North Cook News

Anthony Calderone didn't have to go far to find out about what golfing for Oakton Community College (OCC) is like.

Calderone, a sophomore at Oakton and captain of the men's golf team, only had to talk to his father – also named Anthony – who took to the links for the Owls about 25 years ago.

This season, Calderone was one of three Owls to earn All-Illinois Skyway Conference honors based on their stroke average in league play. Calderone was ninth in the conference, with a stroke average of 80. The top 10 averages earn all-conference honors.

Anthony Calderone | Twitter

For Calderone, competitive golf began at about age 7, and it came on a trip with his dad, he told the North Cook News,

Calderone, who is the only returning player this year from last year's squad, went with his father to play with him at Deer Pass Golf Course one day at that age and saw that there was a junior tournament going on.

“I just kind of signed up right there and played, and I won it,” Calderone said.

Calderone competed in the tournament three more times until he was 12, and also kept practicing and playing with his father.

When he started playing in high school at Maine East, he was on varsity from his freshman year through his senior season. However, Calderone said “high school was pretty rough,” having missed out on playing in postseason tournaments by a few strokes.

This season, he said everything's clicking, as he said his chipping and putting have improved.

“What sets him apart is that he is extremely competitive and also has a huge drive off the tee,” Owls head coach Louis Walker said in a statement from OCC.

Calderone said he calls his dad after every tournament to talk about how things went and what could still be worked on. Then they go and work on the game.

“There's always a good connection between us,” Calderone said.

Calderone decided to attend Oakton on his own because he didn't want to play far from home. He now is considering which four-year college he will take his game to next. St. Francis and North Park are two colleges he mentioned.

Calderone is not only the sole returning player from the 2015 team, but also the only sophomore. Freshmen make up the rest of the squad, which claimed second place in the conference. Stephen Bukielski was third in the league, with a 78.0 stroke average, while Chris Blaha was 10th with a 81.2 average. Calderone said the team is firing on all cylinders as the Region IV meet approaches. That meet is to qualify for the national meet in May in Mesa, Arizona.

“Compared to last year, we have definitely improved at, like, every level and every player and every spot,” Calderone said.