Golf
I am a member of Timberlin Golf Club in Berlin, Connecticut, a municipal golf course that I have played at since I was 8 years old. During my initial years at Timberlin, I was fortunate to come in contact with PGA Professional Chuck Lasher, who worked as an Assistant Professional at Timberlin for almost 20 years. Although I began taking lessons from Mr. Lasher at a very young age, he has become a father figure in my life, traveling with me to my junior, college, and amateur events. I am very fortunate to have a mentor who is not only extremely knowledgeable about the game of golf, but someone willing to dedicate his life to making my brother and me two of the best players in New England.

During my college career, I played on William and Mary’s Division I golf team where I hold school records in more than 12 categories. This past season, I held a 71.88 stroke average that bested the previous record by more than a stroke. Following the 2007-08 season, I was named First Team All-State in Virginia and was also named to the Ping/GCAA All-Region team. Lastt fall, I won my first collegiate golf tournament at the Raines Development Intercollegiate, shooting a 3-round total 202 of 14 under par, breaking the individual tournament record and shattering the previous school record by 8 shots. Following my win, I was ranked inside the top 30 for all Division I college players.

While I played at William and Mary during the academic year, I also excelled on the competitive national amateur circuit during the summer. I have qualifier for 3 consecutive US Amateurs and 3 consecutive U.S. Amateur Public Links. I have also competed in elite amateur events including the Northeast Amateur, the Sunnehanna Amateur, and was victorious in the 2007 New England Amateur. In 2007, following my wins at the New England Amateur and the Connecticut Amateur Stroke Play Championship, I was named the Connecticut Men’s Player of the Year. I have also attached a copy of my detailed tournament resume for your viewing.

Personal
This spring, I graduated from William and Mary with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Economics. Computer Science has always been my passion off the golf course. Throughout college, I have become very interested in web design and have designed numerous websites for small businesses and companies as a part-time job to fund my expenses at college. I recently started my own web design company called “Kensington Web Design”, which has given me real world experience in the field of web design while building my work resume. I have also built a website to launch my professional golf career that can be viewed at http://www.brentpaladino.com.

Over the summer, I am also the tournament director for the Stan Trojanowski Northern Junior, a regional junior golf tournament hosted at Timberlin Golf Club in memory of my grandfather who passed away in 2001. Of all of my accomplishments, being a part of this event and making it grow into one of the best junior events in New England is one of my proudest accomplishments. Both my brother and I have seen what the highest level of competition has to offer, and we have been able to provide the same championship level experience and red carpet treatment to junior golfers throughout New England. Held each year in August, this event has become so popular all 170 spots were filled within 5 minutes of online registration.

My Family
I have one younger brother Cody who is a very accomplished golfer in his own right. Cody is a sophomore at Baylor University in Waco, TX on a full golf scholarship. In 2007, Cody advanced to the finals of the US Public Links, one victory away from a trip to the Masters. Cody and I have supported each other in our respective golf careers, whether it’s a late-night phone call after a tournament round, or being all square coming down the back nine at Timberlin in a friendly match.

Since age eleven, I have been raised in a single parent household without any financial assistance from my father. Through my hard work in academics and athletics, I received a partial golf scholarship and financial aid package, allowing me to attend one of the finest schools in the country with limited expense on my mother. My father did not contribute to my college education and does not plan to contribute at all to my golf endeavors once I graduate.