Hampton Roads' Top Male Golfers
It takes one golfer to win an individual title.
It takes the epitome of a team effort to get the entire squad to the top.
That's what Cox High has been showing the Beach District, the Eastern Region, and the entire state of Virginia for the past few seasons. Over the past few months, Brinson Paolini, Jason Chun, and the rest of Falcons took to the air - except while putting - to drive straight to the top of leaderboards across the Old Dominion.
The team's journey to the top actually began last season, when Cox brought home a state title. Going into 2007-08, the Falcons knew the legacy was there for the re-living.
"Starting the season, all the eyes were pretty much on us," said Paolini, who took home the district and state individual crowns last season, "but we were pretty confident. We had pretty much the same team (all of the players that scored in the top five in last year's state title win were back), so we were definitely confident."
That showed during the regular season; the group went undefeated in district play, with Paolini and Chun each racking up several medalist honors.
"Our team was really progressing," said Chun, who along with fellow low-scorer Brett Lascara was playing his farewell season. "We were working hard, and we were just really motivated. We took districts as a look at what our potential was, and we just had the mindset that no team could stop us."
They were right; on Sept. 25 at Kempsville Greens, the team wrapped up its third straight district title, and a little bit more: Cox set a school team record, and Paolini an individual record, shooting a 62 to end up eight under par.
The next week, the team headed to Red Wing to battle the region's finest. Though he'd finished at the top of the district and state ranks in the past, there was a missing spot in the middle of Paolini's line of titles: last season, he finished second in regional competition.
"Obviously I wanted to get our team through to state," Paolini said, "and the best way to do that was to do the best I could. I've played at Red Wing before, so I was pretty confident. You just have to stay in the present and focus on positive things."
He had a great deal to see - the regional title finally grabbed a spot in his trophy case, as Paolini ran away with the top spot with a two-day score of 137, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Jesse Dillon of Hickory (Chun took third, one stroke behind Dillon).
"It was great," Paolini said of the regional win. "There's nothing better than winning, but it was kind of a stepping stone; we still wanted state."
Before they could get there, however, an award came from out of state: Paolini was one of 24 golfers in the country named as an HP Scholastic Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association.
To be eligible for the honor, a golfer must have placed in the top 10 at an Association event (Paolini took ninth at a TPC match in August down in Florida) and have a high grade point average with school and community-oriented activities (he's the proud owner of a 4.0 GPA, and aside from captaining the golf team, he's also a member of the school's National Honor Society and volunteers at a course in Virginia Beach).
"I didn't think I had a chance," he admitted, "but I was really excited, because that was one of my goals this year."
Finally, it was up to Haymarket for the state title match at Dominion Valley Country Club, where neither Paolini nor Chun had ever before teed off.
"I felt really good," said Chun, who'd finished fourth at state last year. "My swing felt really good." On Oct. 9, the first day of competition, everyone else saw how good he felt, as he carded a 68 to take the overall lead.
"I felt great about my score," he said (Paolini opened with a 71). "There was nothing better I could have done."
The next day, the two didn't get as low as they had at regionals and districts; Oakton's Danny Kim, James River's Nick Austin, and Chantilly's Jake An slipped beneath them on the scoreboard. But before the event was finished, Paolini knew that Cox had the most important low score of them all.
"After the 15th hole, my coach told me that we pretty much had it wrapped up," he said. "As long as Jason and I could just stay up around one or two over par for the last few holes, we'd win. That pretty much freed me up for the last few holes."
Chun felt the same way - and after he holed out on the 18th, the team had scored a 594, five strokes ahead of Chantilly and good enough for its fifth state title in history.
Still, Paolini and Chun weren't quite done; they both finished with a 143, tying for fourth place and potentially forcing a playoff hole. But the two decided that it just wasn't necessary, as Paolini stepped aside and Chun got the fourth-place medal.
"Jason deserved it," Paolini said. "He's been here for three years, and he's an asset to our team."
Next year, he hopes to be an asset slightly north; Chun's heading to William and Mary.
For his part, Paolini's already looking forward to his one last spot in the fairway sunlight.
"It's going to get a little bit nerve-wracking," said the rising senior, who recently committed to Duke University and won the the Virginia State Amateur, "but it'll be fun. It'll be a pretty special year."
