Friday, May 15, 2015
The Greatest summer
series kicks off Sunday at Squaw Creek
When Donavan Ray made a list of goals for this year, winning the Greatest Golfer of the Valley Junior championship wasn’t one of them.
That accomplishment already has a check mark next to it after last year’s final turned into a perfect storm of sorts.
The junior championship was played at Avalon Lakes Golf and Country Club, where Ray is a member, and he finished his round before rain began to fall, delaying play for nearly an hour.
“It was like a perfect fit,” Ray said of last year’s final. “I know that course like the back of my hand and I was going to use that to my advantage.”
Ray went off in the first group of the final round and posted a 2-over par 74. That score held up against the rest of the 17-and-under field, giving Ray the victory. Since then, he’s been aiming for new goals to help get him closer to what he’s ultimately after.
“I want to play Division I golf,” Ray said. “That’s the goal and I’m going to do everything I can to achieve it.”
Ray has a few weeks left in his junior year at Howland High School. So far, he’s received interest from Bowling Green State University and Youngstown State. He hopes more tournament finishes like last year’s Greatest Golfer will put his name on more college coaches’ radars.
“I’ve been playing in a lot of tournaments already this year,” Ray said. “I decided to step up to two and three day tournaments, which is a lot of what college coaches look at.
“Plus, I think they suit my game better.”
Ray, along with many of the other top junior golfers in the Valley, competed in last week’s Optimist International Junior Golf qualifier at Deer Creek Golf Club in Hubbard. Ray was among the qualifiers for the district tournament in June.
If he finishes well there, the next site would be Florida, at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens.
“I’ve been playing great,” Ray said. “My short game has improved tremendously and my putting has been really good.”
With Ray’s busy schedule, he’s going to miss the year’s first Greatest Golfer junior qualifier at Squaw Creek Country Club on Sunday. However, he’ll be back to defend his 17-and-under title at some point this summer — he’s just not sure when.
“Winning it last year was one of the best feelings,” Ray said. “My parents pay a lot of money for me to play in tournaments all over.
“I’d love to qualify on my first try, but I know it’s not going to be easy. There’s a lot of good golfers in the division and a lot of new young guys that have moved up.”
Also playing in the Optimist qualifier last week was Jacinta Pikunas. Although nobody can say they played better than last year’s Greatest Golfer girls 17-and-under champion.
Pikunas shot her best-ever tournament round and led all scorers with a 66 at Deer Creek.
“I’m hoping to make that a little more consistent, but yeah I did have a good day,” Pikunas said.
Walking off the 18th green, she said she knew her score was low, but didn’t realize just how good it was.
“When I play bad, I know exactly what my score is,” she joked. “But when I’m playing well I have no clue.”
The Boardman sophomore has focused much of her offseason efforts on the mental part of her golf game. Expectations have been high for her since the beginning of high school. She learned how to keep the pressure off herself and on her competition.
“I know I work hard enough, and I know I have the skills,” Pikunas said. “I’ve gotten better at just rolling with the punches.
“It doesn’t matter what tournament it is. I just show up and play.”
She’ll be playing at the Northern Ohio Junior PGA qualifier at Trumbull Country Club on Saturday, which means her first Greatest Golfer appearance of the year will have to wait.
That just also means it’ll be anyone’s tournament on Sunday at Squaw Creek.