Long-drive teen Calem Filipek finishes second at national championships

Filipek was one of eight contestants in the Junior Boys division. All eight competitors competed in the opening round which consisted of three rounds — consisting of two minutes during which hitters have to hit six balls. The furthest ball from each round is tallied and the top four moved on to the semifinals.

Filipek thought he was shoo-in for the semifinals, after cranking out a 308-yard drive during his first round. But his second and third rounds were not as good. In fact, during his final round he did not have one drive finish within the driving grid.

While he had already assured himself a spot in the semifinals, he was concerned because the time between the first round and the semifinals was less than five minutes and he didn’t have time to figure out his mechanics.

“My swing was all over the place,” Filipek said.

Whatever adjustment he made worked because after just one semifinal round, the top two — Filipek and Kauner Kay — advanced to the finals.

In the finals, both hitters were teed up and hitting at the same time. Filipek’s best was 298, which he hit on his third ball. Kay took the title with a long drive of 308.

“By that time of the day, the wind was super crazy,” Filipek said. “The conditions were a lot different than from here. It was super windy. Slightly uphill.”

What Filipek didn’t know was that Kay was struggling. He was told Kay hit his first four balls out of bounds, leaving only two left to post a score.

When Filipek heard a big cheer go up, he knew Kay had uncorked something big.

What started out as a lark has turned into a new passion for the baseball-playing Filipek. His family just happened to be in Davis one day when they found an ALD competition going on. Both Calem and his dad, Eric, signed up and took part, with the younger Filipek winning.

He won his second outing with a drive of 400 yards and this past weekend he was in the national championships.

“It kind of took off from there,” Filipek said.

Now, Filipek is really getting into the sport. He bought a long drive-specific club from Shark Attack Golf — which is owned by the Kay’s family.

“Shark Attack Golf — that’s what everyone uses. It’s pretty much the main source of long drivers,” Filipek said. “It’s a three-x (three-times stiff) shaft and the head is super heavy.”

Despite the new tool, he didn’t have time to really dial it in on the driving range, so he stuck with his dad’s off-the-rack TaylorMade Sim 2 driver.

“Guys were very impressed because I was still using the stock driver,” Filipek said.

In addition to the new equipment, Filipek said he has started doing more long drive-specific training and plans to continue playing in long drive competitions.

“The week before (the national championships) we went to the driving range in Foster City. For three days, we worked on 100 balls with the driver. Worked on little things,” Filipek said. “I got my swing speed over 130 mph. That was an accomplishment. Just trying to improve all the little things.

“I’ll definitely add it to my list of skills.”

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From the long drive arena to the traditional golf course, we find Crystal Springs freshman, Edan Cui, who has won a pair of tournaments over the last couple of weeks.

Last week, Cui shot a three-round total of 13-under for a 203 to claim the UHY New York Junior championship, his first tournament title in the American Junior Golf Association. He opened with a 6-under 66 in the opening round, using three birdies in a row on Nos. 6, 7 and 8. He shot a 2-under on the second day, but rallied with a 67 on the final, opening with three birdies in a row.

Last month, Cui won the 14-year-old bracket title at the US Kid’s Golf Foundation World Teen Championships at Pinehurst No. 7 in North Carolina with final score of 13-under and a total of 207.

He got off to a wobbly start, shooting a 2-under 70 on the first day, but came back with a 5-under 67 on the second day and closed with a 6-under 66 to clinch the title — finishing with an eagle on the final hole.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: Nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117. Results and statistics can be emailed to: sports@smdailyjournal.com.