For Shawnee Mission Northwest Cougars golfer Will Fandel, this season has been about proving he belongs among the top golfers in Kansas.
“My focus this season was to prove to everyone that I can compete at the highest level in Kansas high school golf, and want to make a run at state this year,” Fandel said.
That determination has translated into a strong 2026 campaign. Fandel owns a 77 scoring average this season while posting several impressive finishes against quality competition. He recorded a top-five finish at the Leavenworth Invitational at Trails West and added top-10 finishes at the Spring Hill Invitational at Sycamore Ridge and the SMNW Invitational at Sunflower Hills. He also helped Shawnee Mission Northwest earn a top-10 team finish at its home invitational.
Fandel credits much of his improvement to the work he put in during the offseason, where consistency became his primary focus.
“This offseason I worked on consistency,” he said. “You could go out there and shoot a great score, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, so I worked on knowing my yardages and my swing consistently, which has really helped me this season.”
On the course, Fandel believes his iron play has become one of the strongest parts of his game.
“I think my biggest strength in my physical game is my irons,” he said. “I really improved my distance and control.”
Still, Fandel knows golf is often won or lost mentally just as much as physically. He takes pride in staying composed and moving past mistakes quickly during a round.
“Everyone knows golf is a mental game, and I like to think I have a strong mental game of leaving bad shots on that last hole and playing golf for the next shot — ‘next shot, best shot’ mindset,” he said.
Beyond his individual success, Fandel has his sights set on helping Shawnee Mission Northwest accomplish something meaningful as a team.
“A successful season for my team this year would be to bring our full team to state,” he said. “My three previous years at Shawnee Mission Northwest we haven’t had the team go to state, and I think that would be really cool if we could be the first since I started golfing.”
