NVC's Keelan Cole to continue golf career at Holy Names University
By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Keelan Cole spent a lot of time playing soccer as a youth in Brighton, England. He was a center midfielder.
He changed sports two years after moving to the United States in 2014. He dropped soccer and took up golf.
"I was really interested in it, but I never played golf when I lived in England," said Cole, who was born in Yorkshire, England. "I was a big soccer player back when I was a kid."
Now he is one of the top community college players in all of Northern California. As a sophomore at Napa Valley College, he is one of the top returning players and has a starting spot in the Storm's lineup.
The Storm is off to a 3-0 start, with Cole shooting a 4-over-par 76 in the season opener against San Jose City College on the Valley Course at Coyote Creek Golf Club in Morgan Hill, and then later firing a 1-over-par 73 against Sierra College of Rocklin at the Yolo Fliers Shootout at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland.
"He's a great young man who is finding his way," said NVC coach Bob Freschi, who is assisted by David Knox, a PGA Class A golf professional and the Director of Instruction at Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park. "He enjoys being a golfer and a golfer for the Storm and has a good time playing. He grinds on his game, practicing 6-7 days a week. He goes hard at the game.
"The frustrating part is where you grind and work that hard and don't shoot low numbers – it's very discouraging. And so you've got to stay with the process. It takes time to develop. Golf is a very intricate sport. To be able to have different ideas thrown at you and different ways to do things that overall will improve your game, you're just going to have that much more success. "He really bought in and he has a wonderful short game. He knows he can get up and down from anywhere. He does it. He's just a real joy to be around. He enjoys life.
"He does have the ability to play at the next level, that's for sure."
The two years he has spent playing for Napa Valley has meant so much to Cole, a 2018 graduate of Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa and the medalist at the North Bay League championships. He transferred to NVC after one year at Missouri Valley College.
"I have loved every minute of it," said Cole, a resident of Santa Rosa. "Meeting (Freschi), meeting David, and meeting all the guys on the team, it's been worth every single minute. I'm very glad I made that decision to play at Napa.
"It's definitely helped my golf game. Both David and (Freschi) have helped me tremendously with not just my game itself, but mentally. That's what I struggled with coming in last year, as I was very emotional. I've gotten a lot better from last year. They've definitely helped me with that."
Transferring to Holy Names University
Cole will be transferring to Holy Names University of Oakland in the fall, as he has signed a national letter-of-intent to play for the Hawks.
Holy Names is a private university and as an NCAA Division II member school, plays in the Pacific West Conference.
"I'm super excited, obviously, getting to further my education and continue to get to play the game that I love, which is golf, and hopefully get better," said Cole, 20, who plans to major in business management.
He will receive a combined athletic-academic scholarship. He will be a junior in the fall at Holy Names.
"I haven't been in the game of golf for very long, especially playing at the level that I am," said Cole. "It's a great honor to be able to get the opportunity and scholarship from Holy Names. I have put in a lot of work and a lot of time into golf and it's kind of showing the results."
Cole started playing golf as a sophomore at Maria Carrillo High. Keelan's father, Andy Cole, plays golf.
"I quit soccer and I needed to play a sport. My dad said to try out golf. I did and I'm here now. I'm glad I picked it up because I love the game."
Cole played in all of the dual matches and tournaments for NVC last year. The results: * Point Conception Open, at La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc: 80-90 – 170.
* Chardonnay Invitational, at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards in American Canyon: 75.
* Rancho Murieta Shootout, at Rancho Murieta Country Club: 77.
* Northern California neutral tournament, at Stockton Golf and Country Club: 83.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 1 tournament, at Whitney Oaks Golf Club in Rocklin: 73.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 2 tournament, at Oakdale Golf and Country Club: 85.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 3 tournament, at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards: 76.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 4 tournament, at the Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton: 85.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 5 tournament, at Rancho Murieta Country Club South Course: 81.
* Big 8 Conference, No. 6 tournament, at Rancho Murieta Country Club North Course: 78.
This year, the Storm is playing in the state's Spring II season.
"As a team, we're doing well. We're really showing if we did have conference play this year that we would have been the best," said Cole.
Cole is around the game a lot, as he works in both the golf shop and outside services at Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club, and he also works as a caddie at Mayacama, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Santa Rosa.
Cole wins Oakland City Championship
Cole won the championship division of the 99th Annual Oakland City Championship, a two-day, 36-hole event, May 1-2 at Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland. It's a Northern California Golf Association points event.
After shooting a 4-over-par 75 in the first round, Cole went low in the second round, firing a 6-under 65 with back-to-back eagles, on Nos. 3 and 4, and was tied atop the leaderboard with Andrew Wood at the end of 36 holes of regulation play. They were each at 2-under 140.
Cole and Wood each made par on No. 1, a 372-yard par-4, the first playoff hole. Cole hit driver, then a 60-degree wedge from 80-yards out, and two-putted from 25 feet for par.
Cole won the title on the second hole of the playoff, hitting an 8-iron to four feet and making the birdie putt on No. 2, a par-3 measuring 149 yards.
"I knew I had the putt to win – everyone wants that feeling. That's what you practice for, the putt to win," said Cole. "I finally had the opportunity. And so I hit it a little harder. I wanted to make it. It was a great feeling."
Cole's back-to-back eagles, on the par-5, 464-yard third hole and the par-5, 480-yard fourth hole, got him to 4-under on his round. He reached both holes in two and made the putt – from 18 feet on the third hole and from four feet on the fourth hole.
His birdies came on the 491-yard, par-5 eighth hole, 313-yard, par-4 10th hole, 369-yard, par-4 14th hole, and 667-yard, par-5 18th hole.
His bogeys came on the par-4, 314-yard sixth hole and the 419-yard, par-4 11th hole.
"My short game was really good today. My putting was really good," said Cole, who had 27 putts. "I had three or four holes where I missed the green with a wedge, but I was just able to get up and down this time."
He saved par on the 188-yard, par-3 seventh hole, chipping on and making the putt from 10 feet.
"Today was a great day of golf. I did what I wanted to do. I played the par-5s really well today, which is what you have to do out there to score well. And I made some really good up and downs and I just played really solid all day," said Cole.
"Everything was really good. There were still a few wedge shots that I wish I could get back. But again, I'm not going to complain about my round of 6-under. I was pretty steady all day."
It's the first time that Cole has shot below par in a tournament round.
"Golf is such a humbling game," he said. "I was so frustrated after (Saturday's round). I had no idea that I would have had a chance of winning today, teeing off on the first hole. It just shows you what the game can do. I'm beyond pleased."
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in September of 2019.