AJ Peterson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Seton Catholic Preperatory for AZPreps365.com

The majority of athletes who stick to one sport often attribute their choice to a close relative or friend who impacted their love of the game. For Nik Kittilson, it is no different.

“I remember my grandpa, who’s probably my biggest influence in playing golf, would watch me practice sometimes,” Kittilson said. “We would just fool around and have a good time practicing.”

Nik Kittilson is a standout senior golfer at Seton Catholic Preparatory. Last year, as a junior, he finished 11th in the Arizona Boys High School Golf Division II State Tournament. Kittilson finished T-22nd the previous year as a sophomore.

This season, he has already finished first in one of his most recent high school tournaments: the Aguila Invitational. Now, as a senior, Kittilson has his sights set on better results than in the previous two years. 

“My goal every year is to see myself improve and just get better,” Kittilson said. “My goal this year is to just improve on what I did last year.” 

For Kittilson, who has played both baseball and ice hockey in his youth, practice has never been an issue. In fact, his high school coach, Mark Bakeman, said that is exactly why Kittilson is so special.

“What makes Nik great is his desire, his work ethic towards the game of golf,” Bakeman said. 

Besides work ethic, one thing that the best golfers have in common is the ability to deal with adversity, most often in moving on from poor shots. One way that Kittilson has learned to do this comes from the advice that Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker took from his father. 

Kittilson mentioned a story that Booker told following a poor performance in this year’s NBA Finals. Booker’s father always taught him to move on quickly from failure, which he called having a “short memory.” Kittilson strives to embody this philosophy on the golf course.

“Once that ball comes off the clubface, you really can’t control what happens,” Kittilson said. “After maybe 10 yards of walking, I’ll probably just say, ‘Look, you gotta put that behind you and move on.’”

The dedication that Kittilson has toward his golf game is rather impressive for such a young athlete. The possibility for his hard work to be put on display is one thing that drew Kittilson to the game.

“When I do well, it shows the hard work that I’ve put in myself,” Kittilson said. “I create my own destiny.”

Kittilson spends a lot of time perfecting his craft, especially as he chases a state title (AJ Peterson photo/AZPreps365)

This mentality is not something that goes unnoticed by Kittilson’s teammates, something Bakeman recognizes when he sees his team watching Kittilson.

“They look at Nik in awe,” Bakeman said. “They know Nik is fully immersed in golf.”

Although Kittilson is the best player on the team, he does not let that affect his ego. Bakeman spoke of Kittilson’s care for his teammates, especially on match days. While playing, Kittilson will often ask Bakeman how the other Sentinel golfers are doing, even if their score does not affect the team’s overall result. His teammate Jacob Rocha has noticed Kittilson’s selflessness both on the course and off, especially as he has gotten to know him better as of late. 

“Nik is the best guy on the team,” Rocha said, calling him "enthusiastic," "upbeat" and "humble." “He loves everything, he loves everyone.” 

Aside from golf, Kittilson enjoys attending other Seton athletic events, spending time with family and friends, and going to Topgolf. When asked what else anyone should know about himself, Kittilson simply said, “Go Devils.”

Bakeman also spoke of Kittilson’s humility. He actually thinks that this could be an area of improvement for Kittilson, in learning to be more confident in his abilities. 

“He’s not someone that thinks too big of himself,” Bakeman said of Kittilson. “Matter of fact, he has to overcome that and he has to think he is a little bit better than he is.”

From being called a “humble” and “caring” person by his teammates and coach, to developing the strong mental character necessary to be a successful golfer, there is a lot for Kittilson to be proud of. He will continue to work on his game, both mentally and physically, as he looks to improve and ultimately hoist the first-place trophy at this year’s state tournament.