Golf forges strong family link: Swampscott family thrives on competition
In the spirit of a father and son competition, Dana and Anthony DiLisio of Swampscott were second to none in the annual statewide golf tournament at Andover Country Club Aug. 30. They qualified for the event after coming in first at Salem Country Club.
"Anthony was awesome," said his proud dad. "He drove a ball on the par four second hole about 315 feet, landing on the green for what turned out to be an eagle. He also made a lot of nice putts. I just kept the momentum going by staying out of his way."
The selected drive off the tee and alternate shot format was employed during the father-son tournament. The Swampscott duo bested 109 tandems to come out on top in the entire Bay State. They shot a 69 three under par for the day, bettering their Salem performance by one, while shooting a 35 on the front nine and a 34 on the back nine.
Dana was no stranger to the tournament. In prior years, he teamed up a dozen times with his dad, Vinnie, who co-owns DiLisio Brothers Driving Range with his brother, Albert. That DiLisio team never won the tourney, but Dana would like to rekindle the thrill of being together with his dad on the golf course.
He is relishing playing with his son against the state's best right now. They qualified for the statewide tournament last year after winning at Salem, but did not attend the finals in western Massachusetts because Anthony had prior tournament commitments, but it all worked out quite well this year.
Anthony speaks out
Anthony, now a Swampscott High senior, built up a good rapport with his dad while walking the courses throughout the past four years.
"We have good chemistry after playing a lot of golf together over the years," Dana said. "We basically know how to stay out of each other's way, and when we talk, we communicate in a conversational manner instead of on a teaching level. Anthony is a one handicap, and I'm a two. He's just a little bit better than me.
"At the statewide tournament, we started early in the morning, but nobody knew each other's scores. We just kept on playing and added up the scores when we were done," Dana said.
"I want to credit Joe and Cullen Onstott of New Seabury. They were the father and son duo who we were paired up with. They made the whole experience fun for us. It's important to be in good company in a tournament like this, because it could make or break you," added Dana, who owns Castlecreek Adventure next to the driving range on Swampscott Road in Salem. It has a miniature golf course on its grounds.
The DiLisios had five birdies and a double at the states to stay ahead of their closest competitors, who were at 70.
"It's always great to play golf with my dad," said Anthony, whose Swampscott High team won its first match of the year over Wakefield before taking on Peabody Thursday at Salem Country Club.
"To me, there's no hype playing golf with my dad in a state tournament. It's like any other round that we play together. You can't make it out as if it was more important than any other match. We have to stay within our games and also trust each other's games. I don't try to mess with his game. We just try and do our best."
Anthony understands that the field is definitely stronger in the summer compared to high school matches, but he doesn't intend to take any one of them lightly.
When the Big Blue faces Gloucester later in the schedule, DiLisio will see a familiar face in Josh Salah, the No. 1 golfer on the Fishermen. Anthony DiLisio has also gone up against him in Massachusetts Golf Association (MGA) U-18 tournaments. DiLisio defeated him once, but Salah drew even in the Crumpin Fox Tournament held in Greenfield this summer.
Anthony considers his consistency in every match - shooting between 77 and 70 - to be a strength, and he knows his dad has a very good ground game.
Lil' brother makes the grade
Just ask Anthony about the DiLisio legacy, and he will tell you that the best is yet to come. Little brother, Steven, 9, is expected to mature into another generation of golfer. "[Steven] is already a good athlete. He plays baseball and basketball very well, and he's better than me at his age playing golf right now," Anthony said. "When he was five, he was in a tournament at Williamsburg, Va., against many older kids from around the world, and with only five clubs, he still finished 44th overall."
"If [Steven] sticks with golf, he'll definitely be better than me."
It's really no surprise that the DiLisios are a talented golf family; and mom, Cheryl, is a solid supporter of their passion for the game. With a driving range in nearby Salem and a putting green in their grandfather's backyard, the DeLisio brothers have been able to perfect their skills.
Making high honors and honors last year as a junior, Anthony sees golf as another chip to get into a good college.
"I'm a young senior at 16 and, with that in mind, I'll probably attend a prep school next year for more seasoning," Anthony said. "Golf will eventually pace my way into college, where I hope to major in business. I can see myself wearing a shirt and tie to work some day, and it also helps to be a good golfer as a businessman."
After their victory, the DiLisios celebrated at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton Monday. They had tickets for the eighth hole and saw Phil Mickelson march through, en route to his win over Tiger Woods.
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Dana and Anthony will be honored in January, along with the other 2007 Massachusetts golf champions. They will celebrate a year to remember with more to come in the future.</span>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">- Swampscott (Mass.) Reporter</span>