Golf

The comeback kid

Liberty’s Josh Goldstein rebounds from five-hole deficit to win Section Nine golf crown; Sullivan West’s Justin Armstrong heads to states, too

By RICHARD A. ROSS

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Life lessons abound in sports, things to be learned that can prove valuable for years to come. For Liberty senior Josh Goldstein, whose remarkable comeback performance from a five-stroke deficit prior to round two of the Section Nine golf championships at Casperkill Country Club on May 21 brought him his first-ever tournament win, several of those lessons can be summed up thusly.

Stay in the moment and concentrate on the immediate task at hand. Learn from your past mistakes without being imprisoned by them, and don’t look too far ahead or make assumptions about what you imagine will come to pass.

Such lessons are often gained from painful experiences, such as those endured by the young golfer in a career that has had its share of ups and downs.

After tying for 11th place in the state in his sophomore year, Goldstein failed to make the cut last year, finishing 11th in the Section Nine tournament behind a 90-stroke second-round performance letdown at Wiltwyck Country Club in Kingston.

Perhaps, Goldstein failed to realize that prior success is no guarantee of positive outcomes in subsequent endeavors. In retrospect, Goldstein attributes lack of focus to his meltdown in 2007.

Made wiser by last year’s disappointing finish, Goldstein took to the greens this year with a new resolve: play each hole one at a time. Don’t look ahead and don’t make predictions.

His newfound ability to focus on the here and now delivered a mother lode of a reward, as he methodically worked his way back from the first-round deficit incurred at the Villa Roma on May 19 to win this year’s tournament by six strokes over first-round leader Andrew DeForest of Rondout Valley.

Goldstein shot a two under par 70 in round two. Remarkably, it was the first time he had ever broken par in a tournament. The milestone first-tournament win returns him to Cornell University in Ithaca on June 1 and 2 for the state championship, along with eight other Section Nine golfers who made the cut.

Goldstein’s final stroke, a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th green, was a fitting coda to a hole-by-hole advance over DeForest, who struggled to maintain his own focus.

Goldstein birdied the 16th hole and parred the 17th, before capping off his day with his final birdie putt to solidify his two-day score of three over 146.

Goldstein’s greatest asset over his career has been his long game. But this year, he began to concentrate more on his putting skills, which have not been nearly as consistent as his ability to drive the ball up the fairway.

Another life lesson presents itself here. Work hard on the things that you don’t do as well and they may become the things you do best.

Liberty coach John Napolitano, a person with a wealth of golf experience that included play in the New York State Open and finishing third in the North/South Carolina Amateur Tournament, appreciates Goldstein’s potential. He is even more impressed by the young golfer’s poise and focus. “Josh broke through yesterday and finally learned not to dwell on the past,” said Napolitano, who observed that there were moments when doubts crept in for the young golfer. Arriving at Casperkill, Goldstein seemed worried about how fast the greens were as he putted before the tournament. But Napolitano reassured him.

Later, after hooking his tee shot into the trees on the 17th hole and having to wait through a lightning delay, he told his coach, “I hope I don’t blow it.” Once again, Napolitano reminded the young golfer to keep to his game plan and take it one stroke at a time.

Goldstein continued to stay within himself, just as he had done earlier, as DeForest had bogeyed seven straight holes from seven through 14. Being successful in sports is as much about one’s state of mind as it is about one’s skills and athleticism. Goldstein’s performance shows his ability to simultaneously maximize control over his mind and body, a powerful tool on the links, and even more powerful in the arduous course of life.

Following the match, young DeForest, who is following in the successful tradition established by his brother Chris, now playing at Indiana University, said to Napolitano, “How in the world did he do that under these conditions?”

There’s no telling what lies ahead for the subdued and classy Goldstein, but this much can be said: The future is apt to bring its share of adversity and setbacks, but the capacity to put the past behind, and not be distracted by what is yet to come, will make for a powerful force in dealing with the tasks at hand.

Goldstein’s comeback performance teaches and informs us to take the time to do what needs to be done now and do it well. In that way, the present will not only create the legacy of a stellar past, but it will lead to the unfolding of a remarkable future.

Sullivan West’s Justin Armstrong comes through to make it to states

Sullivan West junior Justin Armstrong survived a week of challenges to evince a consistent performance in the Section Nine tournament as he emerged in fifth place with a 79-78-157. Armstrong battled back from some early difficulties in the OCIAA championship to make the cut to advance to the Section Nine tourney. In last year’s OCIAA tourney, Armstrong eagled hole 14 at Swan Lake in a milestone moment.

This year, the emerging phenom has continued to improve. Making it to the state tournament is a resounding litmus test of his progress. Armstrong stayed tough in round one amid daunting weather conditions by shooting an eight over par to stay ahead of OCIAA champion Doug Kleeschulte of Kingston. Kleeschulte shot one stroke better than Armstrong in round two, and the two ended up tied for fifth.

Armstrong and Goldstein will represent Sullivan County at states. The complete list of state qualifiers is as follows: Josh Goldstein (Liberty), 76-70-146; Andrew DeForest (Rondout Valley), 71-81-152; Jeff Schaller (Kingston), 75-79-154; Chris Ferraro (Kingston), 80-75-155; Justin Armstrong (Sullivan West), 79-78-157; Doug Kleeschulte (Kingston), 80-77-157; Mike Marotta (Monroe-Woodbury), 83-80-163; Rich Lenihan (Warwick), 84-80-164; and Ryan Wolff (Onteora), 74-90-164.

The following golfers missed the cut but are to be commended for an outstanding year: David Jaye (James I. O’Neill), 83-82-165; Justin Alles (Onteora), 83-82-165; Tom McHugh (Monroe-Woodbury), 84-83-167; Ben DeForest (Rondout Valley), 84-85-169; Matt Decker (Minisink Valley), 85-87-172; Chris Dziengiel (Pine Bush), 84-88-172; David McDonald (Tri-Valley), 85-88-173; Eric Seitz (Wallkill), 85-88-173; Ryne McEvoy (Rondout Valley), 85-89-174; Ryan Sonnenschein (Monticello), 85-90-175; Colby Lewis (Monroe-Woodbury), 82-94-176; and Ryan LaConture (Kingston) 85-96-181.

Visit riverreportersports.com to read “Movers in the Maelstrom,” the story of round one, and to view a photo album from the tournament’s opening round.