Santa Rosa Golfer Dylan Politelli Named Athlete of Month

Dylan Politelli placed second in the Warrior League golf finals this spring and became the first Santa Rosa Academy athlete ever to compete in a postseason golf match, participating in the CIF individual regionals.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Dylan was only a sophomore this school year -- and he's played golf for only about two years.

Dylan's maturity in excelling at his "new" sport while maintaining solid academic status has earned him the Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Month award for his school. He received a certificate in recognition of this honor and an iTunes gift card.

"Dylan is a great student and leader on the golf team," said Santa Rosa Athletic Director Justin Shives, who will be happy to welcome him back for two more years of competition.

According to Dylan, he first tried the game of golf only about two months before joining the team his freshman year at Santa Rosa.

"One of our friends, his son played, so I went out to the driving range and tried it," Dylan said. "I liked it right away. I took a few lessons and I got kind of frustrated. I thought, 'I just can't hit the ball.' But I wanted to stick with it and see how good I could get."

Dylan's best score over nine holes is 43. He has shot an 89 on a regulation 18-hole chourse. Having experienced postseason play against hundreds of golfers in CIF competition, he is ready to continue his improvement the next two years at the high school level.

"I want to learn to become more consistent," he said. "You just can't ever give up. I enjoy it every time I go out there."

Dylan grew up in Big Bear, enjoying snow sports. He hopes to one day attend college in Colorado, where he says he will enjoy the winters.

Maybe he'll play some golf there, too.