BLOOMINGTON — Jordan Less never thought about playing serious golf until he took in a round with friend Will Gunst during the eighth grade.
Less thought it was great and decided to get more serious about the game.
“Before when I played, I picked up a club and would swing it, but I was not competitive,” Less said. “Everything changed. I found out about a sport I came to love.”
Now a York senior, Less capped his high school golfing career at the Class 3A state tournament at the Den at Fox Creek Golf Course. He tied for ninth (77-78—155) on Saturday, Oct. 18, an improvement on placing 22nd as an individual last season. For the second consecutive year, York (647) placed eighth as a team.
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For the late-blooming Less, who only started playing seriously five years ago, his next stop will be Northern Illinois, where he verbally committed earlier this season. Less will join former Oak Park-River Forest golfer Patrick Murphy there as products of the West Suburban Silver.
Less said he picked NIU over Iowa and Iowa state because of the Huskies’ facilities and home course at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.
“Many people don’t realize (Less) was a great soccer player, who turned to golf,” York coach Jim Borel said. “He has been spectacular. This is my 21st year and he has had the best stroke average for 18 holes.”
Less’ progression from recreational hacker to future collegiate golfer started his sophomore year when he joined The Players Service, a golf academy at Oak Brook Golf Course.
“I’ve been playing golf my whole life, but I got good (recently),” Less said. “I started working with (instructor) John Perna. It created a huge change to my scoring average. He helped me put my swing in a position where I don’t think about it. He also made me think about course management.”
Less was York’s low scorer at the state meet. He was inconsistent on Friday while firing a 77, which included triple bogey on the par-5 No. 5, and an eagle on the par-5 No. 9.
Gunst. who was York’s leading scorer in the Lake Park Regional and Lake Park Sectional, placed 19th at the state meet.
At the conference meet Sept. 29, Less shot a 1-over-par 73 at Prairie Bluff in Lockport to finish behind medalist Brendan O’Reilly (66) of Hinsdale Central.
“(Less) has worked hard on his game,” Borel said. “He works all the time. That is something he should be proud of.”
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