In case you didn’t see the morning paper, Mike Miller signed a National Letter of Intent to play collegiate golf at Penn State. The perennial All-State performer is a two-time Journal News player of the year.

Here’s the link to the story.

Miller, a senior at Brewster who’s father, Bob, is the head professional at Knollwood C.C., also considered Illinois and Coastal Carolina.

Andrew Svoboda was the lone member of a strong local contingent to move beyond the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying. He’s back in action Nov. 18-21 at Deerwood Country Club in Kingwood, Texas.

The Larchmont resident is working to make the final stage, which is to be held in December.

Svoboda, a former standout at St. John’s who spent the summer working at Old Oaks and played in his second U.S. Open, has been playing the NGA Hooters Tour and has finished seventh or better in three of his four appearances since he went south in September to prepare for Q school.

Having spent a fair amount of time in NBA locker rooms, I know there are more than a few who question Michael Jordan’s handicap index, but only from a distance.

The former Chicago Bulls icon ranks among the best on this year’s list of top athlete-golfers compiled by Golf Digest.

Here’s a link to the rankings. And if you happen to be old school, the list is also in the November issue of the magazine. I’m sure Tony Romo is going to hear about his lofty standing after the way he played a week ago in another troubling Dallas Cowboys loss.

Roger Clemens is on the list, too. Should there be an asterisk?

Andrew Svoboda finished up at Old Oaks and went back to Florida in search of strong competition before heading back to Q school. He’s put two strong weeks together on the NGA Hooters Tour.

The Larchmont resident finished third in the Kandy Waters Memorial Classic and tied for seventh last weekend at the Chevrolet Classic.

He’s only played in six events on the developmental tour, but Svoboda ranks 29th on the money list with $34,315 in earnings.

It’s been a memorable season for John Ervasti.

The 54-year-old Sleepy Hollow member has played consistently well from event to event. He was the runner-up at the Met Am in August. He tied for second yesterday at the MGA Mid-Amateur Championship on a windswept morning at The Creek.

A couple more made putts would’ve made the season absolutely spectacular.

“That’s exactly what I look at,” Ervasti said when asked whether he dwells on the positive or negative. “It would probably be better to look at it the other way, but I look at the things I didn’t finish. In golf, you can always find a few shots you could’ve had.”

Dennis Lynch of Nassau Players Club won. He posted a 3-over 143 total, and gave me a fun story when it was over. I’ll link to it tomorrow. Kirk Kashevaroff of Tuxedo finished in a tie for sixth at 8-over. Chuck Del Priore of Wykagyl was leading after the first round and finished 13th.

The course was playing exactly the way it was designed, with a stiff wind blowing all day long.

“It was two or three clubs at times,” Del Priore said.

By the way, is there a better view from the clubhouse veranda?

Michael Quagliano has to be coming home with some confidence.

The White Plains resident closed with a 69 today and finished tied for eighth at the Cabarrus Classic, and eGolf Tour event in Charlotte, with a 12-under 202 total in the 54-hole tournament.

It’s the second top 10 in a row for the former Duke standout, who is prepping for Q school. You can read more about that next week in The Journal News, and I’ll link to it when the story runs.

Things are not going as well for Meaghan Francella, who missed the cut at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. The Port Chester resident started the event with three consecutive birdies, but followed up a 74 on Thursday with a 76 on Friday.

Michael Quagliano is playing one more eGolf Tour event down in North Carolina before coming back home to prepare for Q school. He shot a 7-under 65 at the Cabarrus Classic and was tied for second heading into today’s second round.

Meaghan Francella is playing in the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif. She’s on the course shortly. The Port Chester native is 45th on the money list, but has missed three cuts in her last four tournaments. Francella visited the Scotty Cameron studio this week to get fitted for a new putter. Follow her on Twitter.

Johnson Wagner is waiting another week before he returns to the PGA Tour for the fall series.

On the amateur side, Albert Rabil of Whippoorwill and John Ervasti of Sleepy Hollow are playing the USGA Men’s State Team Championship at the Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis. New York was tied for 21st after yesterday’s first round. You can follow the scoring here.

Update 4:05 p.m.: Quagliano was 3-under on today’s round. He’s tied for fifth at 10-under heading into the final round, three shots off the lead.

Martin Nolletti, Sr., a golf professional who grew up in Mamaroneck and who spent 50 years working at Mohansic, died on Sunday at Somers Manor.

He was 76 years old.

Nolletti also worked for 10 years at Fairview Golf Center in Elmsford, and was a natural on any lesson tee. I didn’t know the man well, but he wandered over to offer friendly encouragement and free advice in between lessons several times over the years while I flailed away on the driving range at Mohansic.

