Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, July 24, 2008
Holmen’s Billy Pearse tries to keep his cool on the golf course, just like his idol
 Holmen High School golfer Billy Pearse will be golfing in the Tribune Juniors County Am. Erik Daily |
Billy Pearse said it was, without question, the most incredible thing he had ever seen.
Everything about Tiger Woods’ victory in the U.S. Open in June still is fresh in Pearse’s mind a month after it happened. The guts Woods showed while playing 91 holes on a bad knee. The poise he displayed in triumphing over both runner-up Rocco Mediate and what Pearse believes is the most difficult major golf tournament of the year.
These are the kind of moments that can motivate, perhaps even shape the future of an impressionable 17-year-old like Pearse. On Friday, he’ll be one of 21 golfers competing in the La Crosse Tribune/Baird Juniors County Amateur Championship at Forest Hills Golf Course.
For Pearse, a senior-to-be at Holmen High School, it will be an opportunity to show what he can do in a tournament setting. He knows a strong short game and accuracy will be essential on a course he says he tends not to be very accurate on.
But you won’t hear Pearse complain if things don’t go quite right. The golfer he admires certainly wouldn’t.
“The only golfer I compare myself to is Tiger Woods. I love watching Tiger play,” Pearse said. “When everything is on the line, you know he’s going to come through in the clutch.”
Pearse has reached a point where he believes he also can succeed no matter the circumstances.
Golf has become serious business for Pearse. It helps that his father, Bill, is PGA head professional and general manager at Trempealeau Mountain Golf Club. It helps that Pearse hones his skills year-round. When winter comes, he spends four or five days a week hitting balls and chipping at Trempealeau Mountain’s indoor facility.
And it helps that Pearse is coming off a spring season in which he qualified for the WIAA state tournament at University Ridge Golf Course in Verona, Wis. Pearse said while he didn’t play his best — he finished with a two-day total of 18-over-par 162 and finished tied for 59th in Division 1 — he didn’t go home that disappointed.
“You’re just hoping to play well in that situation,” Pearse said. “I was very happy to be the only person from the MVC (Mississippi Valley Conference) there.
“It was just nice to go there for the experience and have a lot of fun. Hopefully I’ll get back there next year.”
In the meantime, Pearse will keep working hard. He knows that’s what has made Woods the No. 1 golfer in the world. He hopes that will only help him get better and work through difficult situations.
“You know things can always be worse,” Pearse said. “If something isn’t working, you have to go to Plan B. And if that doesn’t work, you have to have a Plan C.”
Kirk Bey can be reached at (608) 791-8414, or at kbey@lacrossetribune.com
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