Whack! The tiny white ball soars across the sky, hardly visible against the clear blue color. Benjamin Renaud holds his form as he watches the ball: a near-perfect swing. “Golf is my favorite sport because I have a burning passion for the game,” Renaud said. If you are unable to find Renaud, search the nearest golf course, which he is “a large fan” of. Renaud always wanted to be an astronaut when he was younger, not a golfer, because he would get the chance to “fly the planets,” but his ambitions soon changed after he discovered this sport.

Looking back, Renaud has fond memories of high school. When he was a sophomore, he said he enjoyed messing with one of his best friends Kyle Nelson, a 2017 graduate. Renaud said he would “pick on” Nelson and joke around with him. Then when he was a junior, Renaud became a two-time State participant: once in basketball and once in golf. In the future, he plans to make even more memories at college. “I’m looking forward to attending college for business and to play golf,” Renaud said. He has committed to Grandview University in Des Moines.

Renaud comes from a relatively small family of four, including himself, his father Craig, his mother Cathy, and his brother Sam. He has one cat named Olive, whom he loves. When Renaud lost one of the most influential adult figures in his life, his uncle David, it taught him to not take things for granted. “He was one of the strongest people I knew,” Renaud said, and just like with most problems in his life, golf was there to help him through it.