Golf

A cut above the rest

Sullivan West’s Justin Armstrong wins OCIAA Championships

By RICHARD A. ROSS

SWAN LAKE, NY — Justin Armstrong knows the time is now and he’s ready to give it his best shot. With his senior season winding down and hopes for not only making states again, but doing well there, Armstrong looks forward to finishing up his high school career on a dramatic note.

The talented senior took a step in the right direction by winning the OCIAA golf championships with a leading two-over-par 74 on May 12, although he had to wait for two more days to be declared the winner. While 68 other golfers from the Orange County League were listening attentively to pre-match instructions from Section Nine chairperson Dick O’Neill and Swan Lake golf pro Bob Menges about the whims and caprices of the course, others were hunkering down to take Advanced Placement Tests. (See related story, Equal Access, page 35)

Armstrong has played numerous rounds at Swan Lake, a place he has worked at and knows well, but he’d be the first to tell you that you have to make the shots. That was something many promising contenders failed to do on this cool, partly sunny day. The changeable weather mirrored the altered states of golfers, some of whom seemed mired in difficulties, while others, like Armstrong, wasted no time in evincing their best.

Armstrong’s two over par 74 was one shot better than Kingston’s Jeff Schaller and a vast improvement over his 14 over 86, which he shot at this match a year prior. Armstrong went on from there to tie for fifth in the Section Nine tourney and to qualify for states for the first time.

This year, he has his sights set higher. With his golf career poised to advance to the next level at Division II Goldey Beacom College this fall, Armstrong appears loose and primed.

He was nonchalant about the league title, which the team now shares with Eldred. But as far as this challenge is concerned, it’s history to Armstrong. The score from the OCIAA Championships is wiped away as the Section Nine tourney begins.

Great athletes know how to put past performances in the rearview mirror.

Armstrong teed off on the back nine and shot eight straight pars. Past performances, including last year’s big numbers or the amazing eagle he shot on hole 14 two years ago, weren’t on his mind, as he was even-par with three holes left to play after nailing 20-foot birdie putts on holes five and six.

Armstrong’s goal was to stay away from the big numbers in his final OCIAA tournament. He started with eight pars on the back nine. Armstrong, who didn’t shoot anything worse than a bogey, battled out of trouble on the fifth hole after wedging his tee shot in the right bunker. His play stayed consistent though, as he finished with a 37-37- 74 on the day.

Schaller stayed close all the way through with fine drives, but a few of his putts were off. He qualified for states last year, too, and you can expect both he and Armstrong to be in the mix in the Section Nine tourney.

Cornwall senior Nick Johnson was in third place with a four over 76, and junior Joe Parker was in fourth place after a seven over 79.

Fallsburg’s Rich Elliott was seventh overall with a 43-40-83. Elliott missed the cut a year ago with a 96. Eldred’s Jon Geiger (43-47-90) was just above the cut line of 91. His performance was 15 strokes better than 2008 when he missed the cut.

Other Sullivan County golfers who missed the cut included Sullivan West’s Artie Norden, who made it last year. Norden was 10 strokes behind his 85 of a year ago. Also coming up short was Eldred’s Jason Jennings, who made it a year ago with an 89 but came up short this year with a 94.

Tri-Valley’s Ryan Mickelson and Jimmy Bernstein, along with Liberty’s Ryan Barber, Roscoe’s Jesse Higgins and Monticello’s Angelo Niforatos failed to qualify for the Section Nine tourney.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of photos and complete results.