Collin the shot: Catron wins Player of the Year

Hard work never bothered Collin Catron. He was prepared for the four-mile runs and hours in the gym, knowing they were necessary to turn him into a championship golfer. The work was simply par for the course.

What the Gila Ridge senior wasn't prepared for was for the game that he loved to begin feeling like work. So when that happened, Catron's interest began to wane.

That was until the Desert Junior Tour's tournament at Arizona State's Karsten Golf Club.

Catron put together a masterpiece performance carding a total score of 2-over 142 to win the Boys 16-19 division and bested the 70-man field to earn weekend low medalist honors.

"Ever since (the win) it's just been fun for me," said Catron, regarding his reinvigorated interest for golf. "It pretty much calmed my nerves. Everybody second guesses themselves at some point or another. Since college recruiting wasn't done yet, I second guessed myself. That (win) kind of sealed the deal for questions."

Catron may have had self-doubt but, in the Gila Valley Region, there was never any doubt as to who the best golfer was. He was far-and-away the best.

A win at the GVR tournament, a top five finish at the super regional tournament and a fourth-place finish at the 5A-II Individual State Tournament proved his credentials.

It also earned him the Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Club 2010 All-Region Boys Golfer of the Year honors.

But there was one thing those finishes didn't earn him — a college scholarship.

At the conclusion of the 5A golf season, which runs during the fall, Catron was without any offers. He had conversations with coaches at South Mountain Community College during the super regional tournament, but they hadn't resulted in a scholarship offer.

All that changed after Catron's win in Tempe.

Shortly after his first-place finish, coaches from Pima College contacted Catron. They wanted him to take a trip out to Tucson.

After touring the campus and meeting the team, Catron was sold. He wanted to become an Aztec.

"I'm practicing every single day, school and working out a lot," Catron said. "This is the last summer, everything is the last. I'm just trying to soak it up and have fun. Last summer, I wasn't playing that good and I didn't get to go to a lot of tournaments. It was kind of hard, but I just hung in there. Now it's my love."