have to make a bunch of birdies to advance where I’m consistent, make pars and throw in a couple of birdies here and there. I’m shocked, I didn’t expect to do this good,” Lippert said.
The Kentucky Open spot was earned when he fired a 2-under 70 at Winchester Country Club. He also earned a State Amateur spot this summer when he fired a 68 at Northern Kentucky Golf Club, a place that brings back some good memories with an 8th Region title his senior year.
“That was my best round this summer, most put together round. It definitely brings back some good memories playing there,” Lippert said.
The 2015 8th Region champ hopes to be back his old form when the fall season rolls around with the Colonels. His first two years as a Colonel on the course was a bit of a learning curve.
“I feel like I’ve grown up and have learned to attack golf courses properly. When to attack, when not to attack. In high school I didn’t make a bunch of mistakes, in college I wanted to work on some different things and got away from the kind of player I was,” Lippert said.
If he’s back to his old self, the one that claimed back-to-back top 10 finishes at the state tournament and consecutive first team All-State honors, good things could be in store in Richmond the next two years.
The Colonels enter the 2018 Fall Session currently without a coach as Pat Stephens resigned after 21 seasons with the team, effective at the end of July. Their first tournament comes in the second week of September, so a new hire seems like it would be soon.
Regardless of who’s at the helm, Lippert’s expectations remain the same.
“If I’m not in the top five I’ll be disappointed in myself. The first two years were a big adjustment for me. You’re on your own, you have to practice on your own. You don’t have your parents or anyone else to push and motivate you,” Lippert said. “I had a lot of growing up to do. Golf at this level is really difficult. It’s not like high school, you have to be at par or better in college to win.”
For the rest of the summer, Lippert plans to play in the Laurel Oaks Open next weekend followed by the Kentucky Open that starts July 31 at Harmony Landing in Goshen, a course where Lippert fired at 1-over 72 during the Kentucky Invitational Tournament his senior year in high school.
Academically, Lippert is in good shape as he expects to try and graduate in three and half years with a major in risk management in insurance with a minor in finance.
