Deepdale's Dobyns gets his 'major'

Like any other assistant pro at any course, Matt Dobyns has had an array of chores in his three years at Deepdale Golf Club. He has worked long hours in the pro shop, he has done club fitting and given lessons. This year, his boss, Darrell Kestner, had an unusual assignment for him.

"We told him that he has to win a major this year," Kestner said after the final round of the Long Island Open at Wheatley Hills Golf Club Wednesday. "This just did it for him."

"This" was the 5-under par 67 that Dobyns shot -- practically unnoticed -- in the afternoon phase of the 36-hole finale, and it was the 8-under-par total for three rounds that won him that first local major.

Kestner, one of the most respected club pros in the country and one of the better players in the Met Section (he was in contention through two rounds), knows that a win is great for the psyche of someone who works at a club. "You really want to win, you try your hardest," Kestner said. "I was pulling for him 100 percent."

Although he was a highly recruited player as a Texas schoolboy and even though he was a standout at the University of Texas, Dobyns is realistic about his game and his future. "I'm not looking to play on the Tour," he said. "I want to be -- well, no one will ever be Darrell -- but along those lines, I want to be a pro who can play and can teach and who's good at his job."

Dobyns came to New York out of college for a job at Hudson National, but when he saw an opening at Deepdale he thought it would get him where he wants to be. He put in a call to his great-uncle, former Meadow Brook pro Gil Kavanaugh, who recommended Dobyns and Kestner to each other.

"If you're an assistant, trying to further your career, you try to work for the guys who can help you learn the most. There is nobody better than Darrell," Dobyns said. "And the membership is great, the club is great. It doesn't get any better."

Even when he was working 40 hours a week in the pro shop, he spent an hour a day working on his game. It shows. He was at the fringes of contention before the afternoon round, three shots behind Matt Sita, the lead assistant at Nassau Country Club.

Throughout the round, the buzz on the course was about Sita, who eagled the par-5 12th to go 7 under, and mini-tour pros Jim Hazen and Adam Fuchs. There was even talk about amateur Mike Furci of Sayville and the University of Florida. Without leader boards or scoring officials with each group, no one knew that Dobyns shot 4 under on the front nine and was on his way to an 8 under finish.

"That kind of helped me," the winner said. "You just play."

He played sharply, hitting fairways and greens with righthanded shots and making putts lefthanded. "I've done that since high school," Dobyns said, adding that it just feels more natural to him. "It's not even comparable."

The $9,000 first prize will help a man whose wife, Laurie, is expecting their first child in August. "It makes you grind a little harder over those three-footers, you don't just slap at those anymore," he said.

The win also means a lot to Dobyns, the golf pro. "There's a sense of validation for the hard work you put into it, more than anything else," he said. "Winning tournaments is great, but I just enjoy playing the game."