It was almost dusk, but the club­house workers at Brentwood Golf Club in Grafton could still hear the sweet sound of balls being smacked 280 yards down the driving range.

They knew the sound.

They knew the routine.

They knew it was Alex Treuel. “My mother dropped me off at the golf course and picked me up at night after she got off work,” Treuel said of his younger days. “I loved staying there all day.”

Often, Treuel was the only golfer left at the course, still hitting balls more than two hours after playing 36 holes.

“I walked, talked, ate and dreamt golf,” Treuel said. “Some day, I plan on playing on the PGA Tour and making a living off of something I love doing.”

It’s been two years since Treuel graduated from Elyria High School, and he’s mov­ing ever closer to making that dream a reality.

Today through Thursday he’ll tee it up in the Ohio Amateur at Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby. Treuel qualified for the Am by shoot­ing a 1-over 73 at a qualifier May 24 at Elyria Country Club. He finished in a tie for 10th, easily making the top 25 needed to advance.

Beau Titsworth, a St. Ignatius junior from Avon, finished second at the quali­fier with a 3-under 69, while Kyle Kmiecik, a St. Ignatius grad from Avon, tied for third with a 2-under 70.

“I had the first-tee jitters,” Treuel said of his qualifying round. “I just needed to shoot a good number. I played very conservatively and didn’t want to give anything away.”

Treuel just received an associate degree in profes­sional golf management from Professional Golfers Career College in Hilton Head, S.C. The school, which requires a 12 or under handicap just to get in, offers a two-year pro­gram concentrating on the business side of golf as well as the playing side.

“It was tough leaving friends and family behind,” Treuel said, “but I needed to do it to be a successful golfer.” While school was a lot of work, the location was a golfer’s paradise.

“The island has 26 golf courses and has been a dream come true,” said Treuel, who was able to play them all … for free. “Playing all those courses shaped me into a better golfer. You have so many chances to improve your game playing different courses and that helped me take my game to another level.”

On an average day at the school, Treuel took classes from 7 a.m.-noon and then headed to the course where he’d generally work on his game until it got too dark to play. All that golf helped him drop his scoring average from 74.3 in high school to 72.

Treuel also found time to work at the famous Harbour Town Golf links at the Sea Pines Resort, site of the PGA Tour’s Verizon Heritage Tournament. Treuel was the merchandise manager at the tent near the 17th hole.

Not only was it a good work experience, it also allowed Treuel to get his name out there.

“Hilton Head is a lot of networking,” he said. “The more people I knew, the better off I was.”

And he was pretty well off, judging by some of the people he got to meet.

“I got to play a few holes with (Houston Rockets forward) Shane Battier and have talked to PGA players such as Cory Pavin (2010 Ryder Cup Captain), Paul Casey, Davis Love III and 2010 Verizon Heritage Champion Jim Furyk.”

Not to mention a few wellconnected businessmen.

As for the Ohio Amateur, Treuel has high hopes, especially since he’s played Kirtland in the past.

“I’m confident about the tournament,” he said. “My game feels really good right now. I’m hitting the ball clean and putting extremely well.”

But it’s all part of the process, Treuel said. All part of eventually making his dream a reality. “I hope I’ll be on the PGA Tour in a few years,” he said. “If not, then I’ll continue to play on mini-tours as long as I can.” One thing’s for sure, he’s going to give it his best shot.

“You never know where life is going to take you,” he said, “but in my heart, golf is life.”

Contact Jacob Dorow at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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