By Rob Potter
CALLICOON — May 5, 2006 – Sullivan West freshman Melanie Kleiner had quite a round of golf on April 27 when she and her Lady Bulldog teammates faced New Paltz in a non-league match at the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon.
In fact, Kleiner turned in a round which made history.
Kleiner fired a 1-over-par 36 on the front nine of the Villa Roma course, which set a new Section IX record for the lowest score for a nine-hole round. The old mark of 38 was held by Ashley Zambito of Newburgh.
Kleiner, who has been on the SW varsity girls’ golf team since she was in seventh grade, posted her previous low score of 38 during a regular season match last spring at the Villa Roma.
“It was fun,” Kleiner said of her record-setting round. “I played pretty good. I hit the ball well and my short game was really good.”
SW Coach Jeff Molusky noted that Kleiner was very excited after posting the 36.
“She was high-fiving everybody as she left the course,” Molusky said. “She played very well and her dad couldn’t believe she shot a 36.”
Melanie’s dad, Matt Kleiner, is the golf pro at the Villa Roma.
“My dad was shocked,” Melanie commented. “All night he kept saying, ‘I can’t believe you played that well.’”
Although Melanie has played the Villa Roma course dozens of times before, the course was a bit tricky that afternoon.
“It was really windy and the greens were a bit rough,” Molusky said. “So for her to have a 36 under those conditions makes the score even more amazing.”
Melanie Kleiner agreed with her coach.
“I checked the wind before each tee shot and tried to adjust, but sometimes the ball didn’t go where I wanted it to,” she said. “And the greens hadn’t been cut in a while, so they were a little difficult. I’m just really happy that I made my putts.”
Kleiner, who finished 14th at the 2005 girls’ state championship tournament at Foxfire Golf Course near Syracuse, was back on the golf course this past Monday. She shot a 41 on the par-32 Twin Village Golf Course in Roscoe to help the Lady Bulldogs defeat the Roscoe Lady Blue Devils, 133-166, in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division III match. With the victory, SW improved its season record to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in Division III.