Date: Fri 09-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Marusa-NCC-Junior-Champ

Full Text:

Mike Marusa - Junior Club Champ at NCC

B Y T.W YATT

Newtown's Mike Marusa took up golf last summer, at the age of 14, and loved it

so much that he got himself a job, saved his money, and purchased a membership

at Newtown Country Club.

Though the majority of his free time this spring and summer was spent playing

baseball for the Newtown High School team, his Newtown Babe Ruth team, and

various all-star teams after that, Mike still found the time to get out and

squeeze in a few rounds along the way.

On Tuesday, August 6, only a week after playing in his final baseball game of

the season, Marusa shot the lowest nine-hole round of his budding golf career

at NCC which earned him the 1996 Junior Club Championship.

After his second shot on the ninth hole nearly cupped out from the fairway,

Marusa tapped in a five footer to close out a 36 which won him the title by a

full seven strokes over his nearest competitor, defending-champion Brett

Morelli. " That was the first time I ever broke forty, " Marusa said. " I knew

it would happen sometime. I've had a couple of rounds of 40, but after the

seventh today I started to think about breaking it. I knew I'd do it unless I

bogeyed the last two holes. I guess today was a good day to finally do it. "

Marusa, playing alongside of Steve McCulloch and Mike Payne, started off his

round by making par on each of the first four holes - chipping on and

one-putting on the first two.

Then, on the par-4 fifth, he got into his only real trouble of the day and

double bogeyed. " I had a decent tee shot into the first cut of rough, " he

explained. " Then I hit a good nine-iron, but hit it a little too far and it

hit the cart path and went OB, so I hit again. I would have made par, but lost

two strokes instead. "

After the double, Marusa then bogeyed on the par-3 sixth when he chipped on

and missed a par putt.

But from there on out it was pure, fundamental golf.

Marusa made par on seven and eight before finishing up with his only birdie of

the afternoon on nine.

" I just tried to play safe, " Mike said. " I felt a little pressure on the

first hole, but once I got off the first tee and was able to get up and down

for a par, then I felt good the rest of the way. "

Marusa's 36 easily topped the rest of the day's field which included

McCulloch, Payne, Brett Morelli, Will Benson, Paul Giarratano, and Pat Kelley.

The Junior Club Championship was only the second held in this decade, since

NCC golf professional Paul Miller took over the position in 1995 and brought

it back.

" The tournament used to be big, years back, " Miller said. " I'd really like

to build it back up. We have a lot of juniors away on vacation. We could have

up to 30 juniors in this if they're all around. "

Miller plans on purchasing a plaque to hang in the clubhouse with the names of

the Junior Club Champions engraved on it. Not only was Marusa's name an

unlikely one for a championship plaque, but just the fact that he's a member

at a private golf club is ironic.

" Last year I started to get into golf and played once a week or once every

two weeks, " said Mike, the only one in his family who really plays a lot. " I

decided that I wanted to become a member here so I plowed snow in the winter

to buy my membership. I sat in a nice warm truck and just worked the plow.

Socko [Rick Mariani] drove and I plowed. "

On Tuesday, Marusa did all the driving. The 15-year-old rookie hit five of the

six fairways and made six of the nine greens in regulation.

Only two people - Kip Bowers and Matt Snow - have ever won both Junior Club

and Men's Club Championships at NCC, and when informed of that, Marusa just

shrugged. " I can't see it happening, here, " he laughed. " But who knows? "

Marusa will be a sophomore at Newtown High next year and with nine-hole scores

like 36, he'd have no problem playing for the school's golf team, a perennial

power in its league. In fact, Jared Tendler, Newtown's first golfer to earn

All-State honors, broke 36 only twice last season. No other golfer on the team

was able to accomplish that feat.

" Baseball is my first love so that's a tough decision to make, " Marusa said.

" It will depend on how my game progresses in the future. I can't see quitting

baseball, but we'll see what Newtown High School can do about me playing both

ways. "

In the girls' division Katie Stabile, 13, defeated her cousin, ten-year-old

Heather Gebert, for the Junior Championship, shooting a score of 17 through

three holes. Katie, who lives in Thomaston, admitted that she doesn't play a

lot of golf, but enjoys getting out with her grandparents Walt and Joan

Gebert, who are both longtime members at NCC. It was Katie's first-ever

trophy.