Skagit Valley Herald Boys' Golfer of the Year: Wyatt Brownell

Burlington-Edison High School boys' golfer Wyatt Brownell claimed his third consecutive Class 2A state title this season.

The senior is the Skagit Valley Herald Boys' Golfer of the Year for the third consecutive time.

"It was a really good season and a great way to finish off," Brownell said. "I had a ton of fun. I hit my goals and just continued to improve each and every day which was important."

Golf is no hobby for Brownell.

He is constantly playing the game or thinking about playing the game. His life revolves around practice and tournaments, and it has been that way for years.

He was homeschooled after his sophomore year in order to have a more flexible schedule, thus allowing him to concentrate more on his golf game.

"I've been doing this for a long time so it's fun to see my hard work pay off because there has been a lot of sacrifice," Brownell said.

He's the most accomplished high school boys' golfer in Skagit County history.

At Burlington-Edison, he has recorded the two lowest season averages in school history, most under-par rounds (18), lowest single round (9-under 63), most state individual titles, and is tied for most conference titles with two and district titles with two.

"He's the type of player that doesn't come around very often," Burlington-Edison coach Tito Vivanco said. "I'm just happy to have been a part of his time here.

"He had lofty expectations put on him his senior year as the two-time defending state champ and he put in the work to win it a third consecutive time."

Brownell said he would have been happy with having won a single state title, yet along three.

"To get three is unbelievable and so awesome," he said. "It didn't get any easier. The more times I won, the more pressure there was for me to do it again.

"I wanted to win and it's hard because I have to kind of try to handle the pressure of wanting to win again, but not getting too far ahead of myself. Golf's a hard game. Anything can happen. There's always going to be pressure, but I was able to handle it well."

Even with the pressure, Brownell said he still had fun on the course this season. It was just a matter of letting himself enjoy the moments.

"It was a ton of fun and a very cool experience," he said. "I loved playing high school golf because you just get to hang out with your friends out on the golf course. We had a great team this year. It was super fun to be around them and our coaches are amazing, really amazing and really fun to be around."

Vivanco spoke of Brownell having a team mentality.

"Wyatt is a fantastic player and teammate," he said. "He is a great leader for our program, always inviting his teammates to play more golf after practice and leading by example with his work ethic."

Being a three-time state champ is something not often seen.

And it takes commitment, not only from the player, but in Brownell's case, his family.

"It's not easy driving all over the state playing tournaments, so Wyatt is also fortunate to have a family that went all in to support his golf journey," Vivanco said. "Getting that tournament experience really helped his mental game and comfort level when it came to competing in districts and state."

Family is extremely important to Brownell, saying they keep him grounded.

"It's nice to always know they're going to love me no matter how I play," he said. "Or if I wanted to walk away, they'd support that. That's comforting to know."

Brownell has drawn interest to play at the college level, but he has yet to reach a decision on where that will be.

"I do not know yet," he said. "I'm talking to a couple of schools, but honestly, I don't really know. I'm kind of waiting. I don't feel super worried about picking, you know, right now. I feel pretty open.

"I plan on playing a year of college and then I'm going on a (Mormon) mission."

He said wherever he does end up will be close to home. In the meantime, he'll just keep playing the game he loves.

"You'll never hear me complain," Brownell said. "I'm just very thankful for having the opportunity to do what I do and to be able to continue to do it."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:58 PM.