Teens go golfing with
Tiger, Stricker, Garcia ...
Volunteering at Deutsche tourney pays off big time!

By Melissa Fili
MethuenLife Writer

Three Methuen teen volunteers surprisingly ended up in the national golf spotlight recently, as “teammates” of Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas and other top golf pros.
Kevin Desjardins, Robert Petrosillo and Ryan Willis — all juniors at Central Catholic High School and avid golfers — signed on as standard bearers (score sign holders) for the Deutsche Bank Championship held in Norton over Labor Day weekend. They expected to witness great golfing and even catch glimpses of their favorite players. But all three boys were placed on the teams of some of the best in the sport, spending hours with them on the course and getting an amazing behind-the-scenes view of the pressure — and fun — of pro golf.
“You’re right next to them. You hear everything they say to each other and you’re walking on the course with them,” explained Ryan, the son of Donna and Jim Willis. “I was psyched out of my mind.”
The Methuen trio was among approximately 1,500 volunteers at the four-day tourney. Standard bearers met in the morning and picked from a hat the name of the golfer they’d be matched with for that day.
“I pulled Tiger’s name out of the hat and I went over to show my dad,” recalls Kevin, the son of Pete and Louise Desjardins. “We were speechless.”
One of Kevin’s favorite moments from the tourney occurred shortly thereafter, when a shuttle pulled up.
“Sure enough, there was Tiger Woods. He walked over and we shook hands. He said, ‘Are you guys going to be walking with us today? I’m Tiger,’ ” said Kevin. That weekend Kevin was also paired up with Steve Stricker, who went on to win the tournament, and Sergio Garcia. Kevin describes Stricker as “one of the nicest guys on tour.”
Robert, who was part of Vijay Singh’s team, describes being with the players as “kind of shocking almost. There was a lot of excitement (from the crowd).”
Singh was anything but chatty.
“He didn’t say one word to me throughout the whole day,” says Robert. “But it was cool being with all other players — I could hear the caddies telling them what club to hit and the players never disagreed about which club to use or what shot to play.”
Ryan spent two days as a standard bearer with one of his favorites: Colombian-born Camilo Villegas. He says that to see the power the players put into driving the ball, “You just think, ‘WOW!’ Seeing it in person is a lot different than seeing it on TV.”
Kevin got to experience the love of Woods’ fans.
“When Tiger and two other players were walking across a bridge to the 18th green, I was with them and the crowd was cheering. I really felt I was a part of it all,” he said.
During their three days at the Deutsche, the Methuen teens also trekked the course with pros including Ben Crane, Brett Quigley, Matthew Goggin, Scott McCarron, Heath Slocum, Steve Marino and Tim Clark. Though there wasn’t a lot of chit-chat with the players, the young volunteers agree that the friendly, laid-back caddies really made them feel like part of the team. And they were surprised by how friendly the players are with one another, while competing for millions of dollars. Robert witnessed some pro-golf banter among the caddies and players razzing the first player of the day.
“They say the first guy who goes out has to finish the round under three hours, 15 minutes. It’s a joke they play in the clubhouse,” explained Robert, the son of Leanne and Jerry Petrosillo.
Volunteers had access to the players after they turned in their scorecards and “hung out” in a roped-off area getting autographs. The Methuen kids are now the proud owners of dozens of signed pieces of memorabilia including balls, gloves and hats.
“I saw a couple friends (at the tourney) who didn’t know I was volunteering there. They were pretty surprised to see me walking behind the ropes,” Ryan chuckled.
The boys are all members of Atkinson Country Club, and Kevin and Ryan are in their third year playing for Central’s golf team.
Kevin says that being part of the tourney “made me think I need to be more focused on the course and practice.”
He also took a lesson from Tiger Woods about being in the spotlight: “It was amazing, seeing him perform under all that pressure. I get nervous when I’m with the golf team and there are a few parents watching me.”
Robert summed up the experience this way: “To see so many amazing shots, it’s overwhelming just thinking about how they do it. ... This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

The teens ended their golf weekend with a slew of gloves, hats, signs and balls autographed by the pros.

Volunteering for the pro-golf Deutsche Bank Championship was a no-brainer for (from left) Ryan Willis, Kevin Desjardins and Robert Petrosillo. But spending three days as “teammates” of Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia and company? That was pretty mind blowing, they agree. Photos by Melissa Fili.