Dave Pezzino, head golf coach at the University of Connecticut, had the unpleasant task of breaking the news to his standout sophomore, Caleb Manuel, before the start of last week’s Big East Championships in Pine Mountain, Ga.
The young man wasn’t named All-Big East First Team.
“He looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘I don’t care about that stuff.’ He’s an old soul,” said Pezzino. “He’s ‘we’ before ‘me.’ His golf bag has five letters on it (UCONN) and that’s what he cares about.”
Of course, much of this could be considered old news to Manuel’s legion of fans up in Topsham, Maine, and at Brunswick Golf Club where the young man is a bit of a legend. In those summer days when he was 12 and 13, Caleb Manuel would be dropped off early at Brunswick GC and would spend days picking the range, working whatever job they had for him, and playing golf.
“It was my summer camp,” he laughed.