Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Bryce Sheridan

Barry Faulkner

Costa Mesa High senior Bryce Sheridan is proof that it doesn’t take

single-minded focus to complete a golf hole with a single shot.

Already having earned eight varsity letters in golf (three), football

(two), soccer (two) and water polo (one), Sheridan made the always tricky

transition from soccer to golf last week.

And while his game admittedly showed some rust, particularly chipping

around the green, his skills were sharp enough to record medalist honors

in four straight nine-hole outings.

They were also sufficient to post his first hole-in-one in an eventful

match Thursday.

“It was the No. 8 hole, the 100-yard water hole at (Costa Mesa Golf &

Country Club’s) Mesa Linda course,” Sheridan recalled. “I just wanted to

take a good shot at the pin and get it close. I used a sand wedge and the

ball hit on the side of the hole, then spun and rolled right in. I wasn’t

expecting it, because I didn’t think I was playing that well that day.

But it was a big boost for me.”

Sheridan immediately raised both arms in the air and began high-fiving

teammates, as cheers signaling golf’s coveted achievement let others

within earshot know something special had happened.

“I was in the group behind them, so I didn’t see it,” Mesa Coach Tom

Baldwin said. “But I heard the screaming and yelling and I saw Bryce with

his hands in the air.”

Sheridan estimated he had teed off more than 200 times on that hole,

at not only the home course for the Mustangs, but his home course, as

well.

“I always think birdie on that hole and I’ve gotten a few (tee shots)

a couple feet away,” Sheridan said.

Adding fuel to the notion that his fourth varsity golf campaign may be

aimed at the flagstick of his preseason goals -- foremost of which is an

appearance in the CIF Southern Section individual tournament -- Sheridan

dropped in a second hole-in-one Tuesday on the second half of an 18-hole

round in which the first half was scored against Fairfield, also at Mesa

Linda.

Sheridan’s early season success is no surprise to Baldwin.

“He has been at least my fourth man since his freshman year,” Baldwin

said. “He was No. 4 on a pretty good team and he has been my No. 1 the

last two years.”

Golf has eventually become Sheridan’s favorite sport, but that hasn’t

kept him from pursuing other athletic interests.

He punted for the varsity football team as a sophomore, switched to

varsity water polo the fall of his junior year, and was a starting goalie

the last two seasons for the two-time Pacific Coast League champion

soccer team.

“I play other sports, because I like it,” said Sheridan, who kicked a

school-record 53-yard field goal last fall, after joining the team midway

through the regular season. “I wasn’t playing a sport (last fall), and it

felt weird. So, I decided to go out for football.”

Sheridan said soccer and baseball were his preferred sports growing

up. He began playing golf with his father at age 7, but didn’t start

taking the game seriously until junior high. Now, in the home stretch of

his prep career, he’s eager to attack his senior season with a strong

work ethic.

“I want to work really hard on my game this year, because I want to be

one of the best guys out here.” he said. Sheridan said he would like to

continue playing golf and place-kicking at Orange Coast College, before

perhaps continuing in both at UCLA.

While Sheridan believes shoving his clubs to the back of the closet

during the fall and winter months helps keep the game fresh for him, he

realizes he is giving ground to rival players who hone their game

year-round.

“I think there are pluses and minuses,” Sheridan said of his part-time

pursuit of golf.

Baldwin agrees that Sheridan’s game suffers while he’s on the football

and soccer field.

“He just doesn’t play a lot of golf, before the season, so it takes

him awhile to get his game where he wants it each year, especially his

short game,” Baldwin said. “But he is an exceptional player.”

Sheridan said it typically takes about three weeks to begin to feel

the same touch around the greens he experiences when he’s playing his

best. But that timetable may be sped up a little this year.

“I think, being a senior, I’m a lot more relaxed this year,” he said.

“I think that is making the transition (from soccer) easier for me.”

As easy as one (shot) to a par 3.