A Modest Approach

Golf can be a humbling sport that can take you from the pinnacle to the depths in a span of one round, one hole or even one shot. Just ask Roy McAvoy. The central character in the movie "Tin Cup," McAvoy is a talented but unstable driving-range golf pro who manages to qualify for the U.S. Open, then goes out and shoots an 83 on the opening day of what is considered the most difficult major in golf to win. McAvoy bounces back during the next three days and finds himself in contention for the championship. Before taking a 12 on the 72nd hole. When he refuses to lay up on a short par 5, McAvoy winds up putting several balls into the water just in front of the green. Now consider Cathedral's Corey Ziedonis, a believer in golf's ability to humble its participants. Before the 2009 season began, the last time the senior stepped foot on the golf course for a high-school event, it marked the pinnacle. His birdie on the first playoff hole during the 2008 state meet capped a two-day 137, which that gave Ziedonis an individual state title and the Irish the team championship. On April 11, came the depths, as the Irish started their state title defense with a 327 in the Hall of Fame Classic. Ziedonis' day consisted of an 83. "It was my worst high school round ever. Golf, I think, is the best sport when it comes to keeping you humble," Ziedonis said. "But when you have a round like that, it just makes you that much hungrier to come back and do better. It keeps your fire going." Translation: Ziedonis isn't ready to rest on his laurels this season. "I definitely don't still see myself as the state champ. This is a new year," said Ziedonis, who joined James Somrack (1962) as the only boys individual state champ in Cathedral's athletic history. "We all have new goals this year. What we did last year was great, but it was last year." It helps Ziedonis that there will be days when he won't even be the best player on his team. Both seniors Henry Plager and Brad Gehl equaled Ziedonis' second-day 72 at the state meet last season; Plager's 67 in the 2008 sectional actually led the team. All three golfers will play for NCAA Division I colleges next year - Ziedonis at Indiana University, Plager at Purdue University and Gehl at Oklahoma State University. Having that kind of competition in practice and during matches is fine with Ziedonis. "We're a better team if we're playing to beat each other. We push each other when we do that," he said. "But we don't really get upset if one of the other guys beats us. It's a friendly competition" Cathedral golf coach Joe Vollmer is the beneficiary of that competition. "You sometimes see in seniors - and sometimes even in athletes - a case of senioritis. But you don't see it with any of those three," he said. "They think they can all become better golfers this year. They're all really driven to stay in shape, and they're all really driven to improve." But that drive doesn't stop the game from being fun for Ziedonis, who first began hitting in his backyard with his father, Vali, when he was 6- or 7-years-old. "I try to be a fun person out on the golf course," Ziedonis said. "I take it seriously - to a point. I work hard on my game. But I try not to be stone-cold when I'm out there. I'll talk to other players. I'll make some jokes. I try to be positive." That attitude carries over to practice. Part of being a senior is being a leader for the younger players on the team, but consider that item checked off on Ziedonis' to-do list. "The coach here before me (current Butler University coach Bill Mattingly) told me that Corey was a leader when he was a freshman," Vollmer said. "Even when he was one of the youngest players on the team he was a leader, both by example and vocally. He didn't wait until his senior year. He was a leader on our team last year." He's also always been a pressure player. As a freshman, he shot an even-par 72 during the opening round of the state meet, missing the Day 2 cut by one stroke. As a sophomore, his two-day 149 placed him tied for 15th at the same meet. And a year ago during Day 1 at state, he set the tone for the Irish with an opening day 5-under-par 65. "I don't know if it's good to say or not, but I definitely do think that the bigger the stage, the better I play," Ziedonis said. "I think I'm one of those guys who's really driven by the better competition." He's also driven to bring home another title for Cathedral this spring. And, if he has to choose, he wants it to be another team crown. "I think our title as a team was a bigger deal to me. That's the banner that's going to be hanging in our gym," Ziedonis said. "I think it was good to win as an individual. But seeing how happy everyone was after winning as a team made that one a little sweeter." -