Jake Salyer and Jack Vanderburg got their first Lubbock golf partnership win at the Par Buster. And they outlasted two of the city's best to do it.
Jack Vanderburg and Jake Salyer went through burn-out periods after decorated high school careers at Frenship, Vanderburg in golf, Salyer in baseball.
Now at ages 30 and 28, they're reigniting their love for competition.
Vanderburg and Salyer won the 53rd Par Buster partnership at Lubbock Country Club on Saturday, Aug. 2, holding off active PGA Tour pro Sean O'Hair and two-time West Texas Amateur champion David Bolen.
It was their first big tournament win in the partnerships. Last year, they were tied for the lead with 11 holes to go in the LakeRidge Stampede and finished tied for second, three shots back of Thumper Galyean and Brady Shivers.
This time, their 4-under-par 68 in the final round was good enough to get it done.
"Beyond excited," Vanderburg said. "So much fun. We knew we could do it. We played well enough at the Stampede last year. We were in the final group and almost won and didn't let it slide, but the guys took it from us. So we knew we were right there. It just feels good to get it done today so super pumped up."
The winners shot 19-under over three days in Lubbock Country Club's annual showcase event, one better than O'Hair and Bolen, who closed with a 66. The margin was three strokes going to the final hole, where Bolen made birdie and the winners made bogey.
Vanderburg and Salyer started the day ahead by three and went up six after Vanderburg played the first four holes in 4-under.
"Today, this was all Jack," Salyer said. "Gosh, his front nine was phenomenal, starting par, eagle, birdie, birdie. That just kickstarted our round."
"We were a couple under early," Bolen said, "and they picked up strokes on us early, so they played good."
Both knew that winning feeling often during their high-school careers. Salyer was District 2-5A newcomer of the year as a freshman baseball player at Monterey, then transferred to Frenship and was a three-year starter at shortstop on Tigers teams that made playoff runs. He was good enough to be offered a preferred walk-on opportunity at Texas Tech.
"I was a baseball player growing up," he said, "and kind of got into golf in college just to keep the competitive fire going."
Vanderburg went to four straight UIL state golf tournaments, his freshman through junior years with the Frenship team and, in his senior year, qualifying as an individual. He played at Tech, but for only two years, and then finished school. Vanderburg said the last tournament he'd won was during his senior year at Frenship, "but I haven't played much since then."
"I'm more ate up with it now than I was back then, definitely," he said.
More so than at Frenship and Tech?
"Very much so," he said. "It's a lot more fun for me now. I enjoy it. I don't get mad out there. Anytime I'm playing, it's a good time, and I enjoy the competition more than I used to. I don't know what I can attribute that to. It's just something I look forward to now."
Salyer shares the feeling.
"Playing every summer in baseball, you just kind of have that pressure," he said, "and it kind of wears on you a little bit, trying to live up to expectations. I think now we come out here and just have fun.
"I've loved getting into golf," he said. "It just brings out a fire and a competitiveness that I haven't had in probably 10 years."
The leaders started on hole No. 10, and had a five-shot lead after Vanderburg hit a 3-iron in to 20 feet and made birdie on the par-5 No. 1. O'Hair narrowed the gap to three with consecutive birdies on holes 5 and 6.
Bolen lamented missing a couple of short putts early on the second nine, adding that O'Hair "lipped about three putts coming in."
"We had opportunities and didn't capitalize," Bolen said, "and they took care of business."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Frenship exes Jack Vanderburg, Jake Salyer break through at Par Buster
Category: General Sports
