Scottsdale Prep junior Davis Johnson was one shot back of former Northwest Christian standout Frankie Capan after the first day of the Division III state championship in 2018 but Capan shot a remarkable 59 on day two to win the title by 10 strokes. Last year, Johnson finished four strokes behind former Valley Christian standout James Mackie to take second place. No one will ever know how this year would have turned out but Johnson would have been in the mix for sure:

Q: You finished in 6th place as a freshman, second as a sophomore and you were heavily favored to challenge for the championship this spring before the season was cancelled. Tell us about your game, when you started to play and how you saw this spring turning out before it was shut down?

A: My game is looking good right now. In Arizona we are incredibly lucky with everything that is going on, we can still practice and play golf, so I have been taking full advantage of that. But growing up, golf is just something that has always been in my life, with my dad being in the business. I really started to love the game and get better at it when I was 7 and then played my first tournament when I was 9. This year I was really looking forward to state. Golf aside, the trip down to Tucson National for the three days is always fun, building all those memories of goofing around at the hotel and at dinners with my teammates is always great. But for golf my eyes were set on winning the tournament. As you mentioned I finished 6th my freshman year and 2nd last year. During both of those tournaments I was leading the tournament at some point. My freshman year I was tied with Frankie (Capan) for the lead or 1 back after the first round. But obviously, Frankie shot a 59 and there was nothing I could do about that, but last year I had the lead going into the back 9 of the final round and made some immature mistakes that cost me the win. Being so close both years and not winning really hurt, making me that much more determined to get the job done. So, guess the way I saw the state tournament turning out was me giving it everything I got and hopefully getting the win.

Who were or are your role models?

My role models growing are my dad and grandpa. My dad is the one who has taught me how to swing a golf club from the first time I picked up a golf club up until now. He is always there for me when and however I need him to be. Plus, I get to beat him every weekend on the golf course, which does not get old. And then my Grandpa because he is just a cool dude. He has one of the most incredible, preserving life stories and if you can even be half of the man he is you’re a good man.

What other sports did you play growing up?

Growing up I also always played basketball, along with golf. I always had a ton of fun competing out on the court, but I gave it up after my freshman year because I realized I love and care too much about golf to give up what I was giving to basketball.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are to just keep learning and maturing my game as much as I can, so I can play at the highest levels the game has to offer. After I graduate I intend to play college golf. Where that is, I do not know yet.

How did you see your team this year, especially after a third-place finish last year?

This year I thought our team was going to have a great chance to bring home a championship. With how we played last year and having no one graduating from that team, along with the addition of two new highly skilled freshmen, I felt we were going to be able to accomplish some cool things. We also all get along well and are always laughing and having fun together, so it looked like it was going to be a really fun season too. But we understand health is a priority and we will be back ready to compete for the championship next year.