KARL PEARSON
A Karl Pearson column...
Two out of three aren’t bad, according to the song. By that measure, Andrew Bunnell must be doing all right.
That’s especially true when considering that, in a discipline as tough as golf, which generally requires a person to have applied themselves since they were very young, it’s tough for a late bloomer to really enjoy success. By that measure, the Conneaut High School senior is far ahead of the game.
In just his third year of truly working seriously on golf, the son of Steve and Kathy Bunnell produced a level of play strong enough to earn selection for the second straight year as the Star Beacon Ashtabula County Boys Player of the Year. He has his father and his two older brothers, Eric and Jeremy, to thank for that.
“My sophomore year was the first time I had even picked up a club,” the youngest Bunnell said. “My dad and my brothers had been encouraging me to take up the game, but I’d always ignored them because I thought it was a boring sport.”
But the insistence by his relatives to go out for a round with them during a family birthday observance showed Bunnell he had been wrong.
“I tried it and found out it wasn’t so boring after all,” he said.
He also discovered he had an aptitude for golf rather quickly.
“I remember when I was a sophomore playing at the (Northeastern Conference) tournament,” Bunnell said. “Coach (Mike) Trinko came out to where I was on the back nine (at Fowler’s Mill Golf Course in Munson Township) and said that everyone else was messing up and I had a chance to make the all-league team if I played well. I ended up making first-team All-NEC.”
It’s been onward and upward ever since for Bunnell. This year, he finished with a 39.7 average for nine holes. He also achieved a personal goal by shooting a low nine-hole school of 33 at Village Green Golf Course in North Kingsville, which became the Spartans’ home course this year. That tied the Conneaut school record for a nine-hole round that his brother, Jeremy, had set in 2000.
Still, Bunnell seemed a bit surprised by his selection as the county player of the year a second time.
“I’m really grateful that I won it,” he said. “I’m kind of speechless.”
His coach believes Bunnell is definitely worthy of the recognition, especially as he took on the role of the team leader as the only senior on an extremely young team. He and sophomore Nick Howland were the only returning lettermen on the Conneaut squad this year. What’s more, the team had no juniors and included only two other sophomores and two freshmen.
“Andrew was the leader of our team and a very consistent player,” Trinko said. “I feel he’s very deserving of repeating as Player of the Year in the county.”
“As a senior, I tried to be a leader this year,” Bunnell said. “I enjoyed my teammates this year. It was a fun ride.”
As much as anything, Bunnell tried to lead by the example of his play. He set some pretty high standards for himself.
“My goal this year was to never shoot a round in the 40s,” he said. “I accomplished that in all but two tournaments, (Geneva’s) Bronko (Invitational) and the sectional.”
Unfortunately, having such a round at the sectional put a big hit on another of his goals for the season, at least advancing to the Division II district tournament.
“The first 12 holes at district I was doing really good,” he said. “Then I hit one bad tee shot and it led to a bunch of other stuff. It was kind of the snowball effect.”
The effects of that disappointment have lingered.
“I haven’t picked up a club since I missed going to district,” Bunnell said. “It was definitely a disappointing way to end my senior year. I’m going to have to get back to playing when the weather gets better.”
Bunnell was pleased that he was able to match his brother’s record.
“That meant a lot to me,” he said. “I was hoping I might be able to break it, but I’m pretty proud I was able to tie it.”
He’s also pleased that he is among the select few to have earned county Player of the Year honors twice.
“I was really pleased when I was picked Player of the Year in the (NEC) and county last year,” Bunnell said. “I didn’t expect that at all. Winning this year is definitely another highlight of my senior year.”
Bunnell believes he owes a debt of thanks to several people, besides his family, for making this year possible.
“I want to thank Tim Scanlon at Village Green,” he said. “Without him, my senior year wouldn’t have happened.
“I also want to thank Chuck Webb at Harbor Golf Club. He’s given me a lot of good advice.”
Now, Bunnell hopes the help he’s received will allow him to mold a college golf career.
“I’d like to play college golf,” he said. “I’ve looked at Mount Union, John Carroll, Lake Erie and Cleveland State. I’ll probably wait until December or January to decide where I’m going.”
The possibilities for Bunnell would seem to be exciting considering the progress he has made in just three years of serious play. It just might be worth a shot.
Pearson is a sports writer for the Star Beacon. Reach him at kpearson@starbeacon.com.
