D’Amore Has Nature’s Way

Jason D’Amore is a natural. The senior from Manhattan Beach Mira Costa is one of the best golfers to come out of the Bay League and has taken only a handful of lessons.

D’Amore shot a school- and league-tournament record seven-under-par 65 at Griffith Park’s Wilson Golf Course to finish with a school-record 10-under 134 and clinch medalist honors in the Bay League tournament on May 6.

He also qualified for the Southern Section Northern Regional tournament today at Village Country Club in Lompoc, where he is the reigning champion, having shot a three-under 68 last year at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo.

D’Amore said he didn’t play his best at the league tournament, however, “My short game was able to pull me through. I’m known for my short game.”

D’Amore was introduced to the game at 4 when his father, Buck, cut down an old Ben Hogan four-iron, handed it to his son and taught him how to swing.

D’Amore used the club for the next four years to perfect his swing until a stranger offered his father an unsolicited suggestion.

“This guy came up to my dad and said, ‘That kid sure hits the ball a long way for someone his age,’ ” D’Amore said. “That’s when my dad decided to order my first set of clubs.”

His father would later cancel the order.

In a bizarre turn of events, D’Amore’s mother, Nancy, who worked for an airline at the time, had come to the aid of a woman who was suffering from an anxiety attack on one of her flights. Nancy tended to the passenger and helped her to an ambulance once the plane landed. The passenger’s father was so grateful for the care that he sent the D’Amore family a full set of golf clubs as thanks.

D’Amore joined Mira Costa’s varsity golf team as a freshman and immediately became the Mustangs’ top golfer despite never having taken a professional lesson.

“I knew when I finished No. 1 in tryouts [as a freshman], I had a pretty good future in this program,” D’Amore said.

D’Amore had his first paid lesson during his freshman season and was selected the team’s most valuable golfer by Coach Bob Timberlake.

D’Amore said he has since taken “maybe five or six lessons total” -- a rather odd distinction considering most serious golfers will often employ different instructors for each part of the game.

On Thursday D’Amore could have perhaps benefited from an instructor after shooting the highest round of his career -- a 10-over-par 81 in the Southern Section team championships at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara. D’Amore’s teammates, however, shot well to lead the Mustangs to a 383 score and a tie for fifth place with Murrieta Valley.

“It was nice to see some of the younger kids step up and keep us in it,” D’Amore said. “For me, it was just one of those days where everything kind of goes wrong.”

There haven’t been many.

After signing in the fall to play for Loyola Marymount, D’Amore has averaged 35 strokes in nine-hole competitions this season.

Before Thursday, he had fared even better in 18-hole tournaments, shooting an average of four-under 67 in four events.

Included in that was a tournament record 67 to lead the Mustangs to a 212 total and first place over top-ranked Newhall Hart, which shot 220, in the three-man Oak Park Invitational at Sterling Hills Golf Club on April 8.

“I think I’ve just matured as a golfer this year,” D’Amore said. “Last year, I didn’t put any pressure on myself and I think that’s why I did so well.

“So this year, there’s probably a little bit more pressure. But having been there before, I feel much more confident about my game.”

D’Amore still keeps the old four-iron in his room, partly for nostalgic reasons and as a reminder of how far he has evolved.

“Regardless of what the future holds, I’m really pleased to have been a part of putting Mira Costa’s golf program on the map,” D’Amore said. “I think the program will only continue to excel in the years to come and I’m really proud to have been a component in that development.”