Published 2012-05-01T18:00:00Z”/>
Andrew Delgado
Winning championship titles doesn’t happen often.It took until senior golfer Eric Frazzetta’s final season with the golf team for him to get his taste of glory.
Frazzetta has developed since his freshman year to become a true senior leader who leads by example and lets his voice be heard on the team, head coach T.L. Brown said.
The California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament title was won at Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles April 24, but the course wasn’t new to Frazzetta, who played there in last year’s tournament.
He suffered a back injury last year but managed to play through it and do his best to perform for the team, he said.
“I tried to pull through and help the team win, but it wasn’t usual,” he said about his injury last year, “so this year I wanted to come out and be a part of something historic.”
Frazzetta had a different mindset going into the championship, Brown said.
“It was great to see the old Eric back,” he said.
Frazzetta tried different sports while growing up in Long Beach, but it was on a random day that he picked up a golf club.
“Out of the blue, my grandpa took me to the driving range,” Frazzetta said. “I kind of just stuck with it after that.”
Finding a passion can take a lifetime, but he found his at 10 years old after one day at the range.
While at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Frazzetta was a part of a golf team that had been dwindling, but he remained the face of the team. During his senior year, he sent letters to potential colleges in hopes of getting attention.
It was a response from Chico State that attracted Frazzetta, and he decided to come up for a visit.
“We heard about him and Long Beach State should have snagged him, but we were lucky to,” Brown said. “We knew he had game.”
Frazzetta’s first visit to Chico wasn’t made up of the sunny skies and cool breeze Wildcats know but instead included a massive storm.
“It was definitely a shock when I got up here,” Frazzetta said. “I am from the big city, and the drive up here, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and I get here and the power is out and trees knocked down.”
The campus and what Brown wanted for the team and program solidified Frazzetta’s decision to join Chico State and become a Wildcat, he said.
Another strong selling point was that senior Kyle Souza was also joining the Wildcats.
Souza, one of the best golfers in the country, knew Frazzetta before coming to Chico State, and they played together in Arizona during their last years of high school.
“No one hits as straight as he does,” Souza said about Frazzetta. “He is one of the better players off the tee.”
Frazzetta and Souza have been roommates for four years, and Souza has not seen a more dedicated person who is constantly busy, he said.
“I admire his dedication,” Souza said. “Playing this last year has been bittersweet, but we want to finish strong.”
Both seniors finished tied for first at 6-under par in the final round of the CCAA tournament, leading the tem to a course-tying 18-under par and the conference title.
Frazzetta and Soauza aren’t done playing for the ’Cats just yet, as they will participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Super Regional Monday through Wednesday at Wigwam Golf Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
After the season is over, Frazzetta plans to complete his degree in fall and turn pro after that.
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<strong>Andrew Delgado can be reached at</strong>
<em>[email protected]</em>
