O’Rourke and Zimmerman Names NPGC Scholarship winners

NEW PRAGUE, MN – May 8, 2024 – Padraic O’Roarke and Tatum Zimmerman, high school senior members of the New Prague High School boys’ and girls’ varsity golf teams, respectively, have been named winners of the New Prague Golf Club (NPGC) Scholarship.

This scholarship program, created in 2021 as part of the New Prague Golf Club’s 90 th anniversary celebration, honors one senior golfer from the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams, based on their academic, athletic and community involvement during their years at New Prague High School. The scholarships were announced Wednesday during the high school’s award program.

“The New Prague Golf Club Board felt it important to recognize students who exemplified what high school golf is all about through their years playing varsity golf on the high school level in New Prague,” said Den Gardner, golf board chair and head of the scholarship committee. “The committee has selected two outstanding student players in Tatum and Padraic.”

Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship, all raised through private funding from NPGC members, golf leagues at NPGC, the annual scholarship tournament in August and others interested in youth golf. The scholarships are managed through the New Prague Area Education Foundation.

“Joining the team allowed me to learn how to take feedback, have a strong mental toughness and support my teammates,” Tatum said. “My coaches throughout the years have made a big impact on my growth. This scholarship will help toward my education at UNL for sports media and communication. NPHS golf has made a big impact on my life.”

Padraic played on the high school golf team for four years. “It has expanded my knowledge and love of the game,” he said. “High school golf has been a great experience for me for many reasons, one of those is that I have built a lot of good relationships with players on
our team and people from different schools.” Padraic will attend St. John’s University in the fall.

Macey Hager and Layton Kuehner were the first recipients of the scholarships in 2022. There were no senior members of the boys’ and girls’ golf teams in 2023. The New Prague Golf Board looks forward to many excellent candidates next year.