Posted: 17 Aug 2010 01:04 PM PDT

The Oshkosh West girls golf team began its season in a big way with a 187-229 victory over Appleton North on Tuesday at Irish Waters Golf Course.

Kristina Kairis led the Wildcats, shooting a 43 to begin her varsity career.

"(T)his was a great showing for her to start her varsity career," West coach Nicole Peterson said.

The Wildcats received solid performances from every golfer, with Heather Zuleger notching a 46 and Lauren Zuleger and Tara Daly each carding a 49.

"I am happy to start the season 1-0," Peterson said. "That always feels good."

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent.

Golf: Gahman has another busy summer

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 09:15 AM PDT

By Thomas D. McGlinchey
Sportswriter

Golf is a game that has been known to crush a man's spirit with one bad bounce, only to resurrect it two holes later before finally stomping his hopes of finishing at even par into the ground like an unwanted spider crawling along a kitchen floor as he double-bogeys on the 18th.

Yes, this is golf. Frustrating. Mind-numbing. Addictive. Brilliant.

Travis Gahman knows it all too well, and at the age of 21, he feels more comfortable than ever before on a golf course.

"Absolutely," Gahman said. "I haven't been nervous on a golf course this whole year, just because of all those school golf tournaments I had in the fall and spring at Bridgewater [College]. You're not only playing for yourself, you're playing for your team and school, so there's more pressure, and you just deal with it."

Gahman, a 2007 Souderton High graduate who is entering his junior year at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA, played in several amateur tournaments this summer, including the 40th Annual Lakeview Amateur Tournament and the 2010 Loudon Mutual Valley Open, both of which he won.

In the Lakeview Tournament, held in mid-June at Lakeview Golf Course near Harrisonburg, VA, where Gahman lived for part of the summer with his sister and brother-in-law, the Souderton native shot a 72 and a 68 for a combined score of 140 (-4) in the Championship Flight to win by seven strokes.

"I got a new swing in the middle of June, about two days before the Lakeview Amateur in Virginia, and I won that and qualified three days later for Publinks," Gahman said. "My old swing was working here and there, but if my timing was wrong, my miss-hits were bad. And now, with this new swing, my miss-hits are much better than they were. Golf is a game of misses. Golf is a game of the best misses and my misses are getting better."

At the Valley Open—played at Heritage Oak Golf Course (Harrisonburg), Lakeview and Spotswood Country Club (Harrisonburg) in late July—Gahman shot a 66 (-4), a 71 (-1), and a 70 (-1) for a combined score of 207 (-6) to beat the nearest pro by five strokes and the closest amateur by 11 strokes.

In late June, Gahman, after he won at Lakeview, returned to the area to play in the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship Qualifier at Jeffersonville Golf Club. He shot a 69 and a 71 to finish even at 140.

"That was like 38 guys for two spots," Gahman said. "Then that qualified me down to Greensboro, Bryan Park. I played a national tournament."

A few days later, Gahman took second at the PPGA Publinks Championship at Jeffersonville where he shot a 69 (-1). Last summer, Gahman defeated Mike Brown to win the Publinks Championship.

At the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship held at Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C., the 2009 PPGA Player of the Year qualified for match play by hitting a birdie on the first playoff hole, the 10th hole, of a 13-for-six playoff.

"One hundred and fifty-six guys for 64 match-play spots," Gahman said. "And through six holes I was five-under. And I kind of blew up on the back nine, but I made it through the 36 holes. I made it on the number and I was in a 13-for-6 playoff."

In match play, Gahman, seeded 62nd, was paired up with No. 3 seed Patrick Reed, the third ranked amateur player in the world.

"He played well," Gahman said. "He was five-under through 12 holes. I birdied the first and then it went downhill from there. I didn't play well and lost."

Reed was up seven holes after they had played 12 to clinch the win.

