Lance Christensen Jr., one of South Dakota’s top golfers, inspires community to follow his lead
KYLE, S.D. (BVM) — Last week, the National High School Golf Association (NHSGA) held its annual invitational with 250 boys from over 40 states invited to play at the national event held at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
Of those 250, three were from South Dakota, with the top finisher out of the three being Lance Christensen Jr. from Kyle, S.D., on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Christensen finished tied for 133rd after three days on the historic course that also featured interesting weather conditions thanks to Hurricane Isaias.
“I loved every single second of it,” Christensen said. ”Definitely did not perform to my full potential. First day I shot a 78 in the hurricane winds and rains. That was definitely the highlight of my tournament. … I would love to go back to the national tournament and redeem myself because I know I can do better.”
But before he can do that, he first has to focus on his senior season of golf which started on Aug. 10. Christensen enters his senior season at Little Wound High School as the reigning SDHSAA Class A state champion and is excited to defend his title.
“It’s always been a dream to be back-to-back,” Christensen said.
It’s also going to be a chance for Christensen to reminisce about the journey he has been on and how far he has come.
“I always loved it from a young age,” Christensen said. “I think I got my first clubs around 1. It’s you against you and it’s a mental battle. … That always intrigued me.”
Christensen was born into a golf family. His father, Lance Christensen Sr., was the first to introduce him to the game. His uncle, Rob Mendoza, is his high school golf coach. His family has taught him his entire life. They also motivated him
His great grandfather, Hilario Mendoza, was a great golfer. He was the one that introduced golf to his mother’s side of the family. However, as a Mexican-American in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, his talent was overlooked and he did not receive the opportunities he deserved.
“He was a ringer and he was one of the greatest golfers that never got to play the game,” Christensen said.
Similarly, Christensen’s father missed out on opportunities to take his golfing game to the next level.
“I think they’re with me every day, my grandpa and father, by my side every single step of the way and it always brings me pride,” Christensen said.
Christensen takes pride in his family’s golfing heritage. It does not put pressure on him to succeed, but does motivate him to take advantage of the opportunity he has been given to play golf at the highest levels.
His family has also instilled in him a powerful work ethic. His mother has two master’s degrees and his father, at age 50, also earned his master’s. That hard work has followed Christensen to his golf game which he has religiously worked to improve.
He practices in his backyard and also drives 45 miles to the nearest golf course in Nebraska — a drive that is on back roads and even dirt roads — because there was no course near him on the reservation. All of this has never deterred Christensen from doing what he loves. If anything, it gives pride because he is doing it his way.
“I loved every second of it,” Christensen said. “I’m not the person I am today without that. I’m not the same Lance without having to do that drive. I believe I’m not as mature as I would be without that. It taught me a lot of life lessons. It taught me how to appreciate the golf course. It taught me that you have to appreciate everything in life.”
It also taught Christensen that he could give back to his community, teach others the game that he loves and help them follow in his footsteps.
“I know there is so much potential on the reservation,” Christensen said. “It’s mind blowing how much potential there is and it’s sad to say a lot of it gets wasted. I don’t want that to happen in the future. Even now I think that we’re on the rise and I think that we can do some very special things. I’m excited for the future because there’s so much potential.”
This has led Christensen to start a golf clinic to teach kids and even adults everything there is to know about golf. Now there are kids that are just like Christensen, practicing their swing in their backyards. The kids at school look up to him.
“I remember when I was a little kid looking at all the high school kids or looking at all the people that went out to college and I remember they were Superman to me,” Christensen said. “For me, it all kind of started through the kids just giving the game back to the kids and being a good role model. I remember this one time I was standing in the lunch line and I got attacked by like 30 kids. I thought that was really crazy to me.”
Starting on varsity as a seventh grader at Little Wound High School, he gained popularity quickly at school. The rest of the community really started to take notice during his sophomore year when he took sixth at state. Then last year as a junior he won state.
When he got back to Kyle, he entered the Little Wound gymnasium to the stands full of people cheering for him.
“I’m going to try to keep being an inspiration, but I’m just Lance, I’m just doing what I love,” Christensen said.
Not only will he continue to inspire this season, he is also looking to secure a scholarship to play golf in college.
“I think I have about a dozen offers, obviously nothing big yet, but I’m really hopeful.” Christensen said. “It’s exciting to say that I’ve locked down offers to play in college because that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
After college, he hopes to make the pros or start a career of building golf courses. No matter what he decides to do, it starts with his final season of high school golf.
“I’ve come this far, why would I settle for less, especially with everyone looking up to me,” Christensen said. “I think I have to dream big and fail small. I know it’s in me to do it.”
