After three years of trying, James Maynard finally broke through.

A recent graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, Maynard, 18, won his first tournament on the King's Junior Golf tournament series last week, taking the title at Glengarry Golf Links near Latrobe.

"I was happy. I knew that I had it in me, but I was just glad to get one under my belt," Maynard said. "Hopefully this will be the start of more. The first round I put together, I didn't make any big mistakes. Honestly, you're never going to play a perfect round of golf, but hopefully I'll just be more consistent."

Being a more consistent player is something Maynard is taking pride in this year. The win at Glengarry is the most noticeable manifestation of the improvement in his game.

"This is the first year I came back in April and felt like I really hadn't lost anything from the past couple years," Maynard said. "Even though I've always been practicing and working on my game, it usually kind of levels out and is done growing. But this year I've had a more consistent swing."

With his family, Maynard is a member at St. Clair Country Club, where he has on occasion taken lessons under Phil Newcamp Jr. Maynard also played on the Mt. Lebanon varsity golf team the past three seasons.

This year, the difference in Maynard's game hasn't been by accident.

"Just practicing more, and being more serious about practicing," Maynard said. "Not just going out and hitting balls aimlessly but concentrating on every shot as if it's in a round of golf."

Maynard is becoming a bigger player in the world of local junior golf, but he has always been among the biggest players, at least in terms of height. Maynard stands 6 feet 8.

"I'm always getting people asking me if I'm a basketball player," Maynard said. "Sometimes I'll hear [how tall he is] when I play golf, but people don't really ask me too much about height, unless they comment on how it can help hit the ball farther because it gives you more leverage but other than that, not too many people talk about it."

Maynard's father is 6-6, and he has always been an avid golfer.

"He had a club in my hands [when I was] 3 years old," Maynard said. "I never started to take it seriously in terms of practicing until I was in eighth grade."

As might be expected for someone of his stature, Maynard is a long driver off the tee. He cites his wedges and play around the green as another strength of his game.

"I've been working more on my putting this year than most," Maynard said. "I'm realizing how important a part of golf putting is. I've been putting a lot, and also just trying to be more mentally tough during a round of golf -- don't let a double bogey ruin your day. [Realizing that] if you make a double bogey, it's only one hole and there are 17 other holes to come back on."

The more rounds Maynard plays, the more mentally tough he gets.

"I've been playing more often this summer than I ever have in the past," Maynard said. "Six days a week, probably; I play every day if it's not raining."

When it comes to golfing weather, Maynard is upgrading beginning this fall when he begins attending Elon University in North Carolina.

There, he will attempt to make the Phoenix's Division I golf team as a walk-on. Maynard also will major in business and said he desires to always have golf be a big part of his life.

"It's a game you can play your whole life, unlike basketball and football [where you have to give it up] once you get older and your body starts to break down," Maynard said.