Name: Caden Shanahan

School: St. Charles North, sophomore

Sport: Boys golf

What he did: At the DuKane Conference boys golf championships at Bartlett Hills, Shanahan shot a 1-under 70 to help secure medalist honors by three strokes.

Shanahan was selected as the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week based on an online vote.

Here is his Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

How do you feel you performed at the DuKane Conference Championships?

Shanahan: It definitely felt nice to pull my game together for probably one of the bigger tournaments we played in for the season. Obviously, it was a very tough course and it wasn’t my best stuff, but I was really able to pull it together and put a nice score in there.

What was your approach heading into the tournament?

Shanahan: It’s a very tight golf course and it’s one of the tougher ones in the area. I just wanted to stick to my game plan and not let anybody that I was playing with get in my head. The main goal was to hit fairways, take greens and it was a nice bonus to roll some putts in as well.

Did you have a feeling that you were near the top of the leaderboard as the day progressed?

Shanahan: Coming down the stretch I did know where I was at. I tried to stay away from it a little just so the nerves wouldn’t get to me. But with four to go I saw that I had a really good chance of winning, and by then I knew that I had to lock in to secure the victory.

What was the feeling of getting that medalist honor?

Shanahan: It was just such a big relief. It was a big goal that I had heading into the year. I knew I had it in me, but to just go out and do it was just so special. And that day was such a grind on a tough course, that being able to tap it in on 18 for a relatively stress-free win was just so special.

We’re now heading into the postseason. How big is this win for your confidence to make it to state?

Shanahan: I guess it shows that I have it in me to win. I’ve had a pretty decent season, but to put it together for that big of a tournament, it shows what I’m capable of heading into the postseason. It’s not an easy road to state, to just be able to put my tour together and compete against some of the best guys, that was a big confidence booster for me.

What made you play competitive golf?

Shanahan: Up until two years ago I was a four-sport athlete. I wasn’t the best at golf because I didn’t focus on it as much as I do now. But I learned that I really liked golf. I lived on a course, so it was just a matter of putting the work in to get there. And once I learned that I was pretty OK at it, I knew that that was the path I wanted to take.

Any superstitions?

Shanahan: I really take pride in my warm up. I need at least an hour, preferably an hour and a half to two to prep for the round. And then I’m also pretty big on eating a pretty good breakfast in the morning too. I like a nice protein bar and a smoothie in the morning as my go-to.