Published: 08:52 AM, Thu Mar 11, 2010
High school golf preview: Cape Fear's Cole aiming for improvement
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
Cape Fear's John Michael Cole got his first crack at playing in the state 4-A golf tournament last year.
He enjoyed the best finish among the Cumberland County golfers in the event, a two-day total of 80-75-155.
Now back for his senior season on the Colts golf team, Cole is hoping to lead the pack in the newly aligned Mid-South 4-A Conference, which unites teams from the old Two Rivers and Mid-Southeastern leagues.
Cole has been playing golf since the eighth grade, learning the game from his dad. It didn't take him long to realize it was something he enjoyed.
"I like the competition, being on my own and not having to worry about a team,'' he said.
He got his first taste of tournament success competing in a series of Blue Emu Junior events, winning seven of eight tournaments at one stretch.
The strong points of his game, he said, are ball striking with his irons and his sand play. It was enough last year to carry him to a berth in the state 4-A tournament as an individual.
"Last year was important,'' he said. "I had to make it as an individual since the team didn't make it.''
Although he had the best finish in the state tourney among locals last year, Cole doesn't think that automatically earns him favorite status for this season. He's expecting competition in the upcoming Mid-South race, and figures his chief rival will be Terry Sanford's Jack Keefe.
"He's real consistent and a strong putter,'' Cole said.
As far as goals for this year are concerned, Cole wants to get his stroke average to around even par or better, and he's aiming for a top-10 finish in the state tournament.
To get to the state, he'll have to survive regional qualifying, which this year will be held at Pinehurst No. 1. Cole said he's played the course before and thinks it suits his game well.
"It's a pretty straightforward course,'' he said, "pretty wide open. It's a par-70, and a couple of the par 5s are short. It's not a course you have to place the ball. You can go down the fairway and take it one shot at a time.''
Cole is already looking beyond his high school career to college golf. Two schools he's considering are Methodist University and Catawba.
He especially likes the Professional Golf Management program at Methodist, and the fact the school has its own practice facility and golf course.
For the immediate future, Cole's main concern is to get better control of his putting. In the first Mid-South Conference regular-season match this week, he said he played well tee to green, but had three three-putts.
"I couldn't control the speed,'' he said. "I'm blowing it by the hole or leaving it short every time,'' he said.
"I just want to improve on what I did last year,'' he said. "Any improvement is going to be good.''
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.Keep an eye on ...
Jack Keefe
Terry Sanford
Senior
First team All-Two Rivers Conference last season ... Had stroke average of 75.7 in conference matches.
Spencer Harris
Terry Sanford
Junior
First team All-Two Rivers Conference last season ... Had stroke average of 78.9 in conference matches .
Daniel Perry
Pine Forest
Senior
First team All-Two Rivers Conference last season ... Had stroke average of 77.6 in conference matches.
Justin Reynolds
Jack Britt
Junior
First team All-Mid-Southeastern Conference last season ... Had stroke average of 78.6 for conference matches.
Spencer Goodnough
Cape Fear
Sophomore
Second team All-Two Rivers Conference last season as a freshman. ... Had stroke average of 83.6 for league matches.