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State trip all that's missing for Cooney

The Gaither senior, among the best juniors nationally, enters his last season on a mission.

BRANDON - Less than six weeks ago, Gaither senior Matt Cooney was selected as the Florida Junior Tour Player of the Year by the Florida Junior Golf Association.

He recognizes that as one of his most important achievements. Cooney, however, currently the nation's 64th-ranked male junior player according to Golfweek, is on a quest and time is short.

As he begins his fourth season for the Cowboys, he still has not earned his first state tournament berth.

Cooney came tantalizingly close as a junior, finishing in a three-way tie for first at the Class 2A region meet at Rogers Park. But in a playoff, he shanked a drive to the rough off the green, causing him to battle from the fairway. He came up one stroke short of earning one of the region's two individual state berths.

"We have an up-and-coming team that should qualify for the regional tournament, but our region has some of the most talented teams in the state, including Bloomingdale and Countryside," said Cooney, who placed fourth in the Florida Boys State Championship in July. "I have high hopes for an individual berth."

Golf is a favorite activity of the Cooney family. His grandfather was a professional golfer in Georgia and always encouraged his grandson in the sport.

At age 3, he received his first set of clubs, which had to be cut down.

Though he enjoyed his time on the course, he also started playing soccer. That didn't last long though.

"When I turned 12, I dropped soccer and focused completely on golf," he said. "Now there are few days I am not on the course working on different aspects of my game."

Now, he practices five days each week, between four and five hours each day. Though only 5-foot-8, he has developed a strong drive off the green. He averages around 300 yards with his drivers.

He says his short game has been working well for him.

"Putting has pulled me out of some tight spots for some time now," he said. "Chipping is the area needing the most work, so I spend a lot of time in each practice session working on the details of that part of my game."

Cooney leads a Gaither squad that lost six golfers to graduation and hopes to emerge as a postseason darkhorse.

"Don't count us out in the district race though," Cooney said. "Kyle Juckem, Chad Olson and Ryan Perkerson are shooting in the low 40s (nine holes) and I try to stay in the 30s, so we should be competitive."

As the season starts, Cooney ponders his personal goals and the importance of each match.

"I plan to take this season, each stroke, each hole and each match at a time," he said. "I want to earn a berth in the state tournament, earn a scholarship to play in college and repeat as player of the year on the junior tour.

"And of course, keep my grades up."