3 WNY family members head to Division I college golf

Anthony, RJ and Tyler Delisanti took a group call for a half hour Tuesday night, sharing memories and laughs about their journey to becoming the 1.9%.

That’s the percentage of young men who become Division I college golfers after high school, according to a 2024 NCAA report.

The odds were never in the Delisantis’ favor, but yet they found a way to have not one, not two, but three members of the same family compete in the highest possible division.

Anthony just finished his junior season at Valparaiso University in Indiana. His brother RJ is a senior at Niagara-Wheatfield who will compete for Mercyhurst in the fall. Their cousin Tyler is a senior at Williamsville East and signed to play golf in the Army.

The three became masters of their craft, which began as children at Willowbrook Golf Course in Lockport after being introduced to the sport by their fathers and grandfathers. From there, the Delisantis engaged in sports with the optimism of becoming top athletes.

“We grew up and watched a lot of professional golf on TV,” Anthony said. “I’m sure a lot of junior golfers dream of being there and calling themselves a professional player. I know all three of us want to do that one day. I think just seeing that and knowing that our whole family has guided us in a really good direction to give us a chance to do this is definitely a major factor for us as to why we want to give it our all and have fun. I do.”

With the goal of becoming a professional, Anthony made a name for himself on the golf scene. He has been the top amateur golfer in Western New York for the past four years, having won the Buffalo District Championships in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is a two-time Missouri Valley champion Conference for Valparaiso, about 60 miles from Chicago.

RJ and Tyler competed in the Section VI boys golf tournament Monday and both qualified for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Boys Golf Championships, June 1-3, at the golf course Mark Twain in Elmira.

As each of them grew throughout their careers, the possibility of them being together in the same place, let alone competing against each other, diminished. Ideally, they will see each other when Anthony is home for the summer, every two weeks on the course or elsewhere. The last time they competed in a family setting was last summer. They are committed to their dreams and are enjoying their journey.

“We never skipped a grade,” Anthony said. “Our fathers always made us prove ourselves at the level we were at. It taught me how to win and how to lose. I proved myself at a certain level, progressed and struggled a bit before learning how to win there and working my way back up like a never ending cycle.

Their goal has been to prove themselves at each level with the mentality of earning their stripes and showing that they belong at each tournament. The journey was fraught with challenges, with each of them having to learn how to be a golfer outside of just the sport. This includes mental and physical obstacles, preparation, and staying calm to the best of your ability.

There is no real training or preparation for the obstacles involved in taking the course. Their family members can give little advice until experience becomes the primary teacher. From there, the Delisantis create their own way of dealing with the ups and downs of the sport.

“I’m a very competitive person, and any time I get a chance to compete, it’s usually a lot of fun, whether you win or lose,” Tyler said. “I’ve played baseball and hockey, but with golf, it’s a longer, more intellectual game because you’re mentally focused and thinking, and it’s great.

“My mental approach has been to stay grateful and realize where you are. When you’re on the course, there are a lot of tough times, and they can happen very quickly. If you stay in the same mindset that you play golf and it’s not the end of the world, I feel like you can get it back that way by staying grateful.

Through the challenges of golf, the Delisantis rely on each other, wherever they are. If one of them has experienced a problem that the other is going through, there is advice that could be taken as a precaution against an unavoidable experience.

“It’s nice to have three of us higher level golfers because there’s always someone to talk to about things and bounce ideas off,” RJ said. “All three of us think alike and work hard at our craft every day. It’s nice to have those two as really good resources for me if I ever need something or need to reach out because those would be the first two I would call.

By the end of their Tuesday phone call, being just a phone call away from each other resonated with the trio. Three years separate RJ and Tyler from Anthony, and while it’s not a big difference, in athletics it means a lot. Tyler and RJ will be freshmen achieving their dreams in the fall, while Anthony will be in his swan song as a college senior.

“I think the goal for all three of us when we were young was to play college golf,” RJ said. “Being lucky enough to have opportunities in Division I is super cool. Golf has been our main focus and for me, I’m looking forward to being around a new team away from home and competing on new courses. Not only against other teams, but also against teammates, and I get to know so many new people and hopefully improve at golf along the way. … Nothing was given to the three of us along the way. We have earned everything we have. It’s always a chore. There’s never really a time to relax, and you have to constantly move up the ranks and compete in events that are better than the last and keep moving up the ranks.