Warren's Furmanski is getting the message

Before he left for the course and the first round of tryouts, Warren senior Taylor Furmanski turned on his cell phone and saw that he had a text message.

Furmanski receives many text messages a day, but this one was from an unlikely source - his father.

"It was kind of weird because he had never texted before," Furmanski said.

Every day Furmanski has played golf since, his father has texted a quote that is meant to inspire his son.

"They all have to do with competing and becoming better," Furmanski said. "They're very motivating."

Furmanski hopes to maximize every moment of his senior season in an effort to attract the attention of college coaches. His goal since he first made varsity as a sophomore was to play golf at the next level.

Furmanski's breakthrough round came in last year's regional tournament at Steeple Chase Golf Club in Mundelein. He fired a 3-under-par 69 to win the regional tournament.

Earlier in the year, Furmanski twice was under par in nine-hole meets. But this was 5 strokes lower than his previous best 18-hole score.

"I knew he had it in him, but a (score like that) is not something you think about," coach Mike Wittes said.

Furmanski informed Wittes he was 3-under-par at the turn.

"I told him 'great job; don't talk to me on the back nine,'" Wittes said with a smile.

Furmanski moved to 6-under-par after a birdie at No. 14.

"My parents were watching and I remember my mom started laughing because she couldn't believe I was making so many putts," he said. "I was in a place I had never been."

Even after playing the last four holes in 3-over-par, Furmanski was 1 stroke clear of his closest competitor. Although Furmanski did not advance out of sectionals, his stellar play toward the end of the year drove him all winter.

He practiced every chance he had and worked extensively with Conway Farms Golf Club teaching professional Jeff Mory. In their lessons, Mory worked with Furmanski on a lower ball flight and drawing the ball more.

Furmanski struggled at first to implement the changes. He was not happy with his scores for most of the summer, but he believes the short-term pain will lead to long-term reward.

"I made the changes because I wanted to get to the next level," Furmanski said. "I'm hoping all the work I put in this year will pay off."

At the Deerfield Invitational, Furmanski fired a 78. He played well except for a three-hole stretch where he lost five strokes to par.

"The swing changes have just started to kick in," he said.

For better or worse, one of Furmanski's biggest fascinations with golf is that the end result is all on the individual.

"In golf, you control the outcome," he said. "I like that everything that happens is because of what I do."

Furmanski is driven by golf, but it is not his only interest. He also is fascinated by economics and politics. An ambitious long-term goal is to become the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

"He's always been a mature kid and you see the leadership qualities come out from year to year," Wittes said. "He's a sharp kid who knows what he wants to do in life."

Looking ahead

Players to watch

Andrew Adamsick, Mundelein; Matt Brew, sr., Grayslake Central; Brett Coburn, sr., Libertyville; Craig Franke, Lakes; Taylor Furmanski, sr., Warren; Nick Guenther, sr., Grant; Sean Humphrey, jr., Grayslake North; Kurt Kapfer, sr. Libertyville; Zach Kim, soph., Warren; Zack Kravits, soph., Stevenson; Dominic Maggiore, sr., Grayslake Central; Pat McGrath, Mundelein; Mike Nutter, Lake Zurich; Eric Pacewicz, sr., Stevenson; Marshall Rolston, sr., Libertyville; Tyler Ruefer, Lakes; Ben Schroeder, Mundelein; Jack Watson, jr., Carmel; Troy Weidenmiller, sr., Stevenson; Billy White, jr., Carmel;

Outlook

Carmel did not advance to sectionals as a team last year but five players moved on as individuals. Jack Watson enjoyed success all summer playing in Illinois Junior Golf Association tournaments and is poised for a big junior year. - Grayslake Central senior Matt Brew has made significant progress since last year. Fellow senior Dominic Maggiore has the potential to get on a roll and shoot low scores. The Rams are also excited about the development of junior Dylan Granquist and sophomore Eric Hogenkamp. - Grayslake North's Sean Humphrey advanced to sectional play as a sophomore. Humphrey is one of just three returning players to varsity. Sophomore transfer Matt Bergstrom should be able to make an immediate contribution. - Grant, coming off a 7-7 season, will rely on seniors Nick Guenther, Dan Rowlen and Daniel Tromotola. The Bulldogs have lots of depth and there will be plenty of competition to fill out the starting lineup. Sophomores Sean Thandupurakal and John Schenning, along with juniors Kyle Buckley, Brandon Magnuson and Dillon Peterson, should all see time in the lineup at some point in the season. - This should be Lakes' best season in the brief history of the program. In an early-season nine-hole meet against Grant, the Eagles were led by Craig Franke (40) and Tyler Ruefer (41). - Round Lake's top players are seniors Austin Kohlmeyer and Adam Fernandez and junior Anthony Saam. - The Vernon Hills lineup has many new faces. Seniors Kyle Hoffmann, George Kroes and Josh Ludwig will all be playing in their first varsity matches. The junior class features Matt Alm, Alex Erchinger, Erik Hencier and Dan Stiles. Sophomore Kris McGovern and freshman Jake Zoll have a chance to be promising young players. - Lake Zurich's Mike Nutter has a chance to be one of the better sophomores in the area. Juniors Dom Dejuilio and Mark Hart have improved after working hard on their games over the summer. Lake Zurich's top seniors are Tommy Paulson and Kevin Park. - Libertyville will be led by four-year veteran Brett Coburn. Seniors Kurt Kapfer and Marshall Rolston return for their second varsity season. If some juniors can emerge as the season progresses, Libertyville should be a factor at conference and postseason tournaments. - Mundelein has impro ved steadily the last several seasons and last year earned a share of the conference title. Although the Mustangs were hit hard by graduation, Ben Schroeder, Andrew Adamsick and Pat McGrath all return. The Mustangs also have some promising younger players ready for their varsity chance. - Stevenson began the season by shooting 311, good for an 8-stroke victory at the six-team Deerfield Invitational. At the tournament, sophomore Zack Kravits had a 75. Once again, the Patriots have a deep lineup where on any given day any player can post the low score. Senior Eric Pacewicz finished in a three-way tie for first at last year's conference tournament. - Warren senior Taylor Furmanski won the regional title as a junior. Sophomore Zach Kim has the game for a breakthrough season. The key for Warren's success as a team will be how its junior class develops.