Gerald Harsley can hit a golf ball a long way. Nearly out of sight, actually.
"It's kind of what I've gotten known for," the Hazelwood Central senior said. "It's a big advantage."
It certainly was for Harsley on his first two shots in last Wednesday's Class 4, District 2 Tournament at The Missouri Bluffs Golf Course. He blasted his tee shot 337 yards or more than three football fields.
Then, facing an 180-yard approach shot which would require a long iron for most mere mortals, Harsley chose an eight-iron and promptly stuck it on the green just 10 feet from the pin.
"Obviously, he wanted to walk away from that first hole with a birdie," said Hawks coach Brian White.
But Harsley was disappointed to three putt on the par-5 hole and ended up with a par, which was a downer for him.
Putting was a struggle the whole day for Harsley, but, because of outstanding ball striking and length, Harsley was able to post a very respectable 81. That was seven shots behind DeSmet's Scott Hamel who finished first, but good enough for ninth place overall and a spot in today's sectional tournament at Old Hickory Golf Club.
"It was exciting," said Harsley. "It was a little tough out there. The putting wasn't there, which was disappointing. But it wasn't sectional or state. I have two more chances to bring home a big win for Hazelwood Central."
"He hit the ball extremely well," White said of Harsley, who was the top finisher from the Suburban North Conference in the tournament. "He probably hit it the best he did all year. The putting was what hurt him. He just can't get comfortable over the ball. If he had rolled a few putts, he could have easily shot a 76-77 no problem."
Although he didn't shoot as well as he would have liked, it was still a big victory for Harsley. After all, he didn't even play high school golf his freshman and sophomore seasons when he was at Brentwood High – the school didn't have a team – and he didn't advance past district play last spring.
But the focused and dedicated Harsley, who transferred to Hazelwood Central before his junior year, doesn't want that to keep him from making a big splash during his senior season. He plans to shine at the sectional tournament, and he hit the practice greens in the days leading up to it to put some wind at his back.
"It's a good thing that the sectional is on Wednesday because we have conference on Monday so I'll be in a competitive frame of mind," said Harsley.
Harsley was a baseball player growing up in Brentwood before moving to golf exclusively.
"I thought I could be a major league baseball player, but I couldn't hit," he said. "I chose golf and I have not looked back. It's not a hobby it's my passion. Literally, every day I touch a golf club."
White said his standout will have his hands full with the sectional field, which will include the standouts from Chaminade and DeSmet as well as the big hitters from St. Charles, as well as the layout at Old Hickory, one of the toughest courses in the state.
"He'll find Old Hickory a challenge," said White. "You have to use every club in your bag, which he can do. He's very capable. He just needs to putt well."
Harsley's coach actually doesn't think the senior's ability to send the pill into orbit off the tee – he actually once drove the 400-yard par four hole at the Golf Club of Old Florissant with a friendly breeze – as his biggest strength. Instead, he thinks it's his iron play.
"He can spin the ball better than anybody I've seen," White said.
Harsley showed that when he put himself in position for birdie putts on each of the first five holes on the back nine at the district tournament.
Still, hitting the ball a country mile doesn't hurt him. He certainly took advantage of that skill in the Pattonville Tournament at Tapawingo earlier this year when he hit eight iron and nine iron into two greens on par 5s.
"I'm not sure if it's necessarily intimidating," Harsley said of his prodigious drives. "But it definitely has a wow factor to it. It helps me hit a lot of short irons into the greens. When you have length it's definitely an advantage, and you have to take advantage of it."
And when you have friends who are standout golfers you have to take advantage of that, too. Harsley credits former Hazelwood Central conference and district champ Stephen White and his buddy Rachel Thompson, a St. Joseph's Academy player and one of the state's best female golfers, with helping him excel.
"I have a lot of friends who motivate me," he said. "Pretty much all of my friends play golf. Stephen is like a brother to me. I still try to beat his brains in when we're out there competing. He really pushes you."
Harsley said he hopes to one day be a professional golfer – "I know for a fact I have the potential," he said – but he first is going to do a stint in the Marines. The decision to join the Marines when he graduates in a couple weeks has raised eyebrows of some family and friends, but Harsley is convinced it's the right thing to do.
"I believe it's mentally and physically the best of the armed services, and I think it will help me with my golf game," he said.
But first, Harsley has other plans. He wants to make some noise on one of high school golf's biggest stages.
"My first goal is to make it to state," he said. "But I feel I have a good shot at contending and possibly notching a win."
