BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Mike Desero had an easy explanation as to how he won the Shore Conference Golf Tournament last week.
“I used driver on every hole, and hit it straight, and had wedges to the green,” he said. “I putted good. I had no three putts. I made the 6- and 7-footers.”
That alone doesn’t do justice to the Marlboro junior, who carded a 74 on a Howell Park Golf Course made tougher by cold, windy conditions on May 8. The championship, the first-ever by a Marlboro golfer, was a tribute to Desero’s mental toughness because his day hardly started off like a winning one.
He began the tournament on the par-4 14th hole.
“It’s a pretty easy hole for me,” said the Marlboro junior. “I usually look to drive it over the sand trap. I decided to play it safe and go to the left. I hit it in the hazard.”
The result – a double bogey. On the par-5 15th, Desero hit the trees with his tee shot and had trouble getting out of the rough. He was 190 yards from the green, lying three. But he put his iron shot just 10 feet from the hole and rolled in the par put. That helped to jump start his round.
“I used to get frustrated after a bad shot, but I learned to put it behind me,” he said.
Therein lies the secret to his success last week. After starting with a double-bogey, he played par golf over the next 17 holes, which included a chip-in from off the green for a birdie on the 18th hole (his fifth).
Even when he had carded his 74, Desero, who hadn’t challenged for a tournament title before, didn’t think he posted the best round of the day, but he had.
“This gives me more confidence for other tournaments,” he said.
This is the second year that Desero has been a member of the Marlboro varsity golf team. As a freshman, he was a pitcher for the frosh baseball team, while playing golf occasionally. However, an inflammation of his right pitching elbow sidelined him and he spent more time on the golf course. He had planned on taking a year off from baseball to let the injury heal, but something happened.
“I was better at golf than I was at baseball,” Desero pointed out.
Now that he has the SC title, he knows he made the right decision.
Desero’s 74 helped the Mustangs post their best finish at the SCT, second place behind Christian Brothers Academy (310-321). His teammate, Brett Schultz, finished 13th with an 80.