Naples golfer (and realtor) Nick Solimene set for this week's U.S. Amateur in Colorado
Southwest Florida golf fans will have one of their own to cheer on when the 123rd U.S. Amateur tees off this week in Colorado.
Naples resident Nick Solimene, a realtor with William Raveis and a former standout at Community School of Naples, will be among the 312 golfers competing in the sport’s premier amateur event, which begins Monday with stroke play.
Last year, the 26-year-old missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Amateur by two shots.
“I just pushed a little too hard on the course and it pushed back,” he said. “It was a good learning experience.”
Solimene applied those lessons in July’s 36-hole qualifier at Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, Mass. Following a first-round that saw him shoot a 3-under 68, Solimene got off to a hot start in his second round with a birdie on the opening hole and an eagle on No. 3. However, he bogeyed three of the next four holes including a double on No. 7 and with four holes left to play, was in danger of squandering his opportunity.
“I was a little tired down the stretch but I just tried to keep my mind zeroed in on what was going on in that exact moment,” he said. “I didn’t check the scoreboard at all after my first 18 and just kept going and hoped what I was doing was enough.”
Solimene shot even par over the final four holes to finish the two rounds at 2-under. After about 30 minutes waiting for competitors in contention to finish, he learned he had qualified by a single stroke.
“It was just a rush of emotions,” he said. “Excitement, happy but also exhausted. I didn’t really allow myself to come to terms until the next day when I was able to get some rest and actually put together what had just happened.”
Solimene, who helped CSN capture four district championships during his high school years and played collegiately as a freshman at Indiana, said he got back into the competitive side of the sport about three years ago.
“I just kind of fell back in love with it,” he said. “I’m more comfortable with how I’m playing and how things are going on the course. I was always kind of a little tough on myself growing up.”
Solimene arrived in Colorado last Wednesday to give himself a chance to acclimate to the altitude. He also had the opportunity to play practice rounds on the two courses hosting two days of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur: Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club. He’s scheduled to tee off at Cherry Hills Monday at 4:31 p.m. and at Colorado Golf Club Tuesday at 11:01 a.m. After Tuesday's round, the golfers with the lowest 64 scores will advance to match play.
“The main goal right now is just to make match play,” Solimene said. “Once you make match play, my mentality is anything can happen.”
Solimene’s longtime friend Casey Santos-Ocampo, a Barron Collier High grad, will be his caddy at the U.S. Amateur. He has experience working the bag, doing for his older brother Carl, who played at the University of Notre Dame and spent four years as a pro golfer, mostly in Asia.
“It’s a pretty seamless fit,” Solimene said. “He’s already got the experience and he loves to do it, plus he’s a great friend of mine.”
Solimene will also have a handful of friends and family at this week’s tournament, including his father Michael, who got him started golfing at age four and was the first person he called after qualifying.
“It was a great conversation,” Solimene said. “He was very excited, very proud and that was nice to hear.”
Following the U.S. Amateur, Solimene has another big tournament on the horizon, the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, set for Sept. 9-14 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y.
“My game has kept evolving,” he said. “I’ve gotten older and matured and that’s definitely helping on the course. The results are showing.”
2023 U.S. Amateur Schedule
Monday: Round 1 of stroke play at Cherry Hills and Colorado Golf Club
Tuesday: Round 2 of stroke play at Cherry Hills and Colorado Golf Club
Wednesday: Match Play, Round of 64 (TV: Peacock and Golf Channel)
Thursday: Match Play, Rounds of 32 and 16 (TV: Peacock and Golf Channel)
Friday: Match Play, Quarterfinals (TV: Peacock and Golf Channel)
Saturday: Match Play, Semifinals (TV: Golf Channel and NBC)
Sunday: Match Play, 36-hole Championship Match (TV: Golf Channel and NBC)
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: U.S. Amateur will feature Naples realtor and former CSN star Nick Solimene
