March 29, 2024
Sports - Kane County


Sports

Boys Golf notes: Burlington Central's Tyson Malak motivated by tough sectional finish

Tyson Malak was candid when discussing his final round of the year.

Malak, a Burlington Central junior, enjoyed a solid regular season. He followed that up with a fifth-place finish at regionals. But at sectionals on Monday, he shot a 90, well off his typical range in the 70s.

“My worst round in over two years,” Malak said. “It just motivates me. Shows that I have to work harder and keep practicing more. Then, next year will be great. Next year will be the best year for me yet.”

“Obviously, the weather wasn’t great but I can’t blame that,” Malak said. “The swing was off. Mentally, I just wasn’t there today. That’s pretty much it. I was swinging poorly, I was missing left and right. Chipping was bad; putting wasn’t that great. It was just one of those rounds where you just got to take out, learn from it and work harder to avoid stuff like this from happening again.”

Looking ahead to the offseason, Malak will be spending ample time training at LGN Performance in Elgin. He also is going to be working with a pair of golf coaches at TPS Player Services twice a week. Having a golf simulator in his garage certainly helps, too.

“I have all the tools that I need to utilize this winter, and then have a positive 2021 season for next year,” Malak said.

Marmion golfer works through adversity

Anthony Sleezer’s golf season wasn’t easy to navigate.

Sleezer, a Marmion senior, came down sick in September, what was thought to be a possible case of COVID-19. His test came back negative, but Sleezer still had to stay home from school. He then had to re-build his short game and returned by Sept. 19.

“I had to really re-build my game all over again because, especially with golf, it’s really tough to take two weeks off and then come right back in it,” Sleezer said.

“My short game is always my strong suit and this summer, I really had to work on my ball-striking. “I got to the point where I was hitting five, six greens on a regular nine, which is huge for me, especially with how good my short game is.”

Sleezer finished his sectional round with an 81. He began on the back nine and dealt with the weather conditions, shooting 3-over par on his first three holes. An ensuing birdie got him back on track and he was at 41 as he made the turn.

Sleezer then turned in three consecutive pars before hitting a pair of bogeys and a double bogey.

“Once I got that double bogey, I got kind of mad and I birdied the next hole,” Sleezer. “I finished birdie, par and par.”

Jacob Bartelson

Jacob Bartelson

Jake is a full-time sports reporter writing primarily for the Kane County Chronicle covering preps. His collective work is featured across several Shaw markets and platforms, including Friday Night Drive and Bears Insider. Jake began full-time in 2017.