Standout golfer Ethan Gonsalves continues to reach all the goals he and his coach set for himself coming into his senior season at Denair High.
- Compete successfully on a regional level? Check. Gonsalves fired an even-par 72 in March to win the prestigious Oakdale Tournament at Oakdale Country Club, impressing coaches and players from the area who hadn’t heard of him.
- Earn a college scholarship. Check. Gonsalves signed a letter of intent to play next year at Division II powerhouse Stanislaus State just down the road.
- Dominate the Southern League. Check again. Gonsalves kept his cool in gusty wind conditions Monday to win the league title with an even-par 72 at Pheasant Run in Chowchilla. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Next up for Gonsalves is trying to defend his championship at the Sac-Joaquin Section Small Schools Tournament on Monday at Cherry Island Golf Course north of Sacramento. A year ago, Gonsalves won the event with a 1-over-par 73 at The Ridge Golf Course in Auburn against roughly 110 other players.
Even though Gonsalves has never played Cherry Island, his coach says his game is in great shape.
“It’s flat. It has a lot of water, which is similar to Chowchilla,” said Denair coach Greg Gaudio of Cherry Island. “It’s not that tricky of a course. He won Sections last year at The Ridge and he’d never played there before. (Cherry Island) is basically put the ball down the middle and put it on the green. It’s kind of like playing Dryden Park (Denair’s home course in Modesto).”
Gonsalves overcame winds blowing steadily at 20 mph and gusting as high as 40 in Chowchilla on Monday.
“To shoot 72 when it was an incredibly windy day, that’s very good,” said Gaudio, crediting Gonsalves’ athletic ability for helping him deal with tough conditions.
Gonsalves only began playing competitive golf as a freshman, but has blossomed into Denair’s best player.
As a sophomore, he finished fourth in the Section Small-Schools tournament, earning him a spot at the Masters Tournament. Last season, he improved on those results – winning the Small Schools Tournament. He again qualified for the Masters Tournament, where he tied for seventh by shooting an even-par 72 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, narrowly missing a chance to play in the NorCal Tournament.
Gaudio said Gonsalves has continued to improve all facets of his game this season. He gained valuable experience by competing in some junior tournaments last summer and fall. He also benefitted from practicing with older players on the Stan State and Modesto Junior College golf teams.
“He’s definitely figured out driving distance,” Gaudio said. “Last year, he was using his driver pretty much all the time. Now, there are holes he doesn’t use his driver on to give himself a better shot at the green. He uses driving iron or 3 metal to give himself a better chance to make a birdie.”
Gonsalves’ ability around the greens – especially being able to hit flop shots that stop near the hole – also is impressive.
“It’s incredible. You can tell he’s hit 5,000 to 10,000 flop shots on the range,” Gaudio said. “And then his putting — he’s always practicing.”
At Cherry Island on Monday, the top team and three individuals not on that team will qualify for the Masters Tournament on May 13 at Spanos Park. From there, the top three teams and four players not on those teams will qualify for the NorCal Tournament on May 20 at Berkeley Country Club.
Making it to the NorCal Tournament has been Gonsalves’ goal since the season began.
Two years ago, he shot 78 at the Masters and it took 73 or better to qualify for NorCals. Last season, Gonsalves matched par on a calm day at Spanos Park, but “some guys went really low because there was no wind,” Gaudio said.
“Denair has had a player in the Masters Tournament for eight years in a row, but we’ve never had anyone make it to the NorCals,” Gaudio said. “This year, Ethan’s goal is to win the Masters and move on.”
