Most people would attribute hard work and dedication to achieving an accolade that was sought after for a long time. For Winter Haven’s Anthony Monteleone, the junior Winter Haven golfer used his development along with the tweaking of his golf clubs.
Monteleone struggled some after an adjustment to his clubs, so he turned to a familiar face to get them back to where they felt comfortable.
The Ledger’s 2022 Boys Golfer of the Year gave his clubs to longtime trainer Tony Brabner — who played golf with Monteleone’s dad back in his heyday ― and the local golfing trainer “fixed” his clubs.
Brabner essentially bent the club face from 40 degrees flat back to the neutral position.
“I got everything fixed back to where I need everything (and) I’m hitting everything really good now,” Monteleone said.
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The future 2025 graduate returned to form on Saturday and those adjustments led to Monteleone capturing, for the first time, first place at the George Jenkins Invitational Monday at The Club at Eaglebrooke thanks to shooting a 9-under-63; Winter Haven Sophomore John Roberts (76) and George Jenkins senior Nick Simpson tied for 23rd.
Winter Haven placed fifth as a team, while George Jenkins was 10th and McKeel was 11th., All Saints was 18th, Lakeland Christian finished 20th, Lakeland placed 21st, Auburndale was 23rd and Lake Wales was tied for 23rd.
When Monteleone knew he would win, he was jovial as expected. But for him it was about the feeling he experienced when hitting the ball.
The results: Monteleone hit 18 of 18 greens and missed just one fairway.
He started his round with a birdie. He also finished with three straight birdies to end his round in a flourish.
It didn’t even occur to Monteleone to check the leaderboard until the last hole because of how confident he felt based on how well he played and the practices prior to the big tournament. In the end, he won by a stroke.
“I’m just really happy that I could do the same in the tournament and I was really happy that I shot 3-under on the front and on the back nine I made six birdies and all pars,” Monteleone said.
Now the first-team all-county golfer is gearing up for the big Hawkins-Crutchfield Tournament next week.
“It’s such an expectation of just knowing I can shoot (as low as I did). I just need to keep practicing,” Monteleone said. “My dad got me a membership at a country club in Winter Haven. I’m out there a lot practicing.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Winter Haven’s Monteleone wins Jenkins tourney