Hofstra golfer Averee Dovsek gets a surprise Golf Channel gig

Averee Dovsek’s workday begins at 3:15 a.m., which means the alarm goes off alot earlier, in the middle of the night. That is not a problem because either asleep or awake, it makes no difference. Her summer job at Golf Channel is a dream.

A rising sophomore on Hofstra’s women’s golf team, Dovsek would love to reach the LPGA Tour. But she realizes she might be a whole lot closer to her other goal, of being on TV. By defying the odds, applying for a summer position for which she wasn’t technically qualified, she made a huge step toward a career on screen.

Truth be told, even her most ambitious earlier dreams would not have envisioned her where she is: on the set of Morning Drive, the Today Show of the golf world, delivering news and hosting a panel discussion alongside Golf Channel regulars Robert Damron, Jonathan Coachman and former Newsday golf writer Damon Hack. Those “reels,” as they are called in the business, did not make it to air, but they are on YouTube for the world to see. And they will serve as huge resume boosters.

Plus, as an intern, she is doing all the things that full-time Morning Drive production assistants do: culling and cutting video clips, working with editors, arranging graphics, dealing with the show’s stars. “I’m not just getting coffee,” she said. “I’m over the moon on how this is going.”

That trajectory vindicates her decision to leave home in Laguna Niguel, California for Hofstra, mindful that golfers from Orange County generally do not pursue their sport in Hempstead. “I definitely want to be in television and they have a great program,” she said of her choice of university. “And the proximity to the city, you can’t beat it.”

She is the first to admit that her freshman season was not stellar. Dovsek struggled with an injury and an uncooperative putter and never shot a competitive round better than her 79 at the Sacred Heart Fall Classic. But she made Dean’s List both semesters, held a job at CycleBar, an indoor fitness place in Garden City, and then got a couple of big breaks.

“One of my professors knew one of the guys at CBS and he said, 'Look, I have this girl who is super into golf and really wants to be in TV for golf. Could she help out?’ So, I was lucky enough to work for CBS Sports during the 2019 PGA Championship, which was awesome,” she said.

Spending finals week at Bethpage Black was her tuneup for a busy summer in Orlando and the big leagues of TV golf.

“Golf Channel is obviously my dream, being a golfer. I went on the Golf Channel website and saw there was an intern position,” she said. “I did not meet any of the requirements. Zero.”

They wanted someone who was at least a sophomore with a high amount of credits. She applied anyway and was asked to do a video interview. A producer later called and told her, “I saw over 500 applicants and we really want you on the Morning Drive production team.”

Thus, she is up at 2:30 a.m., working until just before noon, working out at the gym, napping for three hours, then playing golf with the likes of former PGA Tour pro and Golf Channel analyst John Cook.

 Her game has improved so much that she is confident of being much more helpful to the Pride squad once she returns to Long Island later this month. The only downside to all of this is that she rarely sees her parents, Marla and Henri  (the latter being the person who convinced her she would have a better future in golf than in her first favorite sport, volleyball).

“Yeah, they  miss me but they know I’ve always been pretty independent,” she said. “So, they’re proud of me and they know that I’m in the right place for what I want to do for my career.”

Chinese player blossoms on LI

Chalk this up as yet another on the growing list of accomplishments for Marlon Chen, a 16-year-old from Beijing: Having won the China Amateur championship and qualified last year to play in the European PGA Tour’s Volvo China Open, this past week he shot a course record 63 from the back tees at Rock Hill Golf & Country Club in Manorville.

Chen is in his fifth year as a summer student of Michael Jacobs, Rock Hill’s director of golf, who was suggested to the youngster by another teacher. Each year, he travels from China to Long Island and makes progress on a game that will take him to an American college team the year after next.

In the record round, he made 9 birdies, one three-putt bogey and shot 6-under-par 30 on the back nine. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about him, Jacobs said, is that until this year, he spoke and understood almost no English. Jacobs taught him with gestures and visual aids.

Turnesa Invitational

Rockville Links is preparing to honor the late Mike Turnesa, the club’s longtime pro, in the best way it knows, with a Turnesa Invitational pro-am. The tournament will be held on Oct. 11 with a field featuring Turnesa’s son, Marc, a winner on the PGA Tour, and many local pros.

Aces

Carrie Strum, Bethpage Red, 17th hole, 160 yards, driver

Rudy Carastro, West Sayville GC, 17th hole, 135 yards, 7-iron

Cory Baker, Old Westbury Bluegrass, third hole, 150 yards, 7-iron

Robert Pelosi, Spring Lake GC, sixth hole, 128 yards, pitching wedge

Marvyn Kornberg, Woodside Club, third hole, 130 yards, 6-hybrid

Paul Colantuono, Sumpwams Creek GC, second hole, 120 yards, pitching wedge