Mario Vilardi is so good that the 8-year-old recently qualified for the third time to compete in the U.S. Children’s Golf World Championship.
So good, in fact, that the kid nicknamed “Super Mario” placed third at the Penn State Invitational… with his mom as his caddy! (More on this later.)
The Hopewell Junction native quickly established himself among the top junior golfers in his age group, racking up accolades and medals.
But although his younger brother recognizes that he is very good, Charlie Vilardi is not so sure that Mario is better than him.
“I think I can beat him,” he said, with as much casual arrogance as a 6-year-old can express. “I almost made a 50-foot shot once!”
As Mario talked about how proud he was of Charlie following in his footsteps and referred to him as “my little brother,” he was interrupted.
“You mean Angelo?” Charlie said, referring to their 1 year old little brother. “What little brother?”
He provoked a chorus of laughter with that joke, showing unintentional comedic timing. But Charlie won’t play an overshadowed sidekick. He is not a “Luigi”.
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And certainly not after learning last month that he also qualified for the U.S. Children’s Golf World Championship.
The brothers will compete in different age groups in Pinehurst, North Carolina, August 1-3. The annual tournament is the largest international junior golf event, typically featuring hundreds of standouts ages 5 to 12.
“We are extremely proud of the boys,” said their father, David Vilardi. “We had so much fun just practicing and competing, and to see both of them accomplish this is a great feeling. It is excellent.”
This event will be even more familiar to the Vilardis than their previous trips to Pinehurst because they have recruited Grandpa Mario to caddy for their namesake.
David Vilardi introduced his children to the sport and coached them, and often caddies for Mario. But with the 9-year-old and 6-year-old competitions taking place on separate courses at the world championships, he will work with Charlie while his father mentors Mario.
“There is nothing more meaningful to me than being able to spend time with my children and grandchildren; it’s a blessing,” said Mario Vilardi, 74, who is an avid golfer. “Being able to caddy for Mario is special because I love competition and I love him, so it’s a win-win situation regardless of our score.”
Mario finished 37th out of 102 competitors in the 8-year-old boys division last summer, an eight-place improvement from his placing the previous year.
Mario, who turns 9 in July, said his driving has improved significantly since last year. “I’m more accurate and I get much better distances,” the Fishkill Plains Elementary School student said. Chipping is now an area of emphasis.
The difficulty level increases considerably at the age 9 threshold, as this group will play 18 holes on the 4,700-yard Pinehurst No. 1 course. Participants ages 6 and under will compete on a 1,500-yard course.
Working with his grandfather “will be great,” Mario said. He definitely mentioned early on that with all that walking, they’ll have to stock up on protein bars and water, which are Big Mario’s favorite snacks.
The world championship traditionally opens with a relaxed parent-child competition, which will be especially fun for the Vilardi quartet. “I’m looking forward to seeing my son and my father share this experience,” said David Vilardi. “It will be a cool thing to look back on.”
Really, this whole journey. Selection for the world championship is based on a points system that takes into account the previous year’s results. Charlie turned 6 in November, so his local tournament scores, including a low round of 42, were especially impressive as a 5-year-old.
David Vilardi had a feeling Charlie had done enough to qualify, so he suggested it for weeks. Louisa Vilardi said she wanted it to be a complete surprise for her son.
“But when it was official that he had made it,” she said, “he was very happy.”
As part of the celebration, Charlie was presented with an ice cream cake with a decorative golf ball on top.
Boys also like basketball and football. But this is such a golf-centric family, Louisa Vilardi explained, that at their rest stops during trips to North Carolina, they sought out Topgolf locations for pastime activities. It seemed almost inevitable that Charlie would get into the sport. Angelo, said Mário, is already swinging with his baby bat.
Charlie is following his brother’s path, but he had a bit of a head start, playing a full competitive season as a 5-year-old. At this age, his parents said, Charlie “is a little ahead” of where Mario was three years ago.
What he doesn’t have, though, is the ability to brag about shooting a 5-over 41 in the second round at Penn State Golf Course last August, with his mother, a golf novice, helping him.
“It was eye-opening to see my 8-year-old son make decisions on his own that affected his game,” said Louisa Vilardi, who was called in to caddy in an emergency. “He also guided me through the elements of golf on the course that helped me make decisions as a caddy.”
In all fairness, she deserves it some credit – if only a little – for third place there.
And, with his grandfather, there is already a synergy along the way and the pair hope to combine well. Big Mario described him as “talented” and “fearless”.
Mario said his goal for this tournament is to finish in the top 20, a reasonable goal. Little brother was a little more ambitious, however.
“I want to win,” said Charlie. “I want to be world champion!”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
