Sometimes change can be for the better.

But it can also often lead to results one may not like.

Which is why Tyler Hager was a bit hesitant earlier this year when he thought about changing his golf approach.

After realizing during an offseason golf tournament that he couldn’t play his normal style, the Palmerton High School sophomore knew it was time to tweak his style of play.

“In the first half of the year, when I was playing in some individual junior tournaments, I really was not about changing my style of play because I tend to like to play aggressive,” Hager admitted. “But, when I was in the Lehigh Valley Amateur Tournament, where you really could not play as aggressive, you had to play a certain type of golf to be successful.

“That’s where I really started to understand, ‘Wow, this is how you are supposed to play,’ and that change in my play just brought my game to a whole new level for the late part of the year.”

With a recommendation from Alex Knoll, Palmerton co-head coach, Hager finally pushed himself to slow down his approach, and then pushed himself even more to take time to strategize each decision during his round.

The more “finesse” style of play helped Hager go on to win the Junior Division of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Tournament that summer day. With that victorious outcome, he decided to continue his new style of play straight into his varsity season with the Bombers.

“The one thing we emphasized from last year to this year was him not rushing when it got to important times throughout his round,” said Knoll. “We wanted him to take his time and plan out his round for what was best for him in that moment. He had to stop letting the moment dictate how he played, and simply he needed to dictate the moment himself.”

And with that adjustment in his play, and the glorious results that soon followed amid the shortened 2020 regular season due to COVID-19, the young and talented Bomber golfer had no problem staking claim to his second consecutive Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Golfer of the Year award in only his sophomore season on the links.

“It just gives me a lot of confidence going forward, and something to strive for,” Hager said. “I am not sure how many people have won this honor four years in a row. But, I’m hoping to become the first, or one of a few people to be able to do it. So, it’s a good goal for me to set for myself.”

No one has been able to collect the honor all four years of varsity golf, but Northwestern alum, and 2018 U.S. Open qualifier Cole Miller, came close with three straight in 2011, ’12 and ‘13.

This past season Hager, and his Bomber teammates (Connor Reinhard, Josh Suto, and Derek Rea) were able to finish off some unfinished business from 2019-2020.

A season after Hager and his teammates fell short of an individual and team league title, this season they managed to get the job done as Hager grabbed his first individual league title.

And, in the process, with a great round of golf from Reinhard, Suto, and Rea, they worked together to record their first-ever CL team title.

The Bomber golfer did settle for another fourth-place finish at the District 11 Class 2A meet. But, with that finish, he and his Bomber teammates were able to make it back-to-back District Team titles.

It took a lot of willpower and optimism, but Hager is glad he bought into the new style of play.

“It took a little while to finally buy into it,” Hager said. “Because earlier in the year, I just really wasn’t having much of it. I just like to play my own game.

“However, I’m glad I finally made the change because those last few weeks of the season really turned out well playing that way.”

With the change for the better, it will not only make Hager that much better, but also those surrounding him to make things that much better for the Bombers’ program as a whole.

“We expected more of him this year, and he obviously performed that way,” Knoll said. “To be fair with the other kids on the team, he is pushed by his teammates, Connor (Reinhard), Josh (Suto), Derek (Reis) and the others. And, his play elevated their play, and their play was elevated this year.

“And that is obviously why we had a successful team this season.”