Athlete of the Week: Nick Celestino

Nick Celestino, 18, celebrated a major victory last when he won the 2012 Sarasota City Men’s Championship May 6, at Bobby Jones Golf Club. The Sarasota High School senior finished four rounds at 6-under par 282. Celestino has been hitting the links since he was 4 years old and played on the Sailors’ golf team all four years of high school. He also used to volunteer for First Tee of Sarasota, a youth golf organization, and has been a member of the National Honor Society.

How long have you been playing?
When I lived in Vermont, my dad loved the game; he played all the time. He introduced me when I was 4 and took me out to practice holes at the Hanover Country Club, the Dartmouth college course. Dad made the game fun for me, and I love spending time with him and something we could do together and we really bonded.

Who do you admire in the professional golf world?
I’ve always looked up to David Duval since I was 7, and he won the British Open in 2001. He was just so dominant, and I like the way he carries himself on the golf course and even throughout his struggle the past 10 years, you never see him get angry. He just keeps a level head and keeps a positive attitude about the game.

What is the best score you have had in a game?
Sixty-eight. It was at a Future Collegiate World Tour competition, which is a National Junior Tour event, my freshman year at the Stonegate Golf Club in Poinciana.

Can you talk a little about your recent win in the 2012 Sarasota Men’s Championship?
I entered two weeks ago with a goal of making it into the championship flight. The first day was a good day due to accurate driving, which is definitely the key with me. Sometimes, I don’t drive the ball accurately, and it can cause me to lose strokes. The next day, I played pretty solid and kept a level head. I scored a 70 the first day and a 72 the second day, so I qualified for the championship flight. This past weekend, I played really consistently the first day, a lot of pars. In the final round, I got to a pretty good start and had all pars, until hole 12 and 13 (where) I had birdies. It was just incredible (to win). I put in so much work over the years and it’s been two years since I’ve won a tournament at all, and it was a junior tournament, so it feels incredible to break through and get a taste of the success of working so hard. In golf, that doesn’t happen so often, so I am just enjoying it and going to get back to work.

Do you have a favorite course?
I’ve played a lot of courses that I love. Other than Hanover and SaraBay for sentimental reasons, the Boston Golf Club is definitely up there, because of how scenic it is and well manicured the course is. It is incredible.

If you could play any course in the world, which one would it be?
Augusta National, for sure. Mainly because there is so much tradition there. I haven’t seen it yet, but I hope to one day go to Masters to watch or being able to play one day.

Why did you decide on attending University of Rhode Island this fall?
Mainly the coach, Gregg Burke. He was one of the few coaches really interested in me. There were a few other coaches who had interest, but they didn’t end up offering any sort of scholarship. So, I really wanted to go where someone wanted me. It is a wonderful school, and it has an up-and-coming golf program and coach Burke really does everything he can for the players to help them and get what they need.