Clarendon Hills youth golfer wins title at Augusta National

As an infant, Michael Jorski became almost inseparable from the golf club his father Ross gave him.

The Jorskis lived near Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, just outside of Bentonville. Soon enough, Michael was chipping and putting at the Pinnacle practice areas.

Before that, the Jorskis’ backyard worked just fine.

“He played a lot for a 2- or 3-year-old,” Ross Jorski said. “When he was 5, we’d go have chipping and putting contests that went 72 holes. We’d be out there (at Pinnacle) for 3 hours.”

Michael Jorski rarely grew tired of golf, a trait he carries with him still today at age 12. All of those chipping and putting contests helped pay dividends April 3 at Augusta National Golf Club.

Jorski won the Drive, Chip and Putt National title in the 12- to 13-year-old boys division, edging out Louisville, Kentucky, resident Jacob Thompson in a playoff.

At 12 years old, Jorski, a sixth-grader at Clarendon Hills Middle School, has accomplished something most golfers only dream of doing: hitting balls at Augusta. He’s done it twice. He also qualified for the finals when he was 8.

“It was a lot of fun,” Michael said. “There are only a handful (of people) who can hit balls on that course and hit putts on the 18th green. We hit our drives on the practice range and chips on the main practice green. Then we putted on Hole 18. That was still fun. It’s still Augusta.”

And the young golfers also were invited to watch one of the practice rounds for the Masters, which started four days later.

Jorski demonstrated an ability to perform under pressure just to get to Augusta when he holed out a chip to win his regional title. The qualifying goes through local, sub-regional and regional rounds, with the 10 regional champions in each boys and girls age group heading to Augusta for the finals.

Jorski trailed four golfers heading into the putting, which was last. But he came through with a couple of clutch putts to force a playoff, then another in the playoff to win.

“I didn’t do too well on my drive, so I dug myself a pretty big hole and I knew I needed to go good on the chip and the putt,” Jorski said. “I did pretty good on the chip. I needed something really good out of the putt.”

When Jorski nailed a 30-foot putt, he knew he had a real shot at winning.

“I made a good first putt, which I thought I hit too hard, but it took a break and went right in,” he said. “I was quite stoked after that putt. I knew I had a chance then. Yes! That was heart-racing and fun.

“I stood back, took a few deep breaths and hit my next putt to 8 inches. Everybody ahead of me didn’t do very good, so I was able to secure a playoff with Jacob Thompson. Jacob’s a really good golfer.”

Jorski told himself to do it again in the playoff and hit a solid putt within a foot of the hole. When Thompson’s putt came up a bit short, Jorski won by 8 inches.

Ross Jorski got a much later start at golf than his son. When Ross was in high school in Santa Rosa, California, he started working on a driving range at age 14. He liked playing and hoped his son might like it as well when they moved from New York City to Arkansas and lived in the vicinity of a course.

So, Ross got Michael his first club.

“He absolutely loved it. It was a cool country club and the adults were very, very supportive,” Ross Jorski said. “He loved that, getting attention. He got to start playing tournaments. He played U.S. Kids when he turned 5, the youngest you can play. He got his first medals and trophies and that helped him even more. He was going at a really young age.”

Michael Jorski has not slowed down since. When Michael’s mother, Helen, switched jobs, moving from working with Walmart management in Arkansas to a position as treasurer with Hyatt Hotels in Clarendon Hills, Ross found a new coach for his son.

Since moving last July, Michael Jorski has taken lessons with Kevin Weeks, the teaching pro at Cog Hill, who came recommended from a coach Ross Jorski knew in Florida.

Michael and his brother Daniel, 8, are both golf nuts. They both also play baseball, although Ross, a stay-at-home father, says Michael’s Little League season this summer may be his last because of the extensive youth golf tournaments he wants to play.

Michael Jorski will play IJGA events, U.S. Kids events and play on the Hurricane Tour, which has local tournaments. He will play at a U.S. Kids Golf national tournament at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort in August.

Ross Jorski actually does not have much time to play golf since he takes Michael to Cog Hill in Lemont and often follows Daniel around the course, helping him while he plays.

“(Michael) mostly plays with other kids,” Ross Jorski said. “We hooked up with Kevin Weeks and (Michael) joined the junior program at Cog Hill. They have a ton of kids out there.

“He started playing immediately with kids out there in their elite program. I’d drop him off. I haven’t even played Cog Hill yet. He’s played it 20 times.”

Michael Jorski enjoys working with Weeks and honing his game.

“Kevin is very smart with what he’s teaching,” Michael said. “He’s very thorough in his process of teaching what to do better. He always wants his students to focus on the process, the practice, the pre-shot routine. The stuff that doesn’t matter, but then makes a big deal.”

Jorski aspires to play some day play on the PGA Tour.

“If I don’t, there’s still other options for me,” he said. “I’ll work my butt off to get there, but I’ll still do well in school and enjoy childhood because it will only last a few more years for me.

“There are a lot of things to like about golf. My favorite is the mental part. It’s the inside that can show on the outside. What you’re thinking about in your head can influence what you do. A lot of people say what you think on the inside reflects what you do on the outside. It’s true. You have to think about what you want on the inside and it’ll help on the outside.”