In my book, that’s a true golf professional, somebody who is always looking to share a love of the game without looking for compensation.

Here is the obituary link.

And if you have a memory of Nolletti to share, by all means, leave a comment.

I was feeling a little nostalgic recently, so I decided to visit a favorite course from days gone by.

At least a dozen years have passed since I made weekly visits to Beekman Country Club with a loyal golfing buddy. The old lunch special was a stroke of genius. It was easier to overlook the ragged condition of the course when $30 covered greens fees, cart and lunch.

It wasn’t long before I left for greener pastures.

After going back to Beekman a couple of weeks ago, I only have one question, why didn’t somebody tell me what’s been going on up there? It’s become a well-kept secret. Beekman has level tee boxes now. Somebody is paying close attention to the state of affairs in the fairways. Putts roll true on the faster greens, and bees no longer rule the bunkers.

It’s clear that money is going back into the course.

They average 60,000 rounds a season at the 27-hole facility just north of Interstate 84 off the scenic Taconic State Parkway, but it’s well-cared for.

“We always have new projects every single year,” said Beekman general manager Helen West. “The money they make goes rightinto the course. We’re trying to lengthen the course. We’ve done a lot of work on the greens, taking out a lot of the mass, the old clay. We’re adding more sand, which makes them run better and lets us cut them shorter.”

A housing development forced new three holes on the Highland nine to be constructed. They combine to provide the most entertaining stretch on the course. When the pin is back on the top shelf, the 172-yard fourth hole probably has to be considered among the best par 3s in the region.

I also played the Taconic nine so I could launch another ball into the pond that fronts the par-5 sixth hole for old times sake. Next time, I’ll lay up. And there will be a next time since Beekman is now providing a unique opportunity for juniors and beginners.

They have USGA-certified orange tees, which set up a round that covers in the neighborhood of 3,000 yards.

“We have a lot of junior camps and junior lessons,” West said. “The pros instigated this because it allows them to take lessons from the range to the golf course. In the past, they played from the reds, but that was a little too much for them. We’re investing in the future and encouraging youngsters to take up the game we all love.”

They even held a grandparent/grandchild tournament recently.

If memory serves, now is a good time for a trip back to Beekman. There are plenty of vistas to enjoy as the leaves begin turning. If you have played Beekman recently, leave a comment below and share your own thoughts.

By the numbers

Highland : Blue 3,142 yards. White 3,018 yards. Red 2,592 yards. Par 36.

Taconic: Blue 3,125 yards. White 3,054 yards. Red 2,653 yards. Par 36.

Valley: Blue 2,982 yards. White 2,852 yards. Red 2,439 yards. Par 35.

Driving time: From White Plains – 57 minutes. From Nyack – 62 minutes. From Brewster – 27 minutes.

Rates: A weekday morning round is $59 and includes cart along with breakfast or lunch. It’s $49 for seniors. The price drops to $45 for golf and cart in the afternoon. Check the website for specials. Ladies Day is Wednesday and $49 covers golf, lunch and carts.

Address: 11 Country Club Lane, Hopewell Junction

Phone: 845-226-7700

Website: www.beekmangolf.com

Nanette Hill wasn’t allowing herself to get caught up in the moment.

She was confident going into the LPGA Sectional Qualifier last week at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and calmly took another step toward realizing a dream of becoming a touring professional. Hill, a Pelham resident, carded a 74 on Sunday, and finished at even par 288. Not a bad week with so much on the line. She wound up tied for 20th and is moving on to final qualifying Dec. 2-6 in Daytona, Fla. at LPGA International.

“It’s actually not that hard,” Hill said of her adjustment to the life of a professional. “I got a glimpse of it at the U.S. Open. Nobody really cares how you play here. In college, you were playing to impress your teammates, your coaches. There were different pressures. Now that I’m just playing for myself, it’s almost easier. It’s definitely cut throat. You’re playing for money, so it’s every man for himself, but I kind of like that.”

Hill isn’t the only local attempting to secure a card for next year.

Trump National member Andrew Giuliani got through pre-qualifying for PGA Tour Q School, posting a 2-under 286 at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City, Fla. He finished in a tie for 32nd. Giuliani, who is the reigning Met Open champion, will play in the first stage next month.

Andrew Svoboda of Larchmont and Michael Quagliano of White Plains did not have to pre-qualify, and will also be playing in the first stage next month. Svoboda finished up for the season at Old Oaks last weekend and will be playing on the Hooters Tour for a couple of weeks before setting up for the winter in Orlando, Fla. Quagliano is playing a couple of eGolf Tour events to get ready and finished in a tie for 10th at the Walnut Creek Open in Kinston, N.C.