Chaz Aurilia first picked up a golf club when he was 11 or 12.
It was love at first sight.
But baseball, not golf, was in Aurilia’s gene pool. His father, Rich, was a an all-star shortstop for the San Francisco Giants and Silver Slugger Award winner. Fortunately, Rich Aurilia had a taste for golf, too. He would take Chaz to Arizona Country Club in Phoenix, where the young boy was hooked,
It wasn’t long before he ditched the bat for irons, hybrids, a putter and a driver.
“I didn’t like practicing baseball. Whereas in golf, I love practicing and getting better and hitting different shots. … I think I made a pretty good decision,” Aurulia, a sophomore for the Arizona men’s golf team, said Friday as the 17th-ranked Wildcats prepare to host the N.I.T., a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday at Omni Tucson National.
It wasn’t long before the younger Aurilia was one of the top junior golfers in Arizona. He led Phoenix Arcadia High School to a pair of state championships as a two-time all-state selection.
When it came time to make a decision to play collegiate golf, Aurilia was California dreamin’. He signed with UCLA after considering schools in Northern California and San Diego.
He says now he was “a little young” when he made those decisions.
“I never really looked at the in-state schools because of that,” he said. “I liked the sound of it, but I didn’t appreciate Arizona for what it was.”
Aurilia enrolled at UCLA, but was immediately homesick. He said a “culmination of things” led him to believe maybe he wasn’t tailored to live in California on his own. In December 2019, Aurilia entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Soon after, he decided to return home and play for the Wildcats.
Chaz Aurilia — TUCSON, ARIZ. — Day 2 of the Arizona Intercollegiate Tournament at Sewailo Golf Course. Jan. 26, 2021. Photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Said Aurilia: “California at the time was the place I wanted to be, but after growing up, that’s when I realized it’s actually not what I wanted.
“I liked it when I was younger, but now that I’ve matured a little bit, I’ve realized being closer to home is beneficial, especially at a program like this. … It was a good decision to come back here.”
Adding Aurilia to a veteran group of seniors in Brad Reeves, David Laskin, Tucson native Trevor Werbylo and Sierra Vista product Briggs Duce, along with standout sophomore Christian Sienkiewicz and others, “was great timing for us both,” UA coach Jim Anderson said.
“Chaz knows how to play his game and has a skillset that is unique,” said Anderson.
“He hits it incredibly far and has really good hands, particularly with his putter, so he’s ready for any stage.”
Aurilia was ineligible to compete in a 2020 spring season that was eventually canceled because of COVID-19. The pandemic also scuttled the fall season.
And the setbacks didn’t stop there.
After competing in the inaugural Copper Cup at Maricopa’s Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, a Ryder Cup-style match play event between UA and Arizona State, Aurilia finished tied for 22nd at the Arizona Intercollegiate after shooting a 6-over-par.
Two weeks later, Aurilia suffered a left wrist injury that hampered him for a month.
He returned in time to qualify for the N.I.T. earlier this week. He still start alongside Werbylo, Reeves, Laskin and Sienkiewicz.
Aurilia’s resurgence comes at a convenient time for Arizona as the Wildcats welcome No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 5 Illinois, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Texas to Tucson. Colorado, Utah, San Diego State, Houston, Wyoming, Iowa State, Nevada and New Mexico are also expected to compete.
Anderson said it “could be the best field of the spring.”
“But we’re excited to get the opportunity to compete against a host of schools from different areas that have had success and are traditionally powerhouse programs,” he said. “We feel like competing in that space is where we belong, too.”
After stumbling in the GolfStat rankings following a 10th-place finish at Cabo Collegiate at TPC San Antonio, Arizona hopes to return to its winning ways. Maybe Aurilia’s improved health and eagerness to play will help the Wildcats win their N.I.T. championship since 2003.
“I’ve been sidelined for a while now, but I’m excited to get back going,” Aurilia said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
