Fordham Prep senior Philip Spano flew to Miami last month to get a behind-the-scenes look at professional golf and write about his experiences on a daily blog.

“One thing was: It was pretty awesome,” Philip said in an interview the day after he arrived back in his home in the east Bronx.  

The young golf fan, who participates in the First Tee program at Mosholu Golf Course, was one of four high school students chosen to attend the 2008 CA Championship at the Doral Golf Resort in southern Florida, a PGA (Professional Golfers Association) event featuring all the big names, including Tiger Woods.

With his extra ticket, Philip chose to take his favorite golf partner, his father, Michael Spano, who erupted in joy after finding out his son had won a trip to a PGA tour event in Florida.

“I think he might have been more excited than me,” Philip said.

For Philip, however, the awesomeness began almost immediately after he and his father arrived at their hotel. “When I got there, I saw the pool, and wanted to jump in,” Philip said. But first, he noted on his initial blog post on PGA.com, he needed a nap.

After catching up on some rest, Philip spent his first day meeting with pro golfers and other tour professionals. He spent a great deal of time picking the ear of Donald A. Parker, who fixes golf clubs for tour players. The meeting was enlightening.

He wrote in his blog:

“When I saw what he did and how much he enjoyed his job, I saw a new possible career path for myself…When I left his work-space, I kept picturing myself coming up with new golf club designs and sending them off to be created. My ideas materializing into something tangible really intrigued me.”

Later in the week, Philip had his golf swing analyzed by pros who hooked him up to a series of electrodes, which projected his three-dimensional image onto a monitor. They concluded his swing was “pretty good,” but that he pulled back too much on his back foot, causing his motion to be uneven.

Other highlights included meeting Phil Mickelson (a lefty like Philip), sitting in on a live broadcast and being a standard bearer (workers who display the score for spectators) on the 18th hole, otherwise known as the “Blue Monster” because of its treacherous water traps.

Next fall, Philip will attend Manhattan College and study engineering with an eye on designing more advanced and aerodynamic golf clubs and balls.