At one point, Tyler Strafaci wondered if he’d ever have his day at Pinehurst – like his grandfather did all those years ago.
Strafaci, 21, has been playing the North & South since he was a junior in high school. Until last week, he was 0-for-4. When there’s history on the line, there’s also pressure.
Frank Strafaci, Tyler’s grandfather, won the North & South in 1938 and 1939, the same decade in which he won the U.S. Amateur Public Links (1935) and was ninth at the U.S. Open (1937). He was a multiple-time champion of the Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur and Long Island Amateur, too.
Finally, there’s another Strafaci on the winner’s wall at Pinehurst after Tyler cruised through the 32-man match-play bracket at Pinehurst No. 2 to come up with a win on July 4.
The North & South title kicked off a solid stretch of golf for the remainder of the summer as Tyler Strafaci heads to the Palmetto Amateur this week, then on to the Sunnehanna Amateur, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur. He’ll return to Georgia Tech for a fifth year this fall.
Strafaci gave Golfweek some insight on his North & South win recently, and what it means for his family. (His answers below have been edited slightly for brevity.)
What do you know about the way your grandpa played the game? What have you been told?
The stuff I’ve heard from my father and people that knew him personally, the one thing that my dad said stuck out about him was his short game, mostly his bunker play. It’s a little random but my dad always talked about how good of a bunker player he was and he had such good hands around the green, stuff like that. One of the things that everyone has said about my grandfather was he was the toughest competitor they’ve ever met. He kind of came from a very poor background, he was an Italian immigrant, came to America trying to make a name for himself. He was very gritty, very hard-working and people respected him. I’ve never met someone that didn’t say he was a great human being.
Arnold Palmer wrote something in his book about his match at the U.S. Am that he won. I’ve read it – my dad showed me – it’s pretty cool. He talked about how my grandfather was the toughest match that he played in amateur golf and the U.S. Am. … That’s what kind of what stuck to me was how much of a competitor he was.
And if someone were to describe your swing and the way you play, what would they say?
Ironically enough, everyone always talks about my bunker game. I give everyone on my team lessons about that but I would say the one thing about my game that’s always been my strength is my iron play. My iron play is very solid, I work really hard on it and it’s at a level where I can compete very highly. My course management is really good. I know how to get my way around the course.
I feel like I’m very consistent because I’m a good iron player and I play the courses how they should be played. Sometimes I don’t overpower them. I’m relatively long but I try to play the course conservative aggressive and I give myself a lot of chances for birdie during the round. I make a lot of birdies and don’t make a lot of bogeys.
What part of your game did you think Pinehurst No. 2 put the most stress on? Or what part of your game helped you win there?
I would describe No. 2 very much as a second-shot golf course. I think it really fit my game to my irons. I would say I drove the ball, for the most part, not great during the whole week. I hit driver pretty much every hole in match play. The opportunities I had from the fairway with my irons, I took advantage and hit them really close.
Pinehurst No. 2 just stresses shots around the greens. If you don’t hit it in the right spot, it will kind of funnel off into the wrong spot so you really can’t make par. That really fit my game this week. In years past, I haven’t really hit the ball well on the course.
What was the first thing your dad said to you after you won at Pinehurst?
All I remember from after I made my putt, I looked over to my dad and he had his hands raised and he had tears coming down his face. He hugged me and he said, ‘You did it, bud. Just yourself, you did it. You worked so hard for this opportunity and you did it. Grandpa Frank would be proud.’ I remember looking out of the corner of my eye as I was walking off the green to see my friends and my dad pointed up to the sky with both of his hands. You could tell this meant a lot to him.
He played in the North & South a lot but he’s told me in the past, with his dad winning it put a lot of pressure on him and he felt like he never performed to the ability he could in the tournament. For the first couple years playing Pinehurst, I felt pressure too. … This year, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable in my own skin the last year or so and kind of gotten my own identity.
Where does the North & South rank on your all-time golf accomplishments?
I think I’d put it ahead of making the U.S. Open at Shinnecock only because that was really cool in the moment, being a teenager playing the national championship, but I’ve been so close to winning the last couple years and I’ve been getting really frustrated and kind of questioning what I’ve been doing. I’ve always worked hard but just not winning for three years has put a toll on me. Thinking, ‘When am I going to win again? When is it going to be my time?’ … After this, it really shows that all the hard work I’ve put in, worked my butt off, all the late hours putting and chipping and doing competitions with my teammates has all paid off. It was more satisfying to see all that groundwork. And to do it at the North & South. It’s been my dream since I was a kid to win that golf tournament.
Considering that your grandfather never made a Walker Cup team, how big of a goal is that for you?
He had a really good chance that year that he finished (ninth) in the U.S. Open, won the North & South and won the Met Am. He was regarded as the best amateur player in that four-to-five-year stretch in the world. The fact that he didn’t make it, it really upset my grandfather. Kind of put a bad taste in his mouth. My dad told me it took him a very long time to get over the fact that he wasn’t picked. I’m sure the other people were very deserving, but my grandfather took it to heart.
Ever since hearing that, it’s been a goal to be the first Strafaci to make the Walker Cup. I had a really good chance at making it last year. I made the practice squad, I just didn’t play great over the summer. Obviously Seminole, it’s a dream to play there in my home state, an hour away from my house but I’m just focused on, for the next year, getting better, working hard, competing in tournaments and winning a national championship. If I get picked by the committee, I get picked. If I don’t, I won’t be too upset. The only thing I can control is just doing my best and let the stuff play out.
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