Mr. Golf: P.J. Maybank of Cheboygan
Plus All-State Players Named in all Divisions
By Tom Lang
P.J. Maybank has spent all his Junior golfing life on the road and playing solo in tournaments from Michigan to Florida and a few others elsewhere – including one national win in three trips to compete at Augusta National in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Championship.
Despite all the accolades, ‘solo’ was the key phrase he wanted to adjust.
Maybank never played any type of team golf before, so it has been a goal for a while. The 16-year-old (recent) sophomore would have joined the Cheboygan High team in 2020 if not for Covid-19 canceling all spring sports.
“It’s been a blast; it’s my first team experience and I hope to do it two more years so when I go to college it won’t be brand new,” Maybank said. “It was a great time. I knew a lot of my teammates, just not as well since many are juniors and seniors. But we got to spend a lot of time together for a couple months, so it was great to get to know them better as teammates and friends.”
Playing high school golf put Maybank in position to potentially be named Mr. Golf in Michigan – but rarely has a sophomore earned the honor.
“My goals were to win regionals, state finals and Mr. Golf so that was very gratifying to make all those goals,” he said. “There’s a bunch of great people and great players from the past that have received Mr. Golf and I just wanted to be in that elite company; and when I heard I received Mr. Golf, it was amazing.”
Here are some additional Maybank highlights:
Div. 3 regional medalist – and won the state title by 10 strokes.
2018 Drive Chip and Putt National winner, 12-13 age group.
Won USGA Junior Amateur qualifier at TPC Michigan in June – now heading to national Junior this month.
Last summer won all three GAM Junior tournaments, including state Junior Amateur.
9-hole low: 29
18-hole low: 62, earned in May at Detroit Golf Club’s (in former Horton Smith Invitational) where he finished runner up to MSU golfer James Piot.
2021 High School All-State
Note: all award winners are listed in alphabetical order
Super Team:
Davis Codd, sr., Brighton
Brockton English, sr., Pontiac Notre Dame
Ieuan Jones, fr., Ann Arbor Skyline
Thomas Keyte, sr., Kalamazoo Hackett CC
P.J. Maybank, soph., Cheboygan
Lorenzo Pinili, soph., Birmingham Brother Rice
Cannon Risner, sr., Leslie
Jack Zubkus, jr. Forest Hills Northern
Division 1 All-State:
Vibhav Alokam, fr., Ann Arbor Skyline
Vimal Alokam, sr., Ann Arbor Skyline
Justin Bunch, sr., Jackson
Adam Burghardt, sr., Warren DeLaSalle
Branden Falk, sr., Portage Northern
Tyler Gillespie, sr., Forest Hills Northern
Oliver Haeberle, sr., Rockford
Murphy Kehoe, sr., Traverse City West
Brayden Niemiec, jr., Plymouth
Ryan O’Rourke, soph, Walled Lake Northern
Craig Stephan, sr., Rockford
Mitchell Strickland, soph, Ann Arbor Skyline
Ethan Tran, sr., Warren DeLaSalle
Neil Zhu, jr., Novi Detroit Catholic Central
Division 2 All-State:
Matt Baer, jr., Brother Rice
Caleb Bond, jr., Williamston
Robert Burns. Soph., Flint Powers Catholic
Harrison Chapman, jr., Marshall
Steven Cullen, sr., Whitehall
Scott Hanna, sr., Detroit Country Day
Sam Havey, jr., Williamston
Peter Hofley, sr., Detroit Country Day
Will Jensen, sr., Hastings
Angelo Luciani, soph., East Grand Rapids
Evan McDermott, jr., Spring Lake
Colin O’Rourke, sr., Brother Rice
Wyatt Vogel, sr., Williamston
Bryce Wheeler, jr., Gull Lake
Division 3 All-State:
Mason Anderson, jr., Belding
Brogan Brockie, sr., Hanover-Horton
Evan Brzyski, sr., Napoleon
Ashton DiBlasi, soph., Saginaw Swan Valley
Zach Koerner, sr., Laingsburg
Josh Lavely, jr., Elk Rapids
Anthony Naso, jr., Grosse Ile
Cale Piedmont-Lang, jr., Ann Arbor Greenhills
Will Preston, fr., GR Catholic Central
Luke Welch, jr., Big Rapids
Division 4 All-State:
Jeffrey Andrus, jr., Royal Oak Shrine
Jake Beaudoin, sr., Charlevoix
Ben Bridenstine, sr., Kalamazoo Hackett CC
Ryan Chafty, sr., Kalamazoo Hackett CC
William Combs, jr., Lansing Christian
Davis Garrett, jr., Lansing Christian
Ben Maino, jr., East Jackson
Sam Pletcher, soph., Charlevoix
Remy Stalcup, soph, Everest Collegiate
Michael Zanoni, sr. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
