Newsday's Athlete of the Week is St. Anthony's boys golfer Dean Muratore
Dean Muratore of St. AnthonyÕs watches his drive sail down the fairway at the CHSAA boys golf championship on Monday, May 23, 2022 at Eisenhower Park. Credit: Dawn McCormick
As a high school senior, Dean Muratore is preparing for his final exams before heading to college. In the meantime, the 17-year old aced a very different kind of test.
Muratore fired a 2-under-par 69 to finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Open local qualifier at Cold Spring Country Club on April 29.
His even-par on the playoff hole earned him one of seven spots to advance to the sectional qualifying round at Canoe Brook Country Club in New Jersey on June 3 for a chance to compete in the Open on June 13-16 at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
“Qualifying for something as big as this is very exciting,” Muratore said. “This is definitely one step closer to my end goal of being a pro and puts everything into perspective that I can achieve that one day."
To advance to the playoff hole, the St. Anthony’s senior and Newsday’s Athlete of the Week needed to birdie the 18th hole after posting a triple bogey.
“It was honestly just like playing any another hole. It wasn’t treated any differently,” Muratore said. “I’ve played thousands of par-3s before, so I just had to focus and do what I needed to do. My teammate at St. Anthony’s Joe Mayal was my caddy. We agreed on a putt and I sunk it.”
According to the USGA, it received 10,052 entries for the 124th championship. To be eligible for the local qualifier, which takes place at 109 sites across 44 states and Canada, a player must have a Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4 or be a professional. It was Muratore’s second attempt at qualifying.
“Being one of the youngest puts a chip on your shoulder, but there’s a lot of maturity that comes with golf,” Muratore said. “It’s not really intimidating to play against older golfers because I always play with different people so being intimidated wasn’t even a thing. It’s kind of the same thing as pressure for me. I didn’t really feel it.”
The University of Michigan commit has held the number one spot for the Friars since his freshman year. According to coach Chris Koepplin, he maintains an under-par scoring average, currently sitting at 1.17 under par with a 7-0 record this season.
“When he’s doing well, everyone else has a confidence about them,” Koepplin said. “I can never tell if he's playing well or playing poorly because he's always upbeat and positive. It’s one of his strongest assets.”
The defending state CHSAA champion also has a 125-mph swing speed (the average PGA Tour swing speed is between 110-115 mph). Muratore attributes his improvement to Friars soccer coach Mike Rockline, who has helped him train since the fall, and his swing coach at Colonial Springs Golf Club, Dan Sposato, who was there to witness his playoff shot.
“They couldn’t be more supportive of me and that’s what’s helped me,” Muratore said. “Playing is so much fun and it’s even better when you can do it with good people and make them proud.”