In late July, Gahman shot a 75 (+4) at the Montgomery County Amateur at Ravens Claw before withdrawing in the second round at Blue Bell Country Club on Aug. 1. He also shot an 80 (+8) and a 74 (+2) at the U.S. Amateur Qualifier earlier this month.

On Monday, Gahman began his quest to finally make the cut at the 94th Pennsylvania Open in his third time at the annual event.

"My first goal is to make the cut, but I'm playing much better than I have been," Gahman said, who failed to reach that goal after shooting 78-71—149, six shots shy of the cutline in the tournament held at Applebrook Golf Club.

"First I'd be happy to make the cut because I'm going into this course blind as well. But I feel like my game is good enough that I can hit around, see what's around me and make the cut. Top 10 would be great. Top 20 is plenty good for me for the whole state of Pennsylvania, including amateur and pros."

Gahman entered the spring season with plenty of confidence. In his first season playing for Bridgewater, a Division III program, he set a school record for the best single-season scoring average with a 74.888 average besting Grady Ruckman's record average of 74.909 according to the team's website. Gahman earned a birdie on the final hole of the 2010 NCAA Division III Golf Championships at the Hershey Links Course in Hershey to make school history.

Gahman also set a school record for an 18-hole score during his first tournament round with the team.

"And then I went downhill from there," he joked. "But at the end of the year we made nationals for the first time in school history by winning our conference championship for the first time; that was an automatic bid. At nationals, its four days, but after two days it cuts down to the top 23 teams. We were tied for 24th, but I was fortunate enough to make it through playoffs as an individual."

Gahman said one area he still struggles in, like most golfers, is the mental aspect of the game.

"It's definitely a struggle, especially when you know you can hit shots and you don't, and you see other people hitting those same shots," Gahman said. "Golf is definitely a mental game, I'm trying to work on it, it's not good at all right now, but it's better than what it has been."

This Week's Top Headlines

Submit a Comment

GOLF: Course management

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 11:01 AM PDT

SPORTS > FEATURES

GOLF: Course management

A path usually contains a clear-cut destination. For Gilroy resident Julian Carrasco, the road he traveled led right to another course - the Gilroy Golf Course.

A poor 19-year-old immigrant from Mexico in search of opportunity in America to the Superintendent of Gilroy's landmark links 11 years later - Carrasco's journey took him on a path most wouldn't dare set foot.

But the fruits of his manual labor and motivation to succeed has given Carrasco a new life, a job he truly enjoys, and all the golf he wants to play.

Setting Forth

Alone, without anything to his name, Carrasco left his native Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as a teenager.

"When you are in Mexico you hear a lot of stories of (America)," Carrasco. "Better money, better opportunities and a better life. You can have food three times a day."

His original plan was straightforward enough - live in California, work as hard as he could, make some money and return to Puerto Vallarta.

Back in his hometown he was going to build a big house, start a family and get a job in a restaurant.

The plan appeared seamless.

Despite knowing the danger of crossing from Mexico into the United States, Carrasco ventured toward the border. His excursion led him from Mexicali, Mexico to Calexico, Calif.

"At that time I didn't have papers. I was illegal," Carrasco said. "I crossed the border. It was the first time I was away from my town. It was really, really scary."

Walking for hours at a time, from sunrise to sunset to sunrise again, he faced the daunting terrain bound for his destination.

"They wouldn't let you take a break," Carrasco recalled. "If they did, it would be for like five seconds."

Carrasco made it to Los Angeles and eventually north to Gilroy where he met his brother. Now he needed a job.

Gilroy, his new home

Carrasco figured his time in Gilroy would be short-lived.

"It's my brother's fault," Carrasco said with a sly smile. "I came here because I wanted to learn and speak English. He said come here and learn. I was supposed to come just for a year, but that didn't happen. I'm still here."

Upon his arrival, his grasp of the English language was minimal, which is probably an exaggeration. He said he didn't even know the word, "hi."

