William Levinson played his first golf tournament in the summer before his seventh-grade school year. He started in North Florida Junior Golf events and developed an aggressive approach to the gentleman’s game.
“I take pride in hitting it off the tee, and my length and distance,” he said. His average drive is around 265 yards.
Levinson’s focus on the course is to get the ball on the green and in the hole as fast as possible. He isn’t necessarily trying to set up shots to work around hazards or lay up for a chip-in. He’s not a two-putt type of guy, either.
He sunk a hole-in-one during a Future Collegians World Tour event in Lake Buena Vista, which gave him confidence and poise moving forward. He said he was playing “extremely bad” up until that point in the day and was able to regain his composure afterward. It’s a high-risk, high-reward style of play.
Levinson joined The Bolles School this season and has altered his mentality a bit. He has had to make decisions on the course for the good of the team, instead of taking the risky shots like he was used to doing.
“You’re not playing for yourself,” he said. “You have the expectations of your team on you.”
The Bulldogs had a trio of promising freshmen this year. Dragon Thean and Mills Acosta-Rua, along with Levinson, are all rising stars. They knew each other from the local junior circuit and were already close friends before arriving together at Bolles. They will be the foundation for the program over the next few years.
Head coach Rick Root has established a winning culture at Bolles since being promoted in 2005. Levinson describes him as “relaxed” and
“very motivating”, and that his positive attitude builds team spirit.
The upperclassmen are eager to help the young guys become acclimated. They want the team to continue thriving long after they have graduated. 2014 All-First Coast Player of the Year Jack Comstock is one of those senior leaders. With the help of Fernando Acosta-Rua (Mills’ older brother) and Michael Mattiace (whose uncle, Len, finished second at the 2002 Masters Tournament), Comstock taught Levinson and the others what it means to play at Bolles and how to be a sportsman. During Comstock’s five years on the team since his eighth grade season, the Bulldogs won a State title and were runners-up twice. They never finished the season lower than fifth.
Comstock is committed to the University of North Florida and will play his first season for the Ospreys in the fall. Levinson has at least another two years ahead of him before he’ll be expected to make those types of decisions. But Division-I college golf is definitely on his radar. He doesn’t have any schools in mind yet but welcomes the process when the time comes.
For now, Levinson is focused on getting better for next season. He says his short game could use some work; around the green, working out of the rough. His goal is another State tournament berth, and to eventually become the number-one player on the team.
North Florida/ Freshman Focus/ February 2015
William Levinson
The Bolles School
Jacksonville, FL
BRANDON IBARRA
Great Potential, Great Expectations for Bolles Golfer
