Content and on target
as an amateur with standing
Family concerns prompted golfer Mike Calef to start playing as an amateur again. (Photos By David Colt)
By Justin A. Rice Globe Corresondent / August 23, 2009
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He gave the professional minitours a shot for a few years, but is back playing as an amateur, content, and making tracks.
This week, the 30-year-old West Bridgewater native will tee off in the US Amateur for the second time, but the first time in nearly a decade since he was a wide-eyed college sophomore, tackling famed Baltusrol Golf Club (Springfield, N.J.) in 2000.
He was in awe of the players he was paired with, including Luke Donald and Hunter Mahan, who are now on the PGA Tour.
“I met all these people who are now celebrities, and I was a little intimidated to say the least, I was just a kid in college,’’ said Calef, who failed to make match play at Baltusrol.
“I was a little overmatched. At the time I was like ‘Wow these guys are good.’ Looking back I can understand why he’s on TV making a million bucks.’’
Playing out of Brockton Country Club for the past 15 years, Calef carded a 6-under-par 138 at Maplegate Country Club in Bellingham last month to qualify for this year’s Amateur, which will be contested tomorrow through Saturday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
After playing five years professionally, including on the Hooters Tour, Calef sees this week’s tournament as an affirmation that he can balance golf with the rest of life. “It is definitely a grind,’’ said Calef, who carded the low amateur score at the 2008 Mass Open. “I had a couple good years and a couple OK years but five years of living on the road, cut-to-cut, paycheck to paycheck, gets to be a little much.
“I certainly don’t have any regrets. I went out there and played my heart out and definitely gave it everything I had. I am really happy doing what I do now.’’
Now living in South Boston, Calef works for Four Points Realty in West Bridgewater in an office full of golfers.
“Mike’s decision to come back to amateur status, I’m sure it was tough because he’s definitely got the skill to make it’’ as a pro, said Sherry Palmer, Calef’s boss and a member of Norton Country Club who has known Calef since he was a junior player.
“But his family has always been important to him and he made that decision; being one of the top golfers in the state is nothing to sneeze at. He definitely has not lost his drive to be on the top. Just because he doesn’t make money doesn’t make it less important. And to us, we’re definitely proud of him.’’
An 8-handicap herself, Palmer and her partner at Four Points, Sherman Cox (a 5-handicap), don’t mind letting Calef take most of the summer off to play golf.
“We all know he’s pretty much nonexistent in the summer here, but he works hard when the season’s over to support himself and his wife,’’ Palmer said. “We definitely encourage him. We all are going to get on a plane and see him if he makes it to the final. If push comes to shove, we’ll get into a camper.’’
Members at Brockton Country Club raised $1,700 to pay for Calef, his wife, Alicia, and his caddie, Tim Centrella, to travel to Tulsa. Centrella’s brother, Mike, caddied for Calef at the US Amateur almost a decade ago.
“It seems like yesterday he was at Baltusrol playing in the Am - I can’t believe it’s been that long,’’ said Tim Centrella, the vice president at Brockton Country Club.
This time around Calef just wants to do better than he did with Mike Centrella on his bag.
“If I play like I normally can, I can make it to match play,’’ he said. “Once I make it to match play, anything can happen. I know that’s not going to be a walk in park.’’
Whatever happens, Calef will not be shaken by his competition this time.
“Certainly there are great people in the field,’’ he said, “but nobody I would be intimidated by.’’
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