10-year-old from Wappinger shines at Augusta National junior golf event, trains for PGA career
"I don't think about what I have to do," saMario Vilardi said when asked how he stays composed in high-pressure moments. "I just do whatever I can."
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One of the best youth golfers in the country — a 10-year-old from the Hudson Valley — received a hero's welcome at school Monday after his performance at Augusta National Golf Club.
Mario Vilardi, a fourth-grader at Fishkill Plains Elementary School, is coming off a memorable performance at the annual Drive, Put and Chip competition at Augusta National, a lead-in event to the Masters featuring 80 young golfers from around the United States.
Vilardi was the only boy from New York state selected to compete in the event.
Faced with several high-pressure shots, Vilardi excelled, earning second place in the boys 10-11 division and coming up just one stroke behind the first-place winner.
Vilardi's mother, Louisa, said her son seemed unfazed by the atmosphere, navigating photographers and playing in front of the world's best golfers.
"I don't think about what I have to do," he said when asked how he stays composed in high-pressure moments. "I just do whatever I can."
Several of his classmates watched Vilardi play on live television.
"Being up there, it's very intense and I don't know how he kept that stress inside of him," fourth grader Amelia Kelly said. "It's very inspiring how he's so brave."
And finely tuned, having done much of his training with his father on a golf simulator at his home.
Vilardi, soft-spoken and unassuming, yet a fierce competitor capable of driving a golf ball 225 yards, said he is working toward a PGA career.
When asked whether he plans to play college-level golf, he said it "depends on where I go from now on."
Fishkill Plains Principal Amy Fazio hopes Vilardi's classmates learn something from, or are inspired by, his recent breakthrough.
Vilardi has been playing golf consistently for five years, having learned a certain discipline early on.
"It's a lot of hard work," Fazio said to the class. "So if you find something that you're passionate about that you're going to do that with, we've got your back too."
