FORE-th Air Force golfer selected for Air Force championship
By Amy Abbott, 452 AMW/PA
/ Published September 17, 2007
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. -- Forty people from the Air Force gathered at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., September 14th, to play in the 2007 Air Force Golf Championship. One of those hopefuls is Senior Master Sgt. Chad "Q" Quilausing, reserve technician at 4th Air Force's Command and Control Division, who was selected by the Air Force to go TDY for the opportunity.
After the week long tournament, the top six men and top three women will have the chance to compete at the 2007 Armed Forces Golf Championship at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., later this month. From there, the top players will go to South Africa for the 2007 World Forces Golf Championship.
"Duty calls and who am I to deny it," said Sergeant Quilausing, upon being selected.
A native of Hilo, Hawaii, Sergeant Quilausing has golfing in his blood. His grandfather, George Martin, was a professional golfer and his grandmother was a Hawaii amateur golf champion.
Despite living on a golf course and having an entire family who golfed, he started off with a love of baseball. His grandfather hit golf balls in the yard and a young Sergeant Quilausing would catch them with his mitt. That all changed the day he missed one. His grandfather nailed a golf ball into his head, taking him out of the baseball season for a while and forcing him to pick up something less strenuous - golf.
His game has come a long way since he started at the age of 10. He has a plus 1.6 handicap that, according to statistics, puts him in the top one percent of golfers. According to Sergeant Quilausing, that makes him a force to be reckoned with.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how I measure up," he said. "I want to come home with the gold and I think my odds are very good."
Currently, he's been playing in about a dozen tournaments a year such as the Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship, SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur Public Links National Championship. He also golfs with other members of his office in the March Air Reserve Base intramural league.
According to Chief Master Sgt. John Langston, the functional manager for 4th Air Force's command and control division and Sergeant Quilausing's supervisor, golfing together has strengthened the office's camaraderie. Sergeant Langston never played before Sergeant Quilausing introduced him to the greens and gave him his first set of clubs. Now, after finding ways to cover the shop in his absence, everyone is rooting on their fellow co-worker.
"Just getting there is an accomplishment and we all hope for the best for him," said Chief Langston. "Q is arguably the best golfer on this base and everybody knows it. He will do just fine."
Even though he has checked out his competition, playing against and even beating some, he's not taking things lightly. For now, Sergeant Quilausing is utilizing every spare moment to get in those last minute practices. He said he is thankful for the continuous support from his unit and, since he is very competitive by nature, promises to play nothing but his hardest with hopes of making it all the way.
"Sergeant Quilausing is an outstanding senior noncommissioned officer and is going to be an excellent representative for the Reserve," said Col. Jim Bouska, 4th Air Force director of operations. "He is an excellent golfer and we are definitely in support of his efforts."
If his efforts do in fact take him all the way, on Sept. 21, he will begin playing in Va., and if his skills prevail against the competition, on Sept. 29, he'll be swinging clubs in South Africa with the top armed forces golfers from across the world.