He's back.
And he couldn't be happier.
Blue Springs senior Bransen Ireland returned to the Wildcats golf team in dramatic fashion, shooting a 78 - good for second place at the Park Hill Invitational - despite wet and damp conditions that caused most scores to soar.
"It did feel pretty good," said Ireland, the personable senior who missed out on being the Wildcats starting quarterback when he suffered a broken leg in the preseason jamboree.
"What really made me feel good about the score is that you needed scuba gear to get around the course today."
Ireland's big day helped Blue Springs finished fifth, with a team score of 337, led by Ireland and John Nance's 79.
"Bransen played well," Wildcats coach Tom Round told The Examiner. "He played the last 16 holes at two-over. He had two doubles on the first two holes. That ankle is not easy to come back from, especially with the transfer of weight. It's not only physical, but psychological."
Truer words were never spoken.
"I think the psychological aspect is tougher than the physical part of coming back," said Ireland, who recently received some news that takes a bit of the sting away from missing most of the football season.
He signed a letter of intent to play both football and golf at Ottawa University.
"I'm so thrilled," Ireland said. "They came down and talked to some coaches and I guess my name came up. They run a wide-open offense with the quarterback in the shotgun - which is perfect for me."
And by the time he's riding shotgun, the thoughts of that broken leg will be a distant memory.
"I just had some fake ligaments removed from my leg, so I'm just getting around to playing golf again," he said. "They put the (fake) ligaments in the damaged area between my tibia and fibula.
"The doctors showed me all the damage (on X-rays) after the break. They had to clean out a lot of bone chips and stuff. It was a little bit worse than I thought at the time. I guess that's why I wasn't 100 percent when I came back, although I was well enough to play."
Had Ireland not suffered the broken leg, the Wildcats would have been team that would have featured the quarterback's legs - as much as his arm - in 2007.
Instead, sophomore Jared Lanpher stepped from the shadows to center stage and turned in a brilliant performance that helped the Wildcats claim a district championship.
"I was happy I got some experience," Lanpher said, "but we all felt for Bransen. He had worked so hard to be the starting quarterback. He earned it - and he was a real team leader, all season."
Ireland lost out on most of his senior season in football, but gained something he values more than a game-winning touchdown - the respect of his coaches and teammates.
Head coach Kelly Donohoe went with Lanpher when Ireland broke his leg, and stayed with the sophomore quarterback after Ireland was given permission to play by his doctor.
After Ireland played sparingly at wide receiver in a late-season 32-14 win over Oak Park, Donohoe said, "When we told Bransen (that Jared was starting at quarterback), he could have made it a very tough week for me, for the coaches and for Jared. But he showed the character and maturity of a young man who has one goal - and only one goal. He wants to do anything he can to help this team win.
"He made the most powerful statement of any player on this team, and I know I appreciate it, and so do our coaches and his teammates."
Ireland knows that his best football days await him and he's eager to see how he juggles the classroom, football and golf at the collegiate level.
"I can hardly wait," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "They can put me back in the shotgun - which is one reason I was interested in going there - and I can run or pass the ball. And I'm going to play golf in the spring, so I'll have the best of both worlds."
