"I play ity one
shot at a time and try to shoot for pars and not get too far ahead of
myself," said Hurley, who competes for O'Neill High School through a
cooperative arrangement.O'Neill's 'Eagle' eye
State the start of busy summer for Hurley
By Eddie Evans (News Sports Write)
Norfolk Daily News May 24, 2004
O'NEILL - John Hurley has come a long way.
Nearly 14 years ago, the O'Neill St. Mary's sophomore golfer began learning how to play the game with his dad, Jack, in the family's back yard.
A lot of polish has been put on his golf game since that 1990 summer day.
Hurley, who turns 17 on Thursday, is on e of 63 golfers in Northeast and North Central Nebraska who will compete at the Nebraska State Golf Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lincoln. The Class B tournament will be held at Holmes Golf Course.
"I play ity one
shot at a time and try to shoot for pars and not get too far ahead of
myself," said Hurley, who competes for O'Neill High School through a
cooperative arrangement.
Last year, Hurley finished in seventh place at state.
"I obviously want to win state," Hurley said. "Last year I shot myself in the foot in the first round."
The trip to Lincoln will be just the beginning of Hurley's tourney on the course this year. He already has a full slate of tournaments scheduled to keep him busy during the summer.
As a member of the Nebraska Junior Golf Association, he competes at high -level tournaments across the state, including Nebraska Junior Match Play in McCook; PGA Junior Series in Hastings and Nebraska Match Play in Norfolk. In June, Hurley will compete in tournaments for 10 consecutive days.
"Playing all these tournaments on different courses has helped my game tremendously," Hurley said. "It's easier to play on your home course. Playing on a different course, you have to trust your swing more and hope scores will go down."
Hurley's journey has taken him to courses outside of Nebraska, too. Last summer, he competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Chevy Chase Country Club in Maryland, by far the toughest course he's ever played on.
But with all the success, the son of Jack and Sue Hurley admits hitting some bumps along the way. Each time he bogies on a course, for example, he tries to not let them discourage him.
"I try to bring up some past memories of shots I hit well in previous holes and use them on the next tee or approaching green and go from there to try and get it back right away," Hurley said.
With all the tournaments, including the high school season, Hurley still manages to find time to practice. His best career scores, 12-under-par 60, was accomplished at the O'Neill Country Club before it went under renovations a few years ago.
His lowest core as a member of the O'Neill High golf team is 67, shot at the Rangeland Conference during the 2003 season. He had a 66 at the PGA Pepsi tour a few years back. His average ranks score is 71-72.
"If you look at some of the Class A scores this year, it looks like a junior PGA tour out there," Hurley said. "You have guys shooting under par."