St. Joseph (Mont.) sophomore Rory Asselta was 2-under par through his first 11 holes at the 92nd edition of the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions at Raritan Valley Country Club in Bridgewater on May 11.

On the 18th (his 11th), the defending state champion was looking to go 3-under, but his birdie attempt from about 10 feet lipped out on the left edge.

He immediately went to his bag, pushed the putter back in with some passion, and went to the first hole (his 12th) by himself and shook his head, knowing he might have some work to do.

The work he then completed won him a second straight state individual title on the first playoff hole against Cherry Hill East junior Tyler Whitney and his second selection as NJ.com's Boys Golfer of the Year.

He became the eighth golfer in state history to win back-to-back individual crowns and the first to do so since CBA's Jack Wall accomplished the feat in 2018 and 2019.

Defending any title in any sport, whether individual or team, is always tough. Commitment, passion and desire all have to work together in order to achieve a goal again that you have already accomplished.

With a year of high school golf already under his belt, Asselta raised his game this year improving his nine-hole scoring average from 35.1 to 33.0. His 18-hole scoring average stayed under 70 from 68.6 his freshman season to 69.8 this year.

He now has 11 victories over his first two years, including four this season at the FDU Invitational, Bergen County Tournament, Non-Public North Sectional, and of course, the Tournament of Champions.

"It means so much to be a two-time state champion just because it shows that I can win multiple times not just once. This year was definitely different from last year right from the start losing at the Garden State Cup and myself aloing with the team felt right away that we needed to work harder and it wouldnt come as easy as last year did," said Asselta.

"This year I definitely gained more yardage off the tee and was trying to control that at the start of the season. Once I settled in with that, my game improved and I was able to score better. Going into next year, I feel I need to work on my short game more and try to make it more consistent from course to course."

Next year will be a bit different for the younger Asselta as fellow three-time first-team All-Stater and older brother Michael will begin the next part of his journey at Loyola (MD).

"These past two years winning back-to-back state championships with Michael has been so special. Being able to do it together just adds another level to how good it feels because we both knew playing with each other we were a great team and our goal was to win the years we were together and that's exactly what we did," said Asselta.

"Michael and I have been playing golf together since we were five and six years old so to win back-to-back state championships together was so special for us and our family."

Asselta's summer schedule is already in full swing.

Last week, he finished in a three-way tie for eighth place as he shot 3-under (70-71-66--207) at the AJGA Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield County Club - Donald Ross Course in Greensboro, North Carolina.

His future events include the AJGA RLX Polo Invitational at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, the AJGA Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the New Jersey State Amateur at Baltusrol Golf Course in Springfield and the 109th Met Junior Championship at North Jersey Country Club in Wayne.

All of his summer competitions will prepare Asselta for his junior season as he sets his eyes on history as no high school golfer in the state has recorded three straight individual state titles.

"Going into next year, I'm going to try to look at it the same way as these last two and build off the confidence I gained from these high school seasons to know that I can win a third state championship and make history. I know I need to be a leader with Michael graduating and I'm excited for that."