Old Bridge's Sul is Home News Tribune Boys Golfer of the Year
Stephen Sul of the Old Bridge High School boys golf team is not like most students his age. Instead, he’s more like your father.
Sul, the 2017 Greater Middlesex Conference Boys Golfer of the Year, likes to spend most of his free time fishing, and when he’s not reeling in a 200-pound sailfish, the sophomore spends countless hours on the green perfecting his craft.
But unlike most fathers, who spend time swinging the golf club just to pass time, when Sul steps onto the green he means business.
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“His family has a boat and they go deep-sea fishing,” said Old Bridge coach Nick Renzi, who has been at the helm of the Knights golf team since 1995. “You can just imagine sitting on the boat with the horizon, how quiet it can be and how focused you can be in that situation, having the patience to be able to do that. I think that’s a big part of how he reflects in his game as well in being able to stay in the moment.”
Sul was able to stay in the moment all season long in his inaugural season with the program as he helped the Knights capture the program’s first GMC team title in school history while claiming the individual conference title with a par-72 score.
Sul also placed fourth in the Central/South Group IV Tournament and capped off his successful sophomore campaign season with a third-place finish at the NJSIAA/Metropolitan Golf Association Tournament of Champions with a 72, just one stroke behind Morristown’s Will O’Neill, who claimed the Group IV Tournament of Champions title with a 71.
The premier sophomore led all of the GMC with an average of 1.3 over par ahead of East Brunswick’s Brandon Wei, who finished second in the conference with a 2.4 average.
Sul’s average was helped tremendously when he recorded a jaw-dropping score of 34 in a match against perennial contender Monroe.
The Knights defeated the Falcons 170-171 on April 19 at Forsgate Country Club, Monroe’s home course. The Knights were able to clinch the victory in a tie-breaker.
Sul’s brilliance in the short game helped him shoot a 34, four strokes ahead of Monroe’s Rob Cocorikis, who finished at 38.
“I practice my short game a lot because I know that’s important on the course,” said Sul. “That’s where you can go low. I practice a lot of pressure puts, and then when I get into a golf tournament I’m just really comfortable with those puts because I gain the confidence.”
Besides his short-game, his familiarity with the Forsgate course also helped in both the matchup against the Monroe and the GMC tournament, which was also played at Forsgate.
Sul is a member at the historic course located in Monroe Township. It’s one of the many courses the sophomore has played on as Sul has been playing competitively ever since he was young.
He was first introduced to the game when his father bought him a plastic toy club at 2 1/2 years old. From that moment, the love for the game stuck.
“When I was little I would watch the golf channel and watch my father play golf,” Sul recalled. “He took me to the range and the first ball I hit he knew I had talent. We still play together for fun and it’s so cool that I’m playing with someone who taught me. He’s the reason why I have the love for the game.”
That love for the game, as well as the success, allowed Sul to compete in several American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments.
As a freshman, Sul attended Christian Brothers Academy but enrolled in Old Bridge last fall.
Coach Renzi knew he was getting a premiere athlete on the green, but was still taken back by his talent in the team’s first match of the season.
“I had heard that he was a good player and I think part of that word got out through his participation in the AJGA,” Renzi said. “Our first match he was zero over par.”
Sul shot a 36 in his first match with the Knights as he led Old Bridge to a 168-188 victory over St. Joseph. The sophomore phenom helped Old Bridge claim its first outright Red Division title since 1995 with a 16-1 record this spring.
In his first year playing golf with a team, Sul referred to his Old Bridge teammates as “family.”
Sul is looking forward to building the camaraderie with his teammates for the next two years, but first he will make sure he enjoys several fishing trips during the summer before he gets back to playing golf competitively.
“Fishing is just really relaxing,” he said. “After a grind of practicing, going fishing gets all your stress out. You have to have patience while fishing and that plays a huge role in golf. That’s where I get my patience from on the course.”
ALL-CONFERENCE BOYS GOLF: Stephen Sul (Old Bridge) 34/38-72; TJ Terpanick (St. Joseph) 37/39-77; Dan O’Brien (South Brunswick) 39/38-77; Brandon Wei (East Brunswick) 42/37-79; Nikhil Bagle (South Brunswick) 40/40-80; Rob Cocorikis (Monroe) 40/41-81; Ben Snyderman (Colonia) 41/42-83; Meher Sukhaji (North Brunswick) 40/44-84; Roshan Seth (Old Bridge) 41/44-85; Jack Morris (Old Bridge) 41/44-85. Coach of the Year: Nick Renzi, Old Bridge.
ALL-RED DIVISION BOYS GOLF: Stephen Sul (Old Bridge) 1.3; Brandon Wei (East Brunswick) 2.4; Dan O’Brien (South Brunswick) 3.8; Rob Cocorikis (Monroe) 4.0; TJ Terpanick (St. Joseph) 4.6; Eegan McDermott (East Brunswick ) 5.8; Tanay Mandala (Monroe) 6.3; Nikhil Bagle (South Brunswick) 6.6; Roshan Seth (Old Bridge) 6.7. Coach of the Year: Nick Renzi, Old Bridge. Division Champion: Old Bridge. Sportsmanship: J.P. Stevens.
ALL-WHITE DIVISION BOYS GOLF: Ben Snyderman (Colonia) 4.6; John Perini (Sayreville) 6.2; Lenny Gigantino (Colonia) 7.0; Chris Jeffreys (South Plainfield) 7.8; Meher Sukhija (North Brunswick) 8.0; Andrew Kensey (South Plainfield) 8.4; Katherine Demitus(Colonia) 9.0; Brandon Wizda (South Plainfield) 9.2; Adil Kazmi (North Brunswick) 9.2. Coach of the Year: Jeff Holmes, Colonia. Division Champion: Colonia. Sportsmanship: Sayreville.
ALL-BLUE DIVISION BOYS GOLF: Colin Gaven (Metuchen) 4.6; Tom Resko (Metuchen) 5.6; Sydney Kuo (Wardlaw-Hartridge) 6.4; Trevor Joefowitz (Spotswood) 6.9; Spencer Payrot (Metuchen) 7.2; Cathy Bi (Wardlaw-Hartridge) 7.3; Ryan Reynolds (Middlesex) 7.9; Jack Bradley (Metuchen) 9.2; Chuck Bradley (Metuchen) 10.13. Coach of the Year: Rich Stoner, Metuchen. Division Champion: Wardlaw-Hartridge and Metuchen. Sportsmanship: Wardlaw-Hartridge.