Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye United freshman Nolan Kucera was named the 2026 All-Journal Boys Golfer of the Year on Thursday.

SLEEPY EYE — There are areas to his golf game that Sleepy Eye United’s Nolan Kucera wants to grow in, both physically and mentally.

The good news for him is that he’s already made big improvements from last year and he just finished his freshman year of high school.

The talented, low-driving golfer out of Sleepy Eye High School recently completed his second consecutive trip to the Class A State Golf Tournament with his team, and it’s the second year in a row he’s led the boys team there.

After finishing 36th overall with a two-day score of 166 last season at state, he improved his state finish this year 13 strokes with a two-day score of 153 to tie for 16th individually.

He was also an All-Conference golfer for the second year in a row, the Tomahawk-Valley Conference Boys Player of the Year this year and the Section 2A individual champion this year on his way back to Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker for his state tournament return. Kucera’s big year also earned him the title of the 2026 All-Journal Boys Golfer of the Year.

“It feels great to have all the success this year,” Kucera said. “I grew from last year — my mental toughness, I got a lot better from last year. I started hitting a lot farther, which helps make it easier, but it just feels good to have all the success.”

Kucera has been playing golf since he was 6 years old, starting out on the course with his grandpa. He got more serious playing in Junior PGA summer tournaments over the years and the work he’s put in has been paying off.

Kucera has routinely said he likes to keep his drives low and out of the wind whenever possible, but he’s also been happy to see his tee shots — hit with his TaylorMade driver — gain some distance.

“Main part [for hitting farther] is that I grew and the help from my coach Caleb Christensen,” Kucera said. “I get lessons from him once a week, so he helps a lot to keep my swing in shape.”

Being a lot more content with his swing this season has also been key.

“I got to the point that I don’t do much big changes in my swing,” Kucera said. “It’s more the little things that have to change, and it’s never really uncomfortable for me anymore.”

Kucera’s nine-hole average this season was a 37.4, lowest in Section 2A and in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference, and the second lowest average overall in Class A this season. His 18-hole average of 75.1 was also the lowest in the conference, lowest in the section and second in Class A this season, helping him earn All-State honors also.

With all of the meets and tournaments Kucera has won this year, he has been calm and confident in his approach.

“Staying consistent, trying to stay level-headed, and then just getting off the tee, I’ve been hitting a lot farther so I can start reaching some par 5s in two, which makes it a lot easier to score well,” he said.

Kucera’s top round came during an 18-hole event at the par-71 Tyler Golf Club during the Knight Invitational, something he’s very proud of.

“Our meet at the Tyler invitational, I shot a 69 and that felt really good to break 70 in a meet for the first time,” he said. “First time varsity level and lowest score for varsity. I broke 70 a couple more times outside the season.”

As a team last year, the SEU boys finished seventh at state and improved to a fifth-place finish this year in large part due to Kucera’s 13-stroke improvement. Kucera said the team came into state more confident this year, but he thought maybe there was a little too much confidence shared and said he sees a stronger run next year.

“We know we have a chance to make a run for the state championship next year, so we’ve just got to perform well,” he said.

Kucera said that the team has gotten hung up on Day 1 of the state tournament the last two years, so getting off to a better start on the opening day of the tournament in 2027 will be key should the team earn a third consecutive trip.

Kucera’s ability to lock in and be smart in different situations this year was on display on numerous occasions. However, the young golfer still has his moments of doubt and is looking to further improve on that next season.

“I have to work on my mental toughness,” Kucera said. “It’s improved a lot from last year, but there’s still a lot of work that I can do. I need to stay a lot more level-headed, and I also need to have a better diet and exercise a lot more, gain more power and stay in shape for golf season.”