Blake Furgerson (Concord, OH, Lakewood St. Edward) is not into playing games. He's more into winning them.
The John Carroll senior men's golfer also prefers not simply to set goals but to achieve them. It is no secret to those who know him that Furgerson prefers to set his goals high. It is a plan that applies whether the goal is on a golf course or a classroom.
So far so good on all fronts.
A dedicated student and valuable teammate, Furgerson's current goals go beyond making it to the national tournament with his Blue Streaks golf team. He wants to make it to the PGA Tour, too.
With two individual first place finishes this year, Furgerson is on the right track to lead the Streaks to nationals and reach his ultimate goal of becoming a professional golfer. His individual success helped his team earn three victories in the fall, and he has even higher hopes for the spring.
Though the road is still long, don’t be surprised if you one day see Blake Furgerson’s name on the PGA Tour scoreboard.
"He has great work ethic,” said Coach Moran with confidence in his player, “His efforts are far beyond your normal collegiate player."
Teammate A.J. Spalding also supports Furgerson’s goals, and has high expectations for him as well.
“I think with Blake’s never back down attitude, he has a chance to eventually fulfill his dreams and play on the PGA tour”, explained Spalding, “It could be a long road with some possible setbacks, but if he continues to work on his game, he's got a really great shot.”
Furgerson was an all-state golfer for St. Edward High School
Furgerson began his quest to the PGA tour at a very young age when he began playing golf. Continuing his passion throughout middle school and high school, Furgerson remembers always loving the game. He graduated from St. Edward High School in Lakewood and received a full athletic scholarship to attend Loyola College in Maryland.
After two years at Loyola, Furgerson realized that he wasn’t getting the college experience that he wanted, and decided to transfer schools.
“We were always traveling, I missed a lot of school, and I was just busy all the time,” said Furgerson, “I wanted to transfer somewhere with more opportunity for me to excel as a player, so I did what I had to do to get better.”
Furgerson found the opportunity that he was looking for at John Carroll University.
“I chose JCU because I wanted to go somewhere that I could make an impact on my teammates and play at a different level”, said Furgerson. “Plus, I love the Cleveland area; I’ve spent the majority of my life here."
But his familiarity with the area was not the only thing influencing his decision to make JCU his new home.
“I’d say that Coach Mike Moran definitely had an impact on my decision as well,” recalls Furgerson, “I met with him before coming here and he was just the kind of coach I needed at that point. He’s a great guy, and he’s not just golf—he has the attitude, mentality, and inspiration that you need.”
After making the transition to a new school in fall of 2007, Furgerson immediately began focusing on his goals, both as a member of a new team, and as an individual with potential to make it far. ;First on his list was to influence his new teammates and help them gain the confidence they need to perform at a higher level.
“Golf is 90% confidence—it’s a complete mindset”, explained Furgerson. “You have to see yourself becoming a better player if you want to achieve it.”
With the national tournament on his mind, Furgerson began setting an example for his team members, pushing them to see their potential.
“I’ve helped them see that if you work hard enough, you can change your current level of competition. They can be at a higher level if they project themselves to be”, said Furgerson.
"He leads through example with the quality of his game,” said Moran, “He’s definitely a team leader”.
The team has responded to Furgerson’s motivation. Last year, the Streaks won the regular season title as a team for the first time since 1997 by having the highest combined scores from the fall and spring tournaments.
“Being a part of that win was really awesome,” Furgerson said. “I was really proud to be able to accomplish that together”.
Most recently, the Blue Streaks won first place in the OAC Spring tournament and managed to capture the regular season title again this year, beating Otterbein College by just one stroke. Furgerson credits much of their recent success to their ability to work both individually and together.
“The thing about golf is that it's a team sport, but it's a lonely man's sport too,” Moran explained. “You're out there as an individual making every decision yourself. The best way to be a good team player in this sport, is to be a good individual player.”
Furgerson and his teammates experienced this for the first time in the fall when they took first place in the Mount Union Tournament.
“Lake Erie gave us a good run, and we came together as a team and ended up winning by one shot, so that experience just goes to show how important individual performance is to the team,” said Furgerson.
Teammate A.J. Spalding recognizes how lucky the Streaks are to have a member like Furgerson on the team.
“Blake is one of those players that you can always count on to put up a good number”, said Spalding, “It’s great being his teammate”.
Furgerson embraces being part of a team where individual performance is so important and takes it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
“My teammates have definitely had an impact on me as well", recognizes Furgerson, "They’ve helped me get better by changing my attitude and expectations. They push me just like I push them, and I feel like all of the players have been influenced by me in some way. They expect the most out of me and I can see the influence we’ve had on each other in their work ethic.“
Furgerson was a collegian when he won the North East Ohio Golf Association Amateur title in 2008 -- the same title won by Arnold Palmer in 1953
Although Furgerson enjoys his teammates company and motivation, he was separated from his fellow Blue Streaks last year when he was the only team member to qualify for the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship.
"It was terrible being down there alone, especially seeing all the other teams down there together,” Furgerson said. “It made me wish I had my team there with me too.”
With just his coach by his side, and recovering from a serious wrist injury he suffered earlier in the season, Furgerson felt the pressure to perform well and represent his Blue Streak team back home.
“Being on a national stage at the collegiate level was a huge stepping stone for me, especially after my injury. I wasn't even expecting to get there in the first place," said Furgerson.
After hours of physical therapy and preparation, he was ready to take on the national stage.
Being partial to his northern location proved to be another obstacle for Furgerson. With different weather and disparate courses, the south proved to be an experience that Fergurson wasn’t fully prepared for.
"He didn't fare as well as he could,” explained Moran. “When you play in the north, it's different turf—a completely different environment. So when he played in the south for the nationals he had some trouble with the transition and his judgement with the ball."
But Furgerson took his situation as a learning experience and performed his best as a JCU representative.
"It was definitely a tough task, but it made me work much harder to overcome", said Furgerson, "And even though I feel like I could have played better if my wrist were at 100%, I was still just happy to be there.”
With high expectations for the spring, Furgerson hopes to have his teammates join him this year.
“We had a good fall season, but it could have been better. Now we expect to win our conference tournament and get to nationals," said Furgerson, "We are possibly the best team in our conference; we have to be prepared to come out of the winter, which is a tough transition. But we are on the right track so far”.
Spalding shares the same confidence in their team’s ability.
“With Blake on our team is it impossible not to think that we are favorites to go to nationals,” explains Spalding.
If the Streaks maintain their confidence and their exceptional performance, there is a good chance that Furgerson will see the national stage again this year—but this time, his team will be joining him.
Furgerson's future plans go well beyond the national tournament this year.
He once had plans to continue his education and attend graduate school, but now his path has changed.
"My whole life I've never been able to focus only on my golfing, so I plan on taking the opportunity to do so when I graduate and really dedicate myself to golf as a career.”
Seeing names like Chris Wilson and Ricky Fowler in the PGA Tour have really motivated Furgerson to pursue his dream.
"I played with Chris in high school, and I used to play with Ricky when I was younger too," remembers Furgerson, "They have both made it to the PGA Tour and once you see people that you know succeed, you can really see yourself in the same position".