LONG-DRIVE ABILITY TAKES VALENCIA GRAD FAR.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

Eric Thomas always liked to hit a golf ball hard, but he's taking that inclination to new lengths.

The four-time All-Foothill League selection and June graduate of Valencia High will be teeing it up with some of the longest hitters anywhere next month, when he participates in the second round of the RE/MAX World Long Driving Championship.

Thomas earned a berth in that Sept. 13 district championship at Mesquite, Nev., by winning an open division qualifying event with a blast of 369 yards last month at the Auld Course in Chula Vista.

That's long for anybody, but it's not as long as Thomas has hit.

``I've seen him hit it 400 yards on the driving range at Vista Valencia,'' said high school teammate and lifelong friend Brandon Christianson, the 2003 Daily News Player of the Year who grew up on the same block as Thomas and has watched his neighbor get stronger and longer through the years.

``He was always shorter than me until our freshman year,'' said Christianson, who teamed with Thomas to lead Valencia to its first league championship in 2002. ``Then, he got longer. I don't know why. Maybe he just didn't want to be the short knocker.''

That's not the case anymore. This is the second year Thomas has qualified for the open division of the district long-drive competition. Last year, he had the second-longest drive of the event during a preliminary round but hit all six of his balls out of bounds in the final.

Long-drive competitors are judged on the longest of their six shots but must keep any contending shot on a 40-yard-wide grid.

``You have to be able to hit if far and straight,'' said Thomas, who uses a 50-inch-long Big Bang acuflex shaft and a clubhead with six degrees of loft. ``You kinda have to have the fire inside to hit it far. Lots of the guys are bigger - in the 6-foot-3, 250-pound range. I'm only 6-0, 180.''

The appeal of long driving is different for different people, Thomas said.

``For me, it's just kind of using my talents,'' he said. ``For others, they're doing the manly thing.''

His talent has led him to leave regular golf - at least competitive golf - to others. He won't attempt to play college golf at San Diego State, where he begins classes this month, but he intends to keep going in long- drive competition as far as it will take him.

``I'm 19, and I would like to win the national title before I turn 20,'' said Thomas, who hopes eventually to be able to compete on the professional long-driving tour.

Those most familiar with his ball-striking ability and clubhead speed believe he has a future in the event.

``He has that drive,'' said Valencia golf coach Rusty Swisher, who watched Thomas' length help the 2002 Vikings qualify for the school's only berth in the Southern Section team final.

``He's got the strength and the will power to do it,'' Swisher said of Thomas, who won the Glendale City men's championship as a high school freshman. ``He just really likes hitting it a long way and that's the mentality you need. I want him to do well.''

Christianson, who gave the Vikings two players with the ability to drive par-4 holes last season and who probably helped light his neighbor's fire during years of friendly matches for the championship of Maricio Avenue, expects Thomas to reach the district final again this year.

``I think if he keeps it straight he'll take it pretty far,'' Christianson said. ``He can at least get to the finals and he'll be up there with the top guys in the world.''

Thomas must be smiling at the prospect of that, considering he was once the shortest hitter on his block.

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com