Kevin McSorley always had the competitive spirit and drive. Born in the Jersey City Heights, McSorley moved to Secaucus as a teenager and played basketball and baseball at Secaucus High, playing on some of the Patriots’ better teams in the early 1990s that featured future Anaheim Angels pitcher Mark Lukasiewicz.
“It’s just part of my competitive nature,” McSorley said. “I love to compete.”
So when a group of his friends from Secaucus decided to head to Port Imperial Golf Range in Weehawken, McSorley was all for it.
“We used to like to try to hit the balls over the net there,” McSorley said. “I noticed I was able to hit the ball real far from the start. It was just a matter of controlling it, figuring out the swing.”
McSorley’s father, Jim, a retired captain in the Jersey City Fire Department, lived near a golf course in Sussex County at the time, so it was natural for Kevin to gravitate to play with his father.
“I found out that I was actually pretty good at it,” McSorley said. “I broke 100 the first time I played.”
It turned out to be the beginning of a budding career in golf for McSorley, who like his father, has been a member of the Jersey City Fire Department for the last decade.
About 12 years ago, McSorley entered his first tournament, the Bergen County Amateur Championships.
“That was it, I caught the bug,” McSorley said. “I realized that there were two different kinds of golf, regular golf and tournament golf. Tournament golf was totally different. You have to concentrate on every single shot.”
Over the years, McSorley became more and more of an accomplished golfer, getting to the point of being a plus-2 handicap. He once shot a round of 63 in upstate New York and 65 in a Golf Styles Magazine qualifier.
“I’ve shot 65 five or six times,” McSorley said. “I’ve had a stretch where I’ve broken 70 every round. I’m a grinder out there. I played with a lot of good golfers. I have the ability to get up and down from everywhere. I drive the ball long and I putt pretty well. I hit my irons pretty well.”
Sounds like a pretty consistent golfer.
Last week, McSorley had one of the more trying weeks of his still burgeoning golf career. He first played at a United States Open qualifier at Canoe Brook, shooting rounds of 72 and 78 with Professional Golf Association members Alexander Rocca and Jeff Sisk.
Although McSorley didn’t shoot well enough to earn a berth at this weekend’s U.S. Open at the Congressional in Maryland, it still was an experience just being with some of the game’s best.
“It was unbelievable just to be there,” said McSorley, who tried to qualify for the U.S. Open five years ago. “I was teeing it up with guys I only see on television, accomplished pro players. It was a good learning experience for me to talk to them, learn about their lives. They don’t have it easy, going from event to event. They’re like journeymen, on the road all the time.”
A day later, McSorley competed in the New Jersey Open Amateur championships at Trump National in Bedminster. McSorley earned a berth in the state amateur tourney by winning the state Mid-Amateur in Deal and the Monmouth County Amateur title earlier this year.
By then, McSorley was a little caught up with all the emotion of playing tough competitive tournament golf. He didn’t shoot very well, then began to feel nauseous and light-headed in the oppressive heat and withdrew.
“I can play three rounds of golf with my friends and feel nothing, but this took a lot out of me,” McSorley said. “It’s like running a marathon, then getting up the next day and trying to play softball. My body simply couldn’t do it. It was way too much.”
It can’t be easy, juggling a demanding full-time profession like a Jersey City firefighter and trying to succeed as one of the top amateur golfers in the state.
“My wife [Anna] helps me a lot,” said McSorley, who has two young children, son Kyle, who is six and daughter, Abby, who is 18 months. “She sets up her schedule and gives me a long leash so I can go and play. But I have to be home to be a daddy a lot of times. It’s definitely a lot on my plate. I can’t play in every tournament. I have to pick and choose where I go.”
McSorley is always asked if he ever plans on joining the Nationwide Senior Tour when he becomes eligible after turning 50. McSorley is currently 39 years old.
“A lot of people ask me that, but it’s so far down the road,” McSorley said. “I still have my job as a firefighter and I have my family. Those are my priorities. Plus, I’ve learned that turning pro is not an easy life. The golfers are traveling to Texas, Arkansas, all over. I’m just enjoying the moment, being an amateur. The game is a lot of fun and this has all been exciting.”
McSorley is also enjoying the attention that comes with being a firefighter/top-flight golfer.
“My buddies and my friends in the firehouse are calling me ‘Tin Cup,’” said McSorley, referring to the character that Kevin Costner portrayed in the movie of the same name. “The night before the first Open qualifier, I said, `How outrageous would it be if I made it to the U.S. Open?’ I almost did. It’s been a great start to the season. I’ve played pretty well and won some big tournaments. It’s been a lot of fun, a ton of fun. My son is getting a kick out of all the attention. He likes seeing his name in the newspaper.”
Consider that one done, Kyle McSorley. Daddy made sure of that.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com