Cougars count on triple threat

PINELLAS BOYS GOLF PREVIEW

By BOB PUTNAM
Published August 24, 2005

Countryside was in a bind when Greg Bryant resigned last year after 20 years as boys golf coach.

The school looked elsewhere for coaches, but only had a few candidates. That's when athletic coordinator Steve Blumer came up with a plan he believed would work best.

He asked for the job.

Blumer stepped down after 17 years as boys cross country coach, but stayed on as coordinator, to take over a golf program with an embarrassment of riches.

"We've always had a great tradition in golf," Blumer said. "As the school's coordinator, I already knew what kind of talent was there."

The talent starts with P.J. Kolosvary, a senior who was the Times' 2004 all-county boys golfer of the year.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound former football player has the build to seemingly overwhelm opponents with lengthy shots off the tee. But last season his shotmaking was sometimes less than pristine, which often put him in recovery mode. That's why Kolosvary became a short-game wizard, getting up and down from difficult positions on numerous holes.

His flair for making one great escape after another was on display at last year's state tournament at Port St. Lucie. In the first round, Kolosvary's tee shot on No. 1 went straight out of bounds. He recovered and got up and down for bogey. He lost his ball on No. 2 and was 5-over par after three.

Kolosvary kept his composure. He battled for 78, then came back the next day to birdie the first hole. On the second day, Kolosvary rarely missed a putt as Countryside climbed into contention and finished eighth.

His emergence will ease the loss of Dustin Taylor, who graduated.

"P.J. played a lot of tournament golf this summer and is in good form," Blumer said. "He's more than ready to take the role as team captain and No. 1 golfer now that Taylor graduated."

If Kolosvary ever gets stuck in the rough, he has teammates who can pull him through. Zach Walters and Tyler Wilkins give the Cougars the depth that is the envy of other teams.

At last week's Back to School Classic at Innisbrook, Walters shot a two-day total of 140 to finish second, one stroke ahead of Kolosvary.

Wilkins, a sophomore who was a first-team, all-Pinellas County Athletic Conference selection with Kolosvary last year, finished eighth at the state boys juniors championship in August.

"We've got three really strong guys coming back," Blumer said. "That's why I'm pretty excited about this group. They're pretty even with each other, and they can all shoot around 37 or 38 on a consistent basis. Our 4-5-6 guys are all equal, too."

But Countryside's trio will not be able to win tournaments by outrageous margins. The county has a stunning number of strong golfers from other schools, including Dunedin's Preston Knox and Clearwater's David Warner.

"There's going to be some competition," Blumer said. "We've just got to find someone that can go out and get a score to go along with our other guys."

ADMISSION: Most schools do not charge for tournaments.

REGULAR SEASON: Schools started Monday and can play a maximum of 14 contests until Oct. 8.

PLAYOFFS: District tournaments are Oct. 10-11, followed by regionals Oct. 17-18. The finals are Oct. 25-26 in Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie.

CLASSIFICATIONS: Schools are divided into two classes (2A and A) based on enrollment.

DISTRICT LINEUPS

CLASS 2A, DISTRICT 12: Clearwater, Countryside (boys only), Dunedin (boys only), East Lake, Gulf, Hudson, Mitchell, Palm Harbor University, Ridgewood, River Ridge, Tarpon Springs.

CLASS 2A, DISTRICT 13: Boca Ciega, Dixie Hollins (boys only), Gibbs (boys only), Lakewood (boys only), Largo, Northeast, Osceola, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg, Seminole.

CLASS A, DISTRICT 14: Berkeley Prep, Cambridge, Citrus Park Christian (boys only), Academy of the Holy Names (girls only), Jesuit (boys only), Newsome, Oldsmar Christian, Robinson, Seffner Christian (boys only), Tampa Catholic, Tampa Prep.

CLASS A, DISTRICT 15: Admiral Farragut, Calvary Christian (boys only), Canterbury (boys only), Clearwater Central Catholic, Indian Rocks Christian, Keswick Christian (boys only), Lakeside Christian, Northside Christian, Pinellas Christian Homeschool (boys only), St. Petersburg Catholic (boys only), Shorecrest Prep.

[Last modified August 24, 2005, 01:16:13]