Photo courtesy of Salem News
SALEM – Ethan Doyle is the Moynihan Lumber Male Student Athlete of the Month for November, 2020.
Ethan Doyle, an all-star golfer for the Salem Witches each of the last four years, capped off his high school golf career with his best season to date. In a shortened season with 13 matches played, Doyle held a scoring average of 35.5 — par at his home course, Olde Salem Greens, is 36 — and had a match-play scoring average of 6.3 points per match.
The Northeastern Conference MVP last season as a junior, Ethan shot 2-under 33 four times during the season. This year, he was named The Salem News’ Player of the Year in golf as well as The Daily Item of Lynn.
“I think the biggest thing for me this year was the preparation before the season,” said Ethan, who also plays basketball and baseball at Salem High. “I played pretty much every day this summer with guys from the team and with my dad (Salem golf/basketball coach Tom Doyle), and I think that really helped me get better. I got off to a tough start, but I was able to regroup and finish the year strong.”
To cap off his season, Ethan competed in the National High School Golf Association (NHSGA) Massachusetts Golf Championships at Shaker Hills Country Club in Harvard. With a score of 2-over 74, which put him in a tie for eighth place out of more than 100 golfers, he qualified for the 2021 NHSGA Boys National Invitational. The Boys Invitational — a 3-day, 54-hole stroke play event that includes both team and individual competition — will be played June 28-30 at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C.
“That was very exciting because my dad really knows that course well, and we were able to put together a strategy to work with,” he said. “I double-bogeyed the first hole, but I ended up playing great down the stretch and getting top 10.”
It’s not just on the golf course where Ethan is thriving, either. With a 3.5 grade point average, he is a member of the National Honor Society and also serves as a peer mentor for the underclassmen at Salem High.
“When your dad is in school every day (as a teacher and a coach), it definitely makes you focus on your schoolwork as well as athletics,” Ethan said. “But it also has a lot to do with being a team captain. You really want to set an example for the other guys and make sure you’re keeping up on your work so everyone else follows along.”
Podcast with Ethan Doyle, interviewed by Tim Kearns and Rick Moore on North Shore Sports Night
