- November 25, 2024
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Whenever children are 19 months old, they usually roll balls around on the floor, attempt to speak their vernacular, and even make funny faces to please their parents’ “goo-goo and ga-gas.” When Matanzas’ Anthony Hunter was still a baby, he was trying to pick up his grandfather’s golf club.
During his nine-hole match against the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs Sept. 10, at Cypress Knoll, Hunter recorded an eagle and a birdie in a three-hole span. Hunter wasn’t impressed with that amazing feat; he went away from that match, feeling as if he had a bad day. Common adults and young kids who would have scored a 40 on a par-36 course, hitting from the professional tees, would have thrown a party for themselves later that night, celebrating an amazing run. Not Anthony. He’s a golf perfectionist, according to his biggest fan, his grandfather Gary Hunter. “We have spent thousands of hours on the golf course,” Mr. Hunter said. “Anthony’s always frustrated on the course. Whether he shoots over or under par, he always feels that he could have done better.”
His drive has taken him to great golf heights. In his freshman year, Hunter won the Greater Halifax Open, beating out teammate Carter Subers in a playoff. In that 18-hole tournament, Hunter shot six over par, which is a difficult task for any non-pro golfer to accomplish. “Because I won the tournament as a freshman, I felt achieved,” Hunter said. “I felt like all of the countless hours of practicing had paid off.”
“As I watched Anthony grow up, I realized how smart he was,” Mr. Hunter said. “I wanted to give him something to do as a kid, and he fell in love with golf, and he’s loved it ever since.”
Winning Quickly
While Anthony was enjoying his time spent on golf courses all of his life, his current golf teammate Dominic Colletta took interests in the other sports. In his elementary and middle school years Colletta played football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He was really good at them. From 2005-2007, Colletta was named Most Valuable Player numerous times in both, soccer and football for the Flagler Police Athletic Leagues and traveling teams.
A little over three years ago, Colletta chose to take a break away from those sports, so he decided to take up golf. Since picking up a golf club, he hasn’t played any of the other sports. “I was playing those soccer and football all of my life, but whenever I took up golf, I just fell in love with the sport,” Colletta said.
In the short time that he has been playing the game that seems to frustrate many Colletta has quickly picked up the game, and he’s been winning. In any given tournament, either Colletta or Hunter will finish first, while the other finishes second. “We love to brag to each other whenever we beat the other,” Hunter said. “It’s always in fun; it motivates us to play our hardest.”
Earlier this year, Colletta became the youngest player to win the LPGA International Men’s Club Championship at 15 years. “I felt overjoyed, ecstatic, humbled, and extremely blessed,” he said. “I really wanted to win, so I mentally dug deep and went for it.”
Dominic has a strong support group that includes his mother Lisa Colletta and his great aunt and uncle. His uncle Terry Quigley, according to his mother, is Colletta’s biggest fan. The Quigleys, now retired, have moved all the way to Palm Coast from New Jersey, so that Mr. Quigley can spend more time with and cheer for his great nephew. “I’ve been playing for 44 years,” Quigley said. “I can’t compete with Dominic, but I just enjoy watching him play. While at his tournaments, Quigley gets out of his golf cart for all of Colletta’s shots and stands behind him to make sure his line is right. “He gets lesson, but I just love to be out there and support him, “Quigley added.
Dominic Colletta and Anthony Hunter share a like passion for the game of golf and Tiger Woods. They spend a lot of time playing golf with their fathers, grandfathers, and other family members. Though their journeys didn’t begin in the same place or at the same time, they have been become attached, and both expect their final destinations to end in the same place, on the Professional Golf Association Tour.
