Cole Velardo is a junior golfer who has been in the headlines of the Salem News too many times to count. He is a Chieftains Varsity Golf team captain and hits in the number-one spot for Masco this season.
Velardo has had an excellent start to the season with an individual record of 6-1-3, a huge part of the team’s success early on.
“Our season has gone great so far, we are currently 7-3 and looking forward to getting to that up to 10-3 this upcoming week,” said Velardo. “Senior Dylan Brothers was our 3 spot and his hockey injury was a tough blow for the team, but we’ve fought back and are still playing well as a team.”
Velardo believes Masco is in store for a big year and has his team’s sights set on winning the Northeast Conference (NEC), with the team still playing in mid-October.
“We are really hoping to qualify for the state tournament at sectionals on October 17.”
Golfing isn’t just a seasonal sport for Velardo as he plays in various tournaments, works on his craft for the season, and hits balls with teammates or friends year-round. Velardo is a man who is hard to outwork with the time he puts into golf, and it has translated nicely into this year’s season.
“Throughout this year I’ve played over 80 rounds of golf and around 20 tournaments that all prepared me for the fall high school season. My practice is typically 3-5 hour sessions at the Ferncroft Country Club, with a mix of driving range, chipping, and putting,” he said.
Velardo’s high school career-best round of nine came early in this 2024 season against the Saugus Sachems when he shot an astounding three shots under par for a score of 33.
Velardo played for an extremely talented 2022 varsity team in his freshman year and even was named an NEC all-star. In his sophomore season, he took it a step further and was named NEC All-Conference and a Salem News All-Star.
With half of his junior season still to go, Velardo has given some thought to continuing to play at the collegiate level.
“A big goal of mine is to try and get a scholarship to play golf at either a division one or two college.”
Based on how this year has gone so far, this is definitely a realistic goal. With his determination, practicing habits, and sheer skill, Velardo has a bright future ahead on the green.