Todd Lancaster, a former golf standout for Talawanda High School, has recently been inducted into the Kent State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

His golf team won the Mid-American Conference championship three out of the four years he was a member. When asked about his brother and golf, Jeff Lancaster said he could see it coming from an early age.

“Todd qualified for the Junior Golf Championships in California when he was 12 and lost by one stroke to Tiger Woods.” Jeff added, “Tiger got lucky.”

Todd started playing golf when he was 6 years old. He said his older brother was essential to his later success because he was so willing to include him.

“Jeff and his older friends welcomed me with open arms, and it was so much fun to be able to compete together,” Todd said. “The opportunity to play at a high level with older kids really helped me compete in college.” Todd even went so far to say as his golf game was shaped most when he was golfing with his brother.

Jeff, who is a golf pro in Liberty, Ind., also talked about the group dynamic playing golf.

“It’s like a built-in group of friends,” Jeff said.

Once Todd got to college, he was confronted with the same type of situation once again. As an 18-year-old freshman he played on a team where the average age was 22. Again, Todd pointed to the leadership on the team for its success.

“It was really important for me to be able to look up to all that experience on the team,” Todd said. “It really pushed my ability.”

Todd and four other golfers would travel to each event. Not only would they play together, they would eat together, stay in the same hotels together, and spent virtually all of their time spent travelling around one another. Todd talked about these experiences.

“Those are the times you really remember more than golf,” Todd said. “Sometimes, it’s just about more than the game. It is so important for the team to get along, and the guys had so much fun when they were together … Sometimes it’s just about the memories.”

When asked about the induction, Todd talked more about these memories than playing golf.

“I was kind of shocked when I got the call,” Todd said. “You never think about that kind of thing when you’re playing. The induction was a great opportunity to be able to get some time to reflect, especially on the people I was able to meet. I was obviously so honored.”

While the induction itself was for the sport of golf, to Todd Lancaster, it is much more than that. It is about friendship, family, and being able to play a great game with some amazing people. Maybe he could even teach Tiger a few things now.