While Josh Sine was running away with the annual Springfield City-Am golf tournament which concluded on Sunday at Snyder Park, local golfer  Kyle Furlong not only competed well in the event, but etched his name as one to watch for years to come.

The 2010 Tecumseh graduate was in tenth place following his third-round on Saturday, playing in a group that included former champion Dave Schlicher and eight-time City-Am champion Dan Schuler.

While shooting a 75 on Saturday, Furlong realized how much his game has improved in just the last year.

“Look where I came from last summer, and now I am playing in the same group with Dan Schuler and Dave Schlicher?” Furlong said following his round.  The first two rounds have the players paired randomly, but last weekend was the final weekend, and they are matched up based on scores.  Playing in the same group with those two on the second weekend meant Furlong was playing well.

“I have made a big improvement and have come a long way since my freshman year in high school.”

Considering that was only four years ago, and Furlong will be one to reckon with in the future in this event.  Still, the former Arrow linkster was not happy with his entire round on Saturday.

“I was inconsistent at times today,” he said.  “My putting saved me.  Some of my drives were going left and right.”

While he had some strong finishes on the day, the one hole he will most remember is 17, where Furlong double-bogeyed taking him from +1 to +3 on the day.

“I had the distance but couldn’t afford to over swing,” he said.  “I flew past the green, and I knew I was done.”

“That was a tough hole for him to overcome,” Schuler said after the round.  “You can’t overshoot it, especially when the pin is at the back of the green.”

“He is a really nice player, and what makes it better is that he is also a nice kid,” Schuler added.

Furlong opened the day with a bogey, but recovered nicely by hitting his third shot at number two onto the green, where he sunk a 10-foot putt for birdie, sending him back to even par.

He came back and bogeyed both hole three and five, to sit two-over par heading to number six, but as he made the turn, he recorded another birdie to come in with a 38, one shot behind Schuler in the group.

As he picked up two more birdies on hole eleven and thirteen, the Tecumseh grad was only one-over heading into 14.

He averted disaster after his approach shot hit a tree branch and dropped only a few feet from his location, but Furlong calmly hit the next shot to within 15-feet of the pin, and he sunk it to save par.  He then had two more pars leading up to the dreaded number 17.

After his approach shot went past the green, he attempted to chip onto the green, but his ensuing shot ricocheted back down.  After a two-putt, he stood three-over and facing 18.  He saved par and finished the day with a 75.

“I could have been better from 100-foot in,” he said.  “I made some crucial mistakes today.”

Furlong has loftier goals in the future, as he prepares to join the Wright State golf team in the fall.  He will join the Raiders after winning every conceivable award his last year at Tecumseh.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play Division One golf, and I am excited to join the Raiders and compete in a big-time conference,” he said.

He also stated that Urbana University wanted him to attend their school, but after consulting with his family, Furlong chose Wright State.

“Their campus is so nice, and they treated me well,” he said.  “My parents were very supportive of my decision, and it was my final decision.”

Furlong leaves Tecumseh with three distinguishable school records: low nine-hole score (32), low 18-hole score (72) and low season average for 9-holes (35.8).  He also earned the league, county and area Players of the Year.

“Coach (Matt) Ehlinger has helped me all the way,” he said.  “He taught me about the game, and how to play the courses.”

Furlong low prepares for the U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Moraine Country Club on July 26, and the Metropolitan at Windy Knolls in Springfield July 28-Aug. 1.

*Schlicher has been named the varsity girls golf coach at Greenon for the upcoming fall.  He recently held the girls varsity basketball coaching position at Catholic Central.  He stated they have 17 girls signed up for golf in the fall, nearly double the amount than most area schools have.

*Schuler won his second Ohio Mid-Am Golf Championship a couple of weeks ago, a prestigious event in northern Ohio.  The 65-year-old retired owner of Schuler’s Bakeries in Springfield spent several years on the senior professional tour, before regaining his amateur status.