HOLLAND PATENT — Jacob Olearczyk, a freshman golfer for Holland Patent, has had a stretch of good results on the links. 

On Monday, Olearczyk – who was on the varsity golf team last year — shot a 79 to medal in the Section III boys golf North Division Qualifier held Monday at McConnellsville Golf Course.

He followed that Wednesday with a 78 at Skenandoa Golf Course in Clinton in a field among Section III boys golfers looking to qualify for the state tournament. He’s among 22 who are vying for 10 spots to advance to the state tournament in early June. 

As a 13-year-old last July, he won the New York state 14U Junior Amateur Championship. This year, he finished first in the 14U division at the New York state Junior PGA Championship at Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown.

Olearczyk, who also plays basketball and soccer, said he’s improved his golf game greatly since last year’s one-day sectional tournament when he shot an 84 at Barker Brook Golf Club.

Here are five questions he answered for the Daily Sentinel:

How did you get into golf?

When Olearczyk was five years old, his dad, Mark, was driving past Beacon Golf Center in Marcy. He thought it looked interesting.

Olearczyk said he started swinging right-handed before someone at the range suggest he switch to left-handed.

“I got into it pretty quick. I went to summer camp at Hidden Valley (Golf Club in Whitesboro) when I was younger and kinda took it from there,” Olearczyk said. “I’ve been playing in CNY PGA and getting ramped up. When I was younger I played in junior PGA to try and get my name out there. I’m trying to hopefully look for a college scholarship somewhere.”

He also plays in a league in the summer and various tournaments, he said.

What’s your goal for the rest of the golf season? 

“With the high school season, hopefully I can shoot well to make the state championships and have a good finish. Over the summer, there are various tournaments I play in – maybe one a week – and build up points and get my name out there and play in some invitationals and championships.” 

While he’s early in his high school career, he’s trying to create a portfolio to get some stats and tournament wins to help his goal of playing at the next level. 

What’s the toughest course you’ve played? What course have you liked playing the most? 

“The toughest course I’ve probably played is Kaluhyat (Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort Casino),” he said. 

He said there’s a lot of places where you could put up a big number. 

“You have to play with your head and use some strategy,” he said. 

His favorite course is the course at Lakeshore Country Club in Cicero. 

“I always seem to play well there. It seems to suit my game quite well,” he said. 

What is an important part of your game that you’ve worked to improve in recent years? 

“It is definitely my short game with chipping and putting. That’s where I believe tournaments are won. Everybody has a saying: Drive for show, putt for dough,” he said.

Who is an athlete in any sport that you look up to? What stands about them for you? 

It is PGA Tour golfer Patrick Cantlay, he said. 

“Just because he was in a tournament (in 2016) and his caddie, when they were crossing the road, was hit by a car (and killed). Patrick was really devastated about that. He was off tour for awhile. He had to pull himself back together. He became a great golfer,” Olearczyk said. “I think that story is really powerful and a lesson to be learned there.”