For Bollini, Any More Practice Might Make His Game Perfect

If practice makes perfect, then it will be interesting to see what Nico Bollini can do when he finds time to polish his golf skills.

For the last month Bollini, a Servite junior, has been fighting a slump induced by decreased practice time.

But all he has done in that month is piece together a brilliant five-under-par 67 to win the Southern Section individual title and then make a run at the CIF-SCGA title before succumbing to a tournament-record 65 by Santa Margarita’s Steve Conway.

Others dream of such slumps.

Bollini, The Times’ Orange County boys’ golfer of the year, averaged even-par 36 over nine holes during the regular season. His three-under-par 32 in a one-stroke victory over Santa Margarita was instrumental in the Friars clinching the Serra League title.

His team-best 37 in the first meeting against Santa Margarita led the Friars to a two-shot victory and his 71 at the Western Divisional paced Servite to a title.

“It was a pretty fun year,” Bollini said. “I played well in some matches, but I wasn’t practicing as much as I wanted and it caught up to me in some rounds. When you don’t practice, some of your bad habits come back. I knew I wasn’t at the top of my game.”

Apparently, a mediocre Bollini is better than many others.

“He was fighting himself but he had some big-time clutch rounds,” said Servite Coach Tim Meagher. “To think that his swing wasn’t at its best and shooting what he was shooting says a lot.”

Bollini’s up-and-down season reached a low point at the Southern Section team finals May 11 at Saticoy, where he shot 79. The rest of the Friars also struggled and the team finished fifth, one spot short of qualifying for the CIF-SCGA finals.

It was a disappointing end for the Friars who, led by Bollini, had held the No. 1 spot in the county top 10 for most of the season and were considered among the favorites for the Southern Section and CIF-SCGA titles.

“My expectations were more centered around the team,” Bollini said. “So from that standpoint it was a little disappointing. But overall it was a good year.”

Bollini, the only Servite player to advance to the Southern Section finals, showed signs of breaking through when he tied for seventh with a 75 in the Southern Section individual regional at SeaCliff.

At the Southern Section finals, he showed why he is ranked No. 13 in the nation. His bogey-free round included four birdies and an eagle, but more importantly, it showed Bollini that he could score well without his best game.

“I still wasn’t swinging it that well that day,” Bollini said. “That helps your confidence a ton. When you struggle you start asking questions, but to play like I did gives me confidence that I can play even if I’m not playing my best.”

His postseason average, including the 79 at Saticoy, was 73.

School was the culprit for the missed practice time, Bollini said. A tough junior year that included SAT preparation classes cut into the time normally allotted for practice.

“It wasn’t to the point that I wasn’t practicing at all,” Bollini said. “Just not as much as I have been used to, and some rounds I just didn’t have confidence.”

Bollini has a summer schedule packed with all the top junior tournaments: The Izzo Cup, the Rolex Tournament of Champions, the AJGA Boys’ Junior Championship, the Junior World Championships and the U.S. Junior Championship. He will also try to qualify for the U.S. Amateur.

“I’m looking for him to have a big summer,” Meagher said. “He’s right on the verge of breaking through with a big win.”

And without classes and homework to get in the way, you can bet he will find time to practice.

“I’ll be OK,” Bollini said. “I’m not really worried about my game right now.”