SHREWSBURY — Derek Mulligan was in the swing of the things from the moment he pulled a golf club out of his bag and placed a ball on a tee.
The St. John’s High senior was four years old at the time.
“I’ve had a club in my hand for a while,” Mulligan said Wednesday afternoon inside a bustling Coaches Pavilion. “My dad (also Derek) grew up (in the Pittsburgh area) playing, and he kind of passed it on to me.”
Five or six years later, Mulligan carded a lower score than his dad for the first time.
The site was Blackstone National Golf Club in Sutton, and Mulligan believes it was Father’s Day, as the two traditionally play a match every year on the third Sunday in June.
“I must have been 9 or 10 at the time,” said Mulligan, who’ll turn 18 on Nov. 8. “He kind of taught me everything I know, so eventually I was going to beat him.
“But my dad just kind of got the ball rolling, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
That was the first of many memorable moments this Grafton resident has experienced on the course where, yeah, his last name is a constant source of humorous conversation on the first hole with opponents looking for a “breakfast ball,” or a second shot off the tee if the first goes awry.
The latest triumph occurred Monday when the Pioneers claimed their fifth consecutive Central Division 1 championship. Mulligan was part of a victorious sextet that included seniors Savar Bhasin and Ronan Mooney and juniors Cael Duggan, Andrew Marrone and Adam Trani.
“It’s obviously great to win, but it’s just one step of the way to states,” Mulligan said. “So we have our focus geared toward that.”
The Pioneers, who went 15-3 and tied for second in the vaunted Catholic Conference during the regular season, will defend their D1 state title Monday at The Haven Country Club in Boylston.
They’re a close, confident and skilled group that has high hopes.
“We just have a great bond,” Mulligan said. “It’s a great group of guys, super tight knit. So hopefully we can just take that onto the course and come out victorious.”
The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Mulligan, who also plays varsity hockey for the Pioneers, has climbed the proverbial ladder for the golf team. He was on the junior varsity as a freshman, was a semi-swing player as a sophomore and elevated full time to the varsity as a junior.
Mulligan was named a captain this fall, was medalist in two matches and averaged in the 38-39 range during the regular season while typically being slotted anywhere from fourth to sixth in a lineup that includes three returning T&G Super Team selections in Bhasin, Duggan and Mooney.
“He’s a good leader,” coach Sean Noonan said. “He’s had a good season, and he’s a good player … was part of that state championship team last year. A really good kid, and I know he’s a very good student.”
Mulligan is a National Honor Society member who has a 4.65 weighted grade point average. He’s currently taking five advanced placement courses — calculus, economics, environmental science, literature and statistics — along with a religion class.
In addition, Mulligan is a member of the investment club at St. John’s and the Leo club, which promotes leadership among its young members through community service.
Mulligan has applied to Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin out of the Big Ten, along with Boston College, Georgia, Notre Dame and UMass. He’s interested in majoring in accounting, business or finance.
“I just always liked Big Ten football and hockey,” Mulligan said when asked about his strong interest in heading to the Midwest, “and they have good academics, too.”
Back to golf, Mulligan works in the cart barn at Highfields Golf & Country Club in his hometown and is a member at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton.
Ball striking — distance control and hitting the greens — is a strong suit of Mulligan’s game while becoming more consistent with his putter has been a big point of emphasis. Keeping a clear head would best describe his mindset entering a match.
“I would say the biggest thing for me is to go in with no expectations,” Mulligan said. “That sounds like you wouldn’t care, but it’s just, ‘If you play bad it’s not the end of the world. If you play well that’s also a good thing.’
“To just kind of go in with no expectations and be able to play free and swing free is the biggest thing for me.”
—If you know a student-athlete who should be considered for a Scholastic Spotlight profile, contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
Here are a few lighthearted thoughts from Derek Mulligan as he waits to hole out for a birdie:
Favorite food: “It’s been chicken parm since a young age. My mom makes a good cutlet.”
Favorite restaurant: Arturo’s in Westborough
Favorite musician: “Coach has been putting us onto a lot of Tom Petty — “Don’t Back Down” — so I’ve been listening to that a lot.”
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite sports team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Favorite subject: Math
Invite any three people to dinner: “I would say first, Rory McIlroy, he’s my favorite golfer. So that would be cool to pick his brain. I guess the next one would be Sidney Crosby, great hockey player, so that would be cool, as well. And the third would be my dad because he’s always been there, and I feel it would be nice for him to meet those guys, too.”
Sports superstition: “I would say more hockey than golf. I always put my pads on the same way.”
Most memorable moment: “I won the inaugural Worcester County Junior Am at Wachusett Country Club in August (after carding a 1-over 72). It was good to bring that (momentum) into the season.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Senior Scholastic Spotlight: St. John’s Mulligan has Pioneers ready for D1 championship
