Senior social science major and business minor Hugo Townsend grew up in Boden, a small city in the northern reaches of Sweden.
Townsend’s dad moved his family to Sweden when Townsend was 6 years old following his retirement from pro golf.
In Sweden, Hugo Townsend played on the Swedish national team, where he helped the team get fourth place in the European Championship. Townsend played in a tournament in the United States where he met Boise State men’s golf coach Dan Potter. After meeting Potter, he decided to go to Boise State.
Photo courtesy of Boise State Athletics
Townsend is one of the best golfers to ever wear a Bronco uniform because of his many accolades and accomplishments. He ranked among the top 25 for the entire 2020-2021 season and made the 2021 NCAA Division I PING All-American Third Team. Townsend also has 21 total top-25 finishes and received a first-place medal at the Duck Invitational.
“I want to play as good as I can and improve,” Townsend said. “I do not think about big awards and legacies or anything like that. I just want to play [well]. Legacies and rewards are not a good focus.”
Townsend did not get caught up in the thrill of placing first at the Duck Invitational. He displays discipline on the golf course and is always focusing on the next week, instead of the past.
According to men’s golfer and fifth-year student Skyler Eubank, Townsend leads by example by doing the little things. He played golf almost every day last summer to improve his game and is the first one on the course to practice chipping in the rain. Also according to Eubank Townsend has made an impact on his teammates by the level of play and how he leads.
“Hugo is very hardworking and disciplined with his practice, and I think that motivates others to be just as motivating and hard-working,” Eubank said. “He sets the example. If he thinks he doesn’t play good he will immediately go practice on some stuff. He raised the standards for the team.”
Townsend also shows excellence in the classroom, having achieved Academic All-Mountain West every season on the team, from 2019 to 2021. The senior golfer was also a Mountain West Scholar Athlete last season.
“This is a big deal for Hugo and for our program,” Potter said. “Hugo has been dedicated to being great ever since he arrived in Boise and it’s nice to see his work pay off like it has. He’s a big-time player and this is a big-time honor.”
Currently, Townsend is tied for the most top-25 finishes along with Troy Merritt and Matt Hastings. Also, Townsend is fourth in program history with 52 rounds that are under par.
Looking towards the rest of the season, Townsend says he is excited for the tournament in Hawaii and Arizona State University because there will be really good talent there.
After graduating from college, he hopes to play pro golf in the United States, but he is still uncertain if he will be able to play in the U.S. or not. Either way, he remains focused on the season at hand.
Townsend said, “Every tournament is a good challenge you always have a fresh mindset going into every week, someone played good even if you didn’t play good you still want to try to win.”
