Cavaliere, Naumec Using Experience to Pace Golf Success

Christian Cavaliere stepped up to the 18th tee box at Turning Stone Casino Resort's Kaluhyat Course on Monday with the feeling few golfers truly get to experience. His complete dominance had earned him the low score, and when he putted out for a par four on that hole, he found himself as a medalist in Boston College's opening tournament of the year.

It was a statement for the Eagles, who spent much of the offseason priming for these moments.

"It was a great start to the year," Cavaliere said. "I've been playing well, so it's nice to have shots go the way you want them to. I saw my putts fall and I minimized as many mistakes as I could. I didn't make any big numbers and kept everything in front of me. I played a lot of position golf and hit only one or two drivers, especially on the back nine, through the entire tournament. That gave me good spots on fairways and gave me good looks at the greens."

Cavaliere's performance might have created buzz for BC to start the season, but it was merely a continuation for him and teammate Matthew Naumec. The duo joined some of the nation's elite this past spring and summer by playing in elite level tournaments, and they now stand primed to lead the Eagles into a new season of success on the links.

For Cavaliere, the victory at Turning Stone was the continuation of a summer in which he competed at the highest levels of American amateur golf. The Katonah, N.Y. native played in the U.S. Amateur Championship, held in August at the historic Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill golf courses in California. Cavaliere booked his trip to the fabled courses on 17-Mile Drive by winning his sectional qualifier in July by scoring a 5-under par total of 137.

"It was a great experience and I'm really happy I made it to the US Amateur," Cavaliere said. "That whole area in California is so beautiful, and the courses are incredible. I played well the first day at Pebble, and the courses were set up very hard. At Spyglass, I played solid golf for the first few holes, but I had a few bad holes and got discouraged when I realized I would be below the cut line. I felt like I played solid, but it just wasn't my week. But being out there and competing was a very cool experience."

Cavaliere wasn't the only Eagle competing at the highest levels of golf. This past May, Naumec qualified as an individual for the NCAA Golf Championship regional held at Ohio State's Scarlet Course. It capped a season in which he led the Eagles in seven of nine tournaments - posting seven top 10 finishes - while placing 21st at the ACC Championship.

"Ohio State is known for having a difficult golf course," Naumec said. "It was long and firm, and the greens were quick. I didn't play well on the first day and had to battle a few shots here and there, but I made due with what I had. It was disappointing (after that round), but we had a really good practice session afterwards for a couple of hours to get my swing going. That translated into a nice second round and third round. I was happy with the end result, and it was a tremendous experience."

Cavaliere's playoff experience at the U.S. Amateur coupled with Naumec's selection to play among collegiate golf's elite have the Eagles' duo poised to make a jump in 2018-19. It gave both a taste of what is possible on the golf course if they continue on a trajectory within their own games, which have evolved over time.

"Coming into my senior year, my game has changed a lot," Naumec said. "I finished my freshman year with a scoring average around 74, but I was trying to overpower golf courses. I was looking to other people to pick up things in my own game, whereas now I worry about my game and concentrate on my own swing. I learned how to attack a golf course and experience it, and it's about seeing golf more technically. Our schedule allows us to grow as individual golfers, and with every tournament, we gain more experience that can help with hard work in practice and the offseason."

"I've improved as an all-around golfer (through college)," Cavaliere said. "I've gotten more technical with my swing in spots to become more consistent. I worked on putting and analyzed it to come up with a plan to get better at it. But course management is really one of the biggest things. It's important to know when to go and not go at pins, how to attack courses and think along the course. I've focused on individual things and fine tune the things that can really help me."

For the duo, it's more than just a taste of what's possible. They both learned they can compete at an elite level. The game boils down to more mental aspects and who can manage a particular course at the right time on the right day. Both have the skills, and both now know they can play with and against anyone in any tournament.

"When you experience a tournament like the highest amateur events, you get a sense that you're good enough to play with anyone," Naumec said. "You realize you're better than some of the other golfers. If you want to get continuously better, you keep pushing in the offseason. You can look at the end goal, but you have to knock each step off. Getting to the NCAA's is a notch, and now I'm looking for the next one. My teammates are doing the same."

"You learn that there isn't a huge difference between other golfers," Cavaliere agreed. "It's only the person who is putting the ball in better spots. For me, it was more that it wasn't my week (at the US Amateur) and nothing was going right. To be there, though, I realize I belong and can compete at that level of golf."

The college golf season is challenging and different for a Northeast-based school. BC only plays a handful of tournaments in the fall before stepping away from outside competition in the winter. It returns in the spring with a quick schedule to gear up for the ACC Championships. It forces the golfers to maximize their opportunities and work together to both improve the individual while helping the team.

"We play our first tournament in New York so we can bring almost everyone on the team," Cavaliere said. "It's a base for us to build off of so we can see how everyone is playing. We then come home and analyze what went right and wrong to build off of it. We realize that every shot contributes to a team score, so we can work on how to minimize errors and limit double bogeys and triple bogeys."

The Eagles finished fourth overall in the Turning Stone Tiger Invitational hosted by Missouri in Western New York. They head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Sept. 16-18 for the Golfweek Conference Challenge before wrapping up the month with the MacDonald Cup in New Haven, Connecticut.

Cavaliere, Naumec Using Experience to Pace Golf Success

Players Mentioned

Christian Cavaliere

Matt Naumec

Boston College Athletics