GAINESVILLE — Spencer Ralston won the very first golf tournament he entered.
Exceptional indeed -- but nothing compared to what it means if he wins his next tournament.
The rising Gainesville High senior will compete in a U.S. Open Sectional on Monday at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground where a victory -- heck, even a top three finish -- would likely seal a spot in the 2015 U.S. Open, June 18-21 at Chambers Bay near Tacoma, Wash.
Try trumping that in a “What I Did Over the Summer” essay this fall. And Ralston knows it would be a monumental accomplishment considering that he will be playing 36 holes (in one day) against a field that includes collegiate players looking for a similar thrill and professionals gunning for either a breakthrough or return to the pinnacle.
It is a field that is allowing the University of Georgia-bound Ralston to approach this latest tournament as an opportunity.
“It will be fun; for some of these guys it’s their job, they’ll feel pressure. For me it’s a treat, and if I make it it’s a dream come true,” Ralston said.
Ralston’s young career on the links already has a surreal quality to it. From that initial nine-hole tournament at the age of 10 to his shooting 66 as a 12-year-old to finishing atop the leaderboard in 10 tournaments so far in 2015, it appears as though he was gifted with a golden touch from tee to green. And, in fact, his father, Mitch, was a collegiate golfer for Clemson and a state champion at Gainesville High.
Don’t kid yourself, however, Ralston has blended innate ability with hours of hard work and a dedication that few golfers his age could muster. And success has not always come with the ease of that victory at Highland Walk at Victoria Bryant Park that got it all started for him as a novice.
“I started playing golf going into third grade; me, (recent Gainesville graduates and golf standouts) Nathan Williams and Lawson King used to go over to Chattahoochee (Golf Club) and mess around,” said Ralston, who also excelled at baseball. “I really loved baseball, and I still do, but I discovered I was pretty good at golf, and I felt like this was my best opportunity to excel. I also love it; I enjoyed it from the start.”
The early success and assistance from a number of those who understood the sport certainly helped -- though he says his father never even steered him toward the links.
“He has always supported me, but he never pushed me to play golf,” Ralston said. “He just wanted me to be happy in any sport. But once I got into golf he helped me so much with the fundamentals.”
That support led Ralston to compete in the Optimist International Tournament as an 11-year-old -- where he received notice that golf wasn’t always going to be easy, not even for someone of his talent.
“I went down there full of confidence -- I had really only been playing against local guys -- and got spanked,” Ralston chuckled. “That’s when I knew it was going to take some work.”
So work Ralston did, and his efforts paid off with an appearance at the U.S. Kids World Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
“I also went back to the Optimist and improved,” said Ralston, who kept at it and put up an amazing final round at another U.S. Open Kids when he was 14, firing a 66 to finish regulation tied for first. And though he lost the title in a playoff, it was clear that he was on his way to big things in the sport.
“I wasn’t even upset I lost the playoff,” Ralston said. “I had such an incredible day to get there, and I just gradually got better and better after that.”
That included an explosion onto the high school scene, where Ralston helped Gainesville to a state title as a freshman and a sophomore season that saw him card some ridiculously low numbers -- including a 63 at Apple Mountain and again at The Invite.
“Once you go low you know you can break through and do it again,” Ralston said.
Yet Ralston spent much of this past fall looking to get back into that rarified territory, experiencing some struggles that included scores in the 80s.
“It was frustrating, but I knew I couldn’t give up,” said Ralston, who wrenched his back in a tournament -- an injury that proved tough to overcome, though nothing the former catcher couldn’t handle. “I used to play travel ball and catch for (rising Gainesville senior pitcher) Jonathan Gettys, and I was always hurting my hand catching him because he could throw so hard. And once I got my back feeling better we worked on some things with my swing, and I got back on track and had a great spring.”
Indeed, Ralston claimed seven low medalist honors as a junior on the varsity course this season, never posting a round higher than 73 in helping Gainesville to a Region 8-AAAAA title and third place finish in state. And then, just a week ago, Ralston scorched the course at Orchard Hills, firing rounds of 62 and 64 to claim a Southeastern Junior Golf Tour tournament title in Newnan.
“It felt so good to get back to that kind of play,” said Ralston, who had already clinched a spot in the U.S. Open Sectional by finishing atop the leaderboard of a U.S. Open local qualifier thanks to a 67 on May 12 at Chateau Elan.
And now Ralston will test his talents against a tough course in Hawks Ridge and a field that includes current Georgia All-America and former Habersham Central standout Lee McCoy. Ralston’s own group includes former Bulldog and current pro Ryuji Imada and Steven Smith of Scotland.
“The field is actually kind of small, only 42, which means there will be less qualifying spots available (compared with other sectionals taking place around the nation), but I’m looking forward to it,” said Ralston, who will have friend Tanner Peacock along as his caddie. “He’ll help me a lot, because we’ll be able to talk and keep my mind off it too much. I’ll be playing golf all day, so I won’t want to talk golf all day too.”
Ralston estimates qualifiers will need to be at least 8-under after 36 holes to capture a U.S. Open slot.
“That’s doable,” said Ralston, who has played Hawks Ridge three times already. “And I know I’ll have butterflies before we get going. I always do. But there’s no target on my back. And I’m going to go out there and enjoy it.”
Ralston’s enjoyment of the sport has already produced some memorable moments indeed.
NOTE: Ralston is scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. Monday. ... McCoy is scheduled to start his round at 8:30 a.m.
