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No kid-ding: Terlesky on par with best
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Brian Terlesky, 8, of Boardman practices putting at his home. Brain has been playing golf since he was 4-years-old and dreams of playing with Tiger Woods one day.
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Brian Terlesky, 8, of Boardman stands in front of some of his trophies in his home. Brian dreams of playing in a PGA tournament one day.
By Pete Mollica
The 8-year-old from Boardman has won 20 of the 22 golf tournaments he’s entered this summer.
BOARDMAN — Eight-year-old Brian Terlesky is just like any other youngster as he enjoys playing in his back yard.
But the difference between Brian and other 8-year-olds is that his playground is an artificial putting and chipping green and his toys are a set of golf clubs.
Brian, who will be in the third grade at Stadium Drive Elementary School this fall, has been playing competitive junior golf since he was 6 and in most of his tournaments he has been head over heels above his competition.
This summer, the youngster has played in 22 tournaments and has 20 victories. Even though school starts next week, he’ll compete in six or seven more tournaments in the fall schedule on weekends.
The first thing you notice about Brian is that he loves what he’s doing, whether it’s practicing in the backyard or out on the course in competition.
Brian, the son of Brian and Christine Terlesky, lost two tournaments this past season. His first loss came in early spring in Mississippi where he competed in the 12-under-division and had barely gotten his clubs out from the winter before playing.
“We kind of throw him into competition in the spring, while he’s going up against players who have been playing all winter long,” his mother said. “At Mississippi, he hadn’t had much of change to practice or play here because of the weather.”
Brian’s favorite tournament is the U.S. Kids National Tournament held each summer in Pinehurst, N.C.
“That’s the best one,” Brian said.
It’s also one tournament he’s never won, finishing 12th last year and sixth this season when he made one mistake and it cost him the chance for the title.
Next season when Brian is 9, he’ll be playing a full 18 holes in the tournament and he’s really looking forward to it.
“In an 18-hole tournament, one mistake won’t hurt you like it does in a 9-hole tournament,” he said.
Brian’s father has been his only coach since he took to the game at 5. They do most of their practicing at Mill Creek Golf Course.
Brian plays with clubs customized for his size and age. He has a set of U.S. Kids Junior irons and his woods are custom made by his father.
“All except my 5-wood,” Brian said. “A friend of dad’s is a Nike representative and he had my five-wood custom made for me at the factory. It’s my favorite club.”
In the past year, Brian has seen improvement in his game.
“My chipping and putting has really improved,” he said. “I got a really good putting tip from Rick Jones one day over at Mill Creek. Did you know that he won the NCAA Individual championship when he was at Ohio State? Ohio State is my favorite school.”
While Brian saw big improvements in his chipping and putting, his mother said that his fairway wood play is still the strongest part of his game.
His mother and father have really gotten into the game themselves and this year they both coach the Boardman High girls golf team.
“Brian really loves that because it gives him another day to practice and most of the times they let him play a round in the final group,” Christine said.
While the U.S. Kids tournament is his favorite, he also enjoyed playing in the Texas Junior Masters Tournament, which was the last tournament on his summer schedule.
“It was awesome but it was really hot,” he said. “It was 104 degrees down there.
His mother has also noticed a big change in her son over the past year.
“He’s really matured and he’s really taken a big step in the etiquette of the game and he’s also acknowledges the efforts of the other players when they play well,” she said.
Brian has a 4-year-old brother, Tyler, who hasn’t shown any interest in golf.
“Right now, he’s still into Spider-Man,” Christine said.
The Terleskys are expecting their third child in December.
“It’s going to be a girl,” she said.
Brian said he’s excited about getting a sister.
One thing hasn’t changed with Brian is that Tiger Woods is still his favorite golfer.
mollica@vindy.com