ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Senior
Callum Georgallides has lofty expectations for himself and the Eckerd College men's golf program going into next week.
Between his immense talent and teammates' drive throughout the course of a challenging season, there is no better time than now to meet that potential under the guidance of Head Coach
Bill Buttner.
Among a comprised field of perennial powerhouses from the South and Southeast regions, the Tritons are NCAA Championship-bound and fly to North Carolina in preparation for just the program's second national appearance scheduled at Rock Barn Golf & Spa.
“As a team, we feel prepared for the test,” the Tritons' captain said. “We're ready for the adversity and we should be able to learn from our experience. It's going to be a tough field, but we play for the chance to win.”
The product of London, England, has been a staple of consistency in the Tritons' quest for additional postseason glory, contesting for the Sunshine State Conference individual title and leading the team in scoring average for the second consecutive year.
Georgallides has been on the national stage before and excelled.
In 2011, he punched his ticket to NCAA regional competition and came very close to advancing (only two individuals outside of the non-qualifying teams move on) -- but a double bogey on the 17th hole down the stretch represented the slim, two-stroke margin that sent him packing back home.
The start was picture perfect after beginning under par with a 69 in the first round to hold on to third place in the field. After shooting a 76 in second-round play, he began his third round 3-over-par on the first three holes before settling down and giving himself a chance down the stretch.
It's that kind of frustrating personal result that has Georgallides (Jor-jell-ee-deez) craving redemption in this year's NCAA appearance.
“I had it right there and gave it away,” he regrettably reminisces.
Georgallides has worked hard to get to where he is today, but before we delve into his story further, he wanted to give a brief scouting report on each of his teammates:
Jeff Evanier
“Jeff is fun loving and laid back; no question he has the best chops (sideburns) on the team”
Paul Henderson
“He's the most fashionable; sometimes his pants are just a little too tight, but he always makes them look good"
Greg Reilly
“He's my personal taxi driver; he's the new guy from Connecticut…he's special”
Curtis Lahey
“He's the senior lefty from Canada; has great flowing locks of hair and the best haircut”
Listening to Georgallides talk passionately about his own game helps one understand just how many different twists and turns a career can take.
At the age of 15, he won the Middlesex Boys Championship outside of London, in addition to a few other tournaments, and applied to many schools before deciding he would call Eckerd home.
As a talented freshman, Georgallides was confident he was good enough, but the perfectionist came out in him and became somewhat detrimental to his inevitable progression.
After a carding an 83-84-82 at the Matlock Collegiate Classic fired just four events into his collegiate career, frustration began to set in.
“It just wasn't what I was envisioning college golf to be like; my first year was a disaster,” he confessed. “I wanted to quit golf.”
But he turned things around as a sophomore, took golf more seriously and spent three months diligently working on his mental game. His proclaimed breakthrough came in the spring semester and emerged to post a 75.5 stroke average, which ranked third-best all time in the program's history.
He was able to enjoy himself on the links and the results continued to roll in during his phenomenal junior campaign, where he shattered the single-season scoring mark with a 73.5 stroke average. He recorded four top-10 finishes in five events.
But the team finished 11th in the final 2011 South Region rankings and was the last program cut from the NCAA Regional field. Georgallides called it an “opportunity missed” after being edged out by just one spot.
Georgallides has been strong in his senior season with a pair of sixth-place finishes and he's keeping his mind open to pursuing a number of different avenues down the road in the field of golf, including a professional career.
“There will be a time to re-evaulate when I'm ready,” he said. “I need to commit everything to the game of golf and I'm just not in a position where I can do that right now.”
“But I will be playing golf until the day I die,” he said with a smile.
The Tritons will play a practice round on Sunday morning before beginning first-round play on Monday. Live scoring will be updated courtesy of
www.golfstat.com.
What's In Georgallides Bag?
Driver – Titleist 910 D3 (9.5 degree)
3 Wood – Titleist 909 F2 (13.5 degree)
Hybrid – Titleist (19 degree)
Irons – Titleist Forged 695MB (4 iron through PW)
Wedges – Titleist Vokey Spin Milled (52, 56, 60 degree)
Putter – Rife Two-Bar Mallet
