Francesco Ruffino is in the midst of an epic comeback at the U.S. Kids Championship in North Carolina. While most players in this situation would have sweaty palms and shaking knees, this is not the case for Ruffino. With ice-water running through his veins, a 12 year old Ruffino delivers the goods, raising his game like Tiger Woods on a championship Sunday, winning first place in the U.S. Kids Championship.
“I was down four strokes on the final day of play at the U.S. Kids event in North Carolina,” Ruffino said. “It was late in the tournament. I was 150 feet away from the hole and I was using a seven iron. I put the shot within five feet of the hole and the other guy put his ball about 20 feet from the hole. That shot ended up being huge and helped me win the tournament. I think my experience kind of helped me there because I had already played a lot of tournaments so I didn’t really get nervous or anything.”
Ruffino, like many great golfers, has a superstition. On crucial days of golf, he wears nothing but blue.
“I wear blue socks, blue shorts, a blue belt, a blue shirt and a blue hat, everything will pretty much be blue,” Ruffino said. “That’s kind of a tradition for me.”
Ruffino has had a golf club in his hand since he could walk.
“When I was very little, my dad would take me around to driving ranges,” Ruffino said. “Whenever we would go I just loved to play. It was a lot of fun so I wanted to play more and more.”
Ruffino has seen success on the links from a very young age.
His most noteworthy title is winning the U.S. Kids event in North Carolina at the age of 12. Ruffino beat out 75 competitors from across the nation en route to his first place finish.
One might think a National Championship event would be a junior golfer’s highest level of competition. Not quite.
Ruffino competed in the Junior World Golf Championship at Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, California, drawing around 150 competitors, making up a field that spanned the globe.
Ruffino finished 12 in this event, noting the competitiveness associated with a player field of that caliber.
“That was just a very tough tournament,” Ruffino said. “The level of play was just really high there. There were so many golfers and they were all very good.”
Of all the courses that Ruffino’s golf game have taken him, he talks about the ones that stood out to him the most.
“My favorite courses that I have ever played at would have to be Torrey Pines or Boston Golf Club,” Ruffino said. “They are both really nice courses and a lot of fun to play at.”
Ruffino has a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of his game.
“My biggest strength would have to be my short game,” Ruffino said. “I’m good at putting, chipping, and stuff like that. In terms of my weakness, I would like to drive the ball further.”
While talking to Ruffino, it’s clear that he is a student of the game and understands the intricate details of golf.
Surprisingly, Ruffino had never had a lesson in his life until late April of his freshman year.
Because of golf’s reputation, fair or unfair, as a “rich kid” sport, many of the top players have parents that shell out thousands of dollars on coach after coach, and lesson after lesson.
This makes Ruffino a spectator’s dream and an opponent’s nightmare, a class of player that exists in every sport: He’s a natural.
Recently, Ruffino decided that it was time for a little bit of professional instruction to aid his game.
“I just started working with Bob Percy, and he’s the first private coach I’ve ever worked with,” Ruffino said. “He’s a teaching professional at Meadowbrook Country Club, and during the winter months he works in Florida, since you can’t really golf in Michigan during the winter,” said a laughing Ruffino said.
With Percy, Ruffino participates in the “Inner Circle of Gold,” an elite program for junior golfers run by Percy.
Percy, who runs an another elite junior golf program in Tampa Bay, Florida, is impressed with Ruffino and envisions a bright future on the links.
Percy believes that the strengths of Ruffino’s game are most evident when he is not at his best.
“His strength is that he really knows how to grind and get the ball in the hole,” Percy said. “Especially when he’s not playing well, he just finds a way to get it done.”
Percy feels that Ruffino’s ability on the greens is hard to miss.
“Francesco has incredibly soft hands,” Percy said. “His short game is excellent; anybody can see how good his short game is.”
While Francesco has done quite a bit with golf, Percy believes that there is a great deal of potential to be unlocked.
“Francesco is very young and very talented,” Percy said. “He works very hard and I hope he continues to work hard on his game, because he has the talent.”
Percy feels that working out will be crucial for Ruffino to improve his game even more.
“I want him to work a lot on his physical fitness this winter,” Percy said. “Mainly, I want him working on his fitness for golf. If he does that, I feel like it’s going to be good for his game.”
When asked about his favorite professional golfer, Ruffino’s answer was surprising.
“I don’t have one,” Ruffino said. “I watch pro golf for enjoyment but there aren’t any players that I care about in particular.”
Between his unmistakable talent and obvious ability on the course, Ruffino is arguably the most decorated freshman golfer ever to join the Seaholm golf team, a squad that is currently the State’s top ranked, and the team to beat when the State Finals roll around.
Junior Alec Aiello was clear-cut with his analysis of Ruffino’s prowess on the links.
“I can only describe his golfing with one word: amazing,” Aiello said. “I mean, every single time he plays, he ends up with a good score. He definitely improved our team because when you have somebody shooting a great score every match, it’s just makes our team that much better.”
Aiello says that Ruffino is just as impressive a sportsman as he is as a golfer.
“He’s a really nice guy,” Aiello said. “He gets along with everybody on the team.”
Junior Blake Keaton recalls the first time he ever saw the gifted freshman in action, recognizing a lot of the same attributes that Aiello did.
“The first shot I ever saw him do was a 15 foot putt to save par,” Keaton said. “That’s a tough shot to make.”
One might assume that a golfer of Ruffino’s caliber and accomplishments might be acutely aware of his abilities, and act a little bit arrogant as a result.
This is not the case.
“Francesco is a really chill guy,” Keaton said. “He is pretty well liked by the rest of the guys on the team.”
When watching Francesco play, shooting a Seaholm best 77 in a round robin tournament at Birmingham Country Club on April 26, his game is not one that immediately catches one’s eye.
What he does have is a silky-smooth swing and flawless fundamentals, which are the foundation of Ruffino’s biggest weapon: consistency.
Hole after hole, Ruffino just doesn’t make mistakes.
He has a certain confidence about him, a swagger.
Ruffino has an unrelenting belief in his own game, and it shows on the course.
If he hits a bad shot, perhaps a slice or a shank, it doesn’t bother him in the slightest. He knows he has the ability to make up that stroke by doing something spectacular.
Over the course of the day, his stroke count doesn’t lie: This kid can golf.
A particular aspect of Ruffino’s repertoire caught senior J.C. Wilhelm’s eye.
“Francesco is good overall but what he can so with his irons is unbelievable,” Wilhelm said. “His iron play is pro-level.”
Seaholm Coach Leon Braisted III is quick to point out while Ruffino is talented; a golf team consists of more than just one player.
“It takes 14 guys to win a match,” Braisted III said. “One guy cannot win a match. Francesco is very good but we have 14 guys out there playing. It’s not just one guy.”
