Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 2021)
JULY 30, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A15 TEST DRIVE NOW — BRONCO SPORT & MACH E OREGON'S #1 FORD DEALER 8 YEARS RUNNING 3555 River Rd N, Keizer (503) 463- 4853 skylineforddirect.com Sullivan proving to be one of nation's best BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes He may be new to the area, but it didn’t take long for Colby Sullivan to establish himself as one of the best young golfers in the Northwest. Sullivan, who is going to be a junior at McNary in the fall, was the only golfer from Oregon that competed in the High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort, N.C, which took place June 28-30. In the three-day, 54-hole tournament, Sullivan placed 34th out of more than 300 par- ticipants, shooting a 78 on day one, a 79 on day two and a 71 on the fi nal day. “I started to putt a lot better later in the tournament. I felt a lot more relaxed and took more advantage of my birdie chances,” Sullivan said. “Playing in such a big tournament was a little nerve racking, but once I got out there I just played my game. It was a great experience and I think it will pre- pare me for other tournaments down the road.” Sullivan grew up in Virginia and experienced immediate success early on in his high school career. As a fresh- man at Lancaster High School, Sullivan was named the 1A player of the year in 2020 — high school golf is a fall sport in Virginia. But in February of 2020, Sullivan made the move to Keizer when his dad, Chip, took over as the manager of McNary Golf Club. Even though he has yet to step foot into McNary High School, (he elected to do online only during the COVID- 19 pandemic), Sullivan has already felt embraced by the Keizer community. “The McNary community is very welcoming and accepting and every- one has been really nice to me. I love Oregon so far,” Sullivan said. “I miss my friends from Virginia, but I have already made a lot of good friends here.” Sullivan credits his early high school success to his dad, who at one point competed on the PGA Tour and has played in nine major tournaments. “My dad really got me into golf at a young age. I was swing- ing clubs by the time I was three years old,” Sullivan said. “The experience that he has, plus playing with him all the time, has led to my success … Golf is a big deal in my family.” Along with being a tre- mendous golfer, Sullivan prides himself on being a leader. Despite hardly know- ing anyone on the team or at the SPORTS McNary junior Colby Sullivan was the only golfer from Oregon to compete in the High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort, N.C. in June. Submitted photo My dad really got me into golf at a young age. I was swinging clubs by the time I was three years old. — COLBY SULLIVAN McNary golfer school, Sullivan, along with McNary teammates Jackson Garro and Elijah Clendening, gathered golfers together for off season work and team bonding before McNary’s spring season. “Jackson and Elijah really helped me branch out and bring people together. I just wanted to make it fun for every- one,” Sullivan said. The Celtics saw the fruits of Sullivan’s leadership over the course of the season as he helped McNary win the Salem-Keizer district title and fi n- ish second in the end of season tourna- ment featuring teams from Salem and the Mid-Willamette Conference. “His leadership and experience helped all of our players shoot record lows in our fi nal tournament. Also, many players gained confi dence in their game throughout the year because of his encouragement,” McNary assistant coach Grant Kessel said. “As a coach, he is the kid you want to build your team around. Very coachable and very personable. He has all the talent you can want, but as any coach will attest to, you will trade tal- ent for character anyway. Seeing the way he is around the course with mem- bers shows that he was raised the right way. You can count on him to represent McNary High School and Keizer well.” In McNary’s fi rst tournament of the season, Sullivan shot a one-over 73 at McNary Golf Club, tying with Oregon State signee Brandon Eyre of West Salem. See COLBY, page A23