Bartlett's Kay making strides at NIU

In most walks of life people go through adjustment periods when tackling new ventures.

Former Bartlett boys golf standout Tim Kay is no exception to that rule.

Kay got his feet wet last year as a member of the Northern Illinois University men's golf team. He's used that experience from last season, plus the work he put in during the off-season to get off to a strong start in 2007 for the Huskies.

Kay recently finished sixth at the Midwest Shootout at Purdue. Kay, a state qualifier as a senior at Bartlett, was just 1 stroke off the top spot. There was a 5-way tie for first place. Kay shot an even-par 72 (36s on both the front and back). His effort helped NIU finish fifth in the rain-shortened event.

"It helped build a lot of confidence," said Kay via phone during a recent NIU practice at Rich Harvest Country Club in Sugar Grove.

"That's nice to have. Confidence is another thing you need to have at the college level -- knowing that you can play well with anybody out there. I've proven to myself that I can do that. I was playing there against a pretty good field. I hit some really good shots at times when I needed them. I hit the ball well off the tee and I only had 24 putts, which is pretty good. I was able to recover on the greens nicely. I figured I was going to place pretty high, but I had no clue that I would be that close to the leader."

As a freshman, Kay played 29 rounds and averaged 77.41 strokes for 18 holes. His low round was 70 and his best tournament finish was a tie for 23rd place.

Kay said he put in extra time during the off-season working on a number of areas, specifically his short game.

"Since last year I've worked on my swing. I'm a little more consistent with my ball striking," said Kay. "And my short game has gotten a lot better. My putting and my shots around the green have improved a lot over last year. The short game is really important here. You are playing on courses that are 10 times tougher than when you were playing at a lower level when you were younger. You won't be able to hit every green or hit each shot perfectly. You still have to find ways to recover and still score."

He's also found ways to get himself out of bad situations on the course.

"I've gained more consistency," said Kay. "I've worked on a couple of things with my swing. If I hit a bad shot, it's not as bad as it used to be. It's not costing me as many strokes penalty-wise."

Kay said the college game is a completely different animal.

"Mentally you have to be able to handle the tougher courses," he said. "You have to have 100 percent focus every time in every round. If you lose focus out there, it will hurt you in the long run. The competition is as good as it gets out there. The mental game is a big step. If you want to get to the highest level, you have to conquer that."

Kay played in a number of tournaments in the off-season, including the Illinois State Amateur and the Illinois Open.

"I did OK, but not great," said Kay. "I missed the cut by a few strokes. But what those tournaments did is build confidence. I wasn't on the top of my game, but it showed me I could stick in there and hold on against everybody else."

Northern Illinois men's golf coach John Cleary has liked what he has seen from Kay already this season.

"His shot has improved, just his ball-striking in general," said Cleary. "Tim is more consistent. He's hitting more greens and is a lot more accurate. He's matured a lot. He's learning the game. He's made some good progress. It was certainly a growing and learning curve with him. He's gained confidence that he can play at the next level and play on the more difficult courses against a lot better competition. Tim played steady for us last year as a freshman. He didn't have any great tournament finishes, but he was steady. For him to come out now and finish sixth and be 1 shot out of the lead is a good thing against good competition."

Kay is excited about Northern Illinois' prospects as a team this year.

"We gained some good experience last year," said Kay. "We got better over the summer. We're playing well as a team. We should be able to do well this season."

Kay is an undecided business major at NIU. He will return to competition Sept. 24 in a tournament at Kansas State.

Bault at UW-Whitewater: Erin Bault, a 2007 Elgin High School graduate, will be a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's bowling team this season. The Warhawks finished 12th in the final 2006-2007 national rankings. Bault is one of six bowlers recruited by Whitewater coach Amber Griffin.

Lamothe at North Central: Burlington Central graduate Bobbie Lamothe, now playing for the North Central College women's golf team, finished tied for 13th out of a field of 81 golfers after shooting an 87 at the Monmouth Fighting Scots Invitational. She also took 34th at the Knox College Tournament in Galesburg with a 93 and was 37th at the Augustana Lady Viking Invitational in Rock Island. Lamothe and North Central played 3 rounds in 3 days in western Illinois. North Central took sixth at Augustana, tied for sixth at Monmouth and finished eighth at Knox College.

Garcia at Northwestern: Streamwood alum Paulina Garcia finished in the top 50 for the Northwestern University women's cross country team at the recent Fordham Invitational in New York. Northwestern took fourth out of 25 teams. Earlier, Garcia took 14th at the UIC Home Opener. Garcia, a sophomore at the Evanston school, finished the race in 12:05 and was one of 6 Northwestern runners in the Top 25 overall.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com.