Tyler Gerbavsits Captures All-State Golf Honors
Tyler Gerbavsits cast aside some early troubles to birdie two of the final three holes at the state golf championships in Ithaca on Monday and finish 10th in a field of 99. The Huntington High School sophomore is the first Blue Devil golfer in more than three decades to capture All-State honors.
Gerbavsits shot a two-over-par 73 on the first day of state finals on Sunday. A three hour rain delay didn’t seem to bother the teenager. He tallied three birdies and matched par on 10 holes.
Monday was more challenging. Gerbavsits shot a five-over-par 41 on the front nine of the Robert Trent Jones golf course at Cornell University. “He seemed to be getting frustrated with his game, but it really held together,” said Michael Marinello, Huntington’s head coach.
The sophomore parred the 437 yard 10th hole and then birdied the 563 yard 11th hole. After settling for a bogie on the 12th hole, Gerbavsits parred the 13th hole. Disaster struck on the par three 198 yard 14th hole when the teenager needed a double bogie to get the ball in the cup.
“That’s when a switch went off and Tyler went into a zone,” Marinello said. “He narrowly missed a birdie on the 433 yard 15th hole and then hit a nine iron onto the 16th green and drained a 10 foot birdie putt.”
The par three, 182 yard 17th hole produced drama and excitement. Gerbavsits played a safe shot onto the green, which left him a 30-foot downhill putt. “The crowd exploded as Tyler’s ball approached the hole, hung on the lip of the cup, paused and then fell to the bottom of the cup for a birdie,” Marinello said.
Gerbavsits finished the 36-hole state championship with a par on the 533 yard 18th hole. The Blue Devil star carded an even par 36 on the back nine on Monday and a final round 77 to place 10th overall in New York State.
The teenager earned a handsome medal for his performance. He also garnered a silver medal for helping Section XI-Suffolk finish second in the team standings.
Blue Devil Notes: The top 20 finishers earn All-State honors . . . Three golfers finished with a two day total score of 150, but Gerbavsits was given sole possession of 10th place based on criteria, which involved the number of strokes used over the final nine holes . . . Gerbavsits finished a mere five strokes behind state champion Connor Daly of Bronxville in Section I (Westchester).