Carrasco was approved for all the proper permits and paperwork, which allowed him to work and fortunately, Carrasco landed a job at Chevy's soon after moving to the area. As a bus boy, Carrasco began picking up the language a few simple words and phrases at a time.

"It was hard, because I knew nothing about speaking English," Carrasco said. "My brother has kids and they helped me with important things like glass, fork, knife, water. I started to go to Gavilan and take lessons."

Knowing the importance of commanding the English language, Carrasco said he made the decision to fully assimilate himself.

"I decided to hang out more with white people because that was going to help me," Carrasco said of the intimidating experience. "Maybe that sounds mean but it's true. If you practice you get it quicker."

As he progressed toward his goal, Carrasco got some much needed assistance from perhaps the best resource possible - a female co-worker. Carrasco met Jolene at Chevy's and the two hit it off and their relationship blossomed into romance.

"She didn't know Spanish and I didn't know English so that was fun," Carrasco said in a full laugh.

"She was a bartender and I was a barback," he said with more infectious laughter, remembering the couple's first date: a night of dancing at a local club.

A year courtship was plenty for the lovebirds who were married on April 24, 2000, and now have two children, Jace, 4, and Jeron, 2.

After about two years at Chevy's, and with his new life beginning to take shape, Carrasco joined a friend on a job hunt to Gilroy Golf Course.

"He didn't want to go by himself so I said I'd go with him," Carrasco said.

Fate has a unique way of letting life play out, and his decision to accompany his buddy to the course that day set in motion a domino effect of good fortune for the eager Carrasco.

Maintenance man

"I started doing the blower and the Weed Eater," Carrasco said.

Hired by International Golf Maintenance, the company contracted out by the city to care and keep the course back then, Carrasco, motivated by the desire to be better, took on the new challenge with a full head of steam - a work ethic he credits to his parents.

"I knew if I want back to Mexico, I would be a server and that's it," Carrasco said. "So when I got this job, I started to like to make this place look pretty."

Though he had little landscape experience, and golf was a sport he found to be ridiculous, Carrasco still managed to make an impact, not to mention develop an appreciation for golf, too.

"I started to work here and see these people hitting this little ball with this club and I think to myself, 'this is dumb,'" Carrasco humbly admits to his less-than-flattering first impressions of the sport. "After you get it, it is a lot of fun."

His to-do list to keep the course looking its best at all times includes a wide range of disciplines from understanding the irrigation system, which fertilizer mix or pesticides to use at what rate and so on.

When course pro Don DeLorenzo began to lease the entire operation from the city in 2006, he approached Carrasco with an offer to become the course's head superintendent.

"When I approached Julian and told him that this was his car, you drive it, he was totally excited," DeLorenzo said. "I saw the work that he did around here, and noticed that he was doing all the work," DeLorenzo added. Every year he has learned more, done more and he knows how to get the work done. He knows how to communicate with his guys and get the work out of them. He makes it pretty easy on me in that part."

Four years later, the praises from the course's patrons rain down by the bucket load.

"There's people that have been coming here forever and tell me I'm the best superintendent," Carrasco said proudly. "I love it here because this is like a neighborhood course. It's good to meet people and see some of the same people."

Carrasco, now 30, is a year-and-a-half away from obtaining his U.S. citizenship.

"It's really, really important to me," the vibrant and charismatic course curator said, noting that he is always studying for the test.

As for his golf game, Carrasco has made leaps and bounds since first chipping around with co-workers on a break one day seven years ago. He now holds a 10 handicap with his best score a 5-over 75. The first time he played the Par 70 course, however, he shot a 128.

"I was so excited," he said. "Then they told me I was supposed to shoot 70."

Josh Weaver
Josh Weaver is the sports editor for the Gilroy Dispatch. He can be reached at (408) 842-1694.

Golf Zone

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

“Golf: Wildcats strike down Lightning” plus 3 more

“Golf: Wildcats strike down Lightning” plus 3 more

This Week's Top Headlines

Submit a Comment

0 comments:

Post a Comment

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed

Popular Posts