headquarters. Eden visited the popular com- pany recently and got custom- fitted for a putter. It was designed specifically for her; a blade-style putter tailored spe- cifically to her arcing stroke. Does that mean she’ll make more putts? Physically, it could. But it’s her mental confidence in her putting now that could make the biggest difference. Think about the movie Happy Gilmore . Once he got the putter that was pleasing to his eye, well, it was game over. “Putting has been a weakness in the past, but I’m really work- ing hard on that one this year,” she said. “(Putting) is a lot men- tal, in my opinion. You have to be so accurate, but if there’s any little doubt, you’re going to change your speed or the direc- tion.” Even with some putting woes at the state tournament in 2023, Eden still won the individual title by five shots with a 1-under total over 36 holes. All eyes were on her then, just like they are now, and every other player in the state has put beating her at the top of their list of goals. Does that bother the Gilbert senior? Again, she just shrugs. “You can’t really be so fo- cused on the outcome because you can’t control what others do,” she said. “I’m just going to
her teammates either. “Everybody on our team has the potential to continue playing past high school and I know we’ll continue to work hard,” Eden said. “I think we just need to stay focused and not really worry about things. We just need to get better every day.” That’s a message she can de- liver inside her own house to younger twin sisters, sopho- mores Ava and Ella Lohrbach. Eden knows it’s not always easy on her siblings, constantly being compared to their big sis, and Eden sees some of the same self-doubt challenges she has faced. “They’re very hard on them- selves just like I am, but they’re working on it too,” Eden said. “Whatever I shot at their age, they’re expected to shoot, and so it’s a mental battle that I wish I could help them with. But that will come with more playing.” ••••• After talking about herself and posing for some photos, Eden’s next stop was most likely the golf course. She’s always work- ing, always striving for some- thing better. She might get beat at some point — although that didn’t happen last season — but she’s never going to get out-worked. And that’s why betting against her is never a wise decision.
Eden Lohrbach (above) enters her senior season as the sizable favorite to win a third Class 3A individual state golf title.
try to do as good as I can.” There’s another wrinkle to this story, of course. While Eden’s greatness has been talked about plenty, the entire Tigers’ team is an equally huge favorite
to hoist the 3A championship hardware. Gilbert is stacked from top to bottom, and every other team knows it. But, again, Eden says she’s not going to let that get into her head and she doesn’t want to see it happen to
SPRING 2024 | GAME ON 5
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