Monday_Notebook

Notebook: A Different Side

Of Olympic Club

Junior Member Haydon Sees Much More Challenging Set-Up On Home Course

By David Shefter, USGA

San Francisco, Calif. - Will Haydon can't calculate the number of rounds he has played at The Olympic Club since becoming a junior member three years ago.

And while he knows all the nooks and crannies of the four-time U.S. Open venue, the Olympic Club he's seen this week for the 57th U.S. Junior Amateur is not one most members play during a "friendly" weekend game.

At the player's barbeque on Saturday, former Olympic junior member and 1973 U.S. Open champion Johnny Miller said par this week could be 75. The actual par is 70 on the 6,970-yard Lake Course layout.

"It's anywhere from four to six shots different," said the Palo Al to, Calif., resident. "The greens are 15 percent faster. The rough is two to four inches longer in spots. And the pins are in every spot imaginable."

When asked if these hole locations are ever used, Haydon quickly replied: "No. They want to keep members happy."

Haydon, a 17-year-old senior-to-be at Palo Al to High, befriended a longtime Olympic member ( Tom Lewis ) in 2000 while practicing at Palo Al to Municipal Golf Course. Lewis put Haydon's name in for a junior membership and three months later Haydon had one of three scholarship memberships ( Jordan Cox, the 2003 Junior Amateur runner-up, and Joseph Bramlett, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur as a 14-year-old two years ago, are the others).

Haydon began his first round on Monday one under par through seven holes (he started on No. 9) and thought he could post a score right around par. But he bogeyed the par-5 first hole, lost a ball on the second hole and wound up with a 40 on his second nine for a 76.

"I know the front nine is two shots harder," said Haydon, who missed the cut at the 2003 Junior Amateur by two strokes when he bogeyed his last two holes. "Hopefully I can come in with a 72 or 73 [on Tuesday]."

The Marshall Plan

Marshall Pickett of Wilmington, N.C., is getting quite a tour of America 's classic layouts. Since last August, the 17-year-old has played at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club for the U.S. Amateur, Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 8 for the North and South Amateur and now Olympic Club for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

"I play better on nicer courses," said Pickett, who carded a 2-over 72 in Monday's first round of stroke-play qualifying. The round included a double-bogey 6 at the 12th hole due to an unplayable lie. "The longer the course, the better I play. I shot 71 at Oakmont (with a double bogey on his first hole) and I had a 69 at Pinehurst No. 8 and a 75 at Pinehurst No. 2."

Pickett, however, would like to see better results in match play. At the North and South, he was 3 up with four holes to play against Benjamin Spitz and lost in 19 holes. He also lost his first match at this year's Carolinas Amateur. He missed the cut at the U.S. Amateur (he shot 78 at Pittsburgh Field Club to go with the 71 at Oakmont).

"I just have to play my game and not pay too much attention to the guy I'm playing," said Pickett, who has verbally committed to attend University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where his golf coach will be 1988 U.S. Junior Amateur Jason Widener. "Hopefully I'll shoot another 72 [on Tuesday]."

Pickett also hopes to someday have his own charity golf tournament to raise money for cancer research. Cancer is a disease that has affected his family. His first cousin, Scott Parker, died from lung/throat cancer seven years ago while in his late-30s. Another cousin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 13 and is a survivor (now 18). Pickett's older sister, Parlett, named her senior project Hailey's Hope after her cousin and raised $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (Marshall donated $500). The money helped a young boy get a trip to Disney World. Another aunt, died from cancer at the age of 56.

Pickett was quite close to Parker and visited him at his home in Maryland some 12 times a year. His birthday was June 9 and somehow Pickett always plays well on that date. He had a hole-in-one and shot a 65.

"I was like a son that they never had," Pickett said of Parker. "I'd always go there and play on his computer and stuff."

Fog Horn

San Francisco is known for Al catraz, Fisherman's Wharf, sourdough bread, cable cars and, of course, plenty of fog. The contestants got a taste of it on Monday when fog delayed the start of the championship for three hours. It gave some players a chance to get a few more hours of rest or practice.

"I wasn't hitting it all that well, and I just started experimenting on the range," said Matt Savage, 17, of Louisville, Ky., whose 2-under 68 was the second-best round of the morning wave. "I just kept swinging and it came around and I started to feel pretty good."

Meanwhile, defending champion Brian Harman took a snooze in the clubhouse.

"I got about a two-hour nap on the couch this morning," said Harman, who shot a 3-under 67, including a sizzling 31 on the back nine. "I sat down on a chair and put my head on the arm rest. It was a beautiful nap."

Add Harman

The walking Rules official with Harman's grouping on Monday was former USGA president Reed Mackenzie of Chaska, Minn. Harman spent some time chatting with Mackenzie, who just left the Executive Committee this past January.

"I always try to get to know those guys and see where they are from," said Harman. "He's a super nice guy. I really enjoyed walking with him today."

When asked if he knew that Mackenzie was a USGA president, Harman incredulously replied: "I heard something like that."

Second add Harman

This week Harman had to return the Junior Amateur trophy to the USGA, and it was tough giving it back.

"It was kind of awkward seeing it and having everyone looking at it," said Harman. "I was like, 'Man, that's mine. I want it back.' "

Wow, What a Round!

Dave Poggi of Salt Lake City, Utah, came off the 18 th green and took one look at the giant scoreboard to his right and saw the number posted by Matt Savage. His eyes lit up.

"Sixty-eight!" he exclaimed. "Are you serious? How do you shoot a 68 out here?"

Poggi had a nice round himself with a 74.

One and Nine

Because of The Olympic Club's unique configuration - the eighth hole comes back to the clubhouse instead of nine - the USGA decided to go with a one- and nine-tee start for the stroke-play rounds. Pat Murphy, the championship chairman from Olympic, discussed this idea with David Donnelly, the USGA staff member in charge of the Junior Amateur and they agreed this format would work better logistically. That way, players don't have to be shuttled all the way out to the 10th tee and when they finish on eight, they are right at the base of the clubhouse.

New gadget

Hot new equipment isn't just relegated to the game of golf at this week's U.S. Junior Amateur. GHIN (Golf Handicapping and Information Network) wheeled out a new piece of scoring technology: Tournament Player Program Clubhouse. The device allows spectators to view mid-round and end-of-round scores on a wide computer screen in the clubhouse instead of waiting for an available computer. Each competitor also can be found at the bottom of the screen as it scrolls names alphabetically.

On Monday, a small group of parents, players and interested parties were gathered around the screen

"It's great," said one Olympic club committee member. "This is wonderful."

The relation-to-par scores were displayed like a regular scoreboard and scores are constantly updated as cards get turned in.

The program could be in use at all USGA amateur competitions in the near future.

David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. E-mail him with comments or questions at dshefter@usga.org.


	Notebook: A Different Side Of Olympic Club Junior Member Haydon Sees Much More Challenging Set-Up On Home Course By David Shefter, USGA San Francisco, Calif. - Will Haydon can't calculate the number of rounds he has played at The Olympic Club since becoming a junior member three years ago. And while he knows all the nooks and crannies of the four-time U.S. Open venue, the Olympic Club he's seen this week for the 57th U.S. Junior Amateur is not one most members play during a "friendly" weekend game. At the player's barbeque on Saturday, former Olympic junior member and 1973 U.S. Open champion Johnny Miller said par this week could be 75. The actual par is 70 on the 6,970-yard Lake Course layout. "It's anywhere from four to six shots different," said the Palo Al to, Calif., resident. "The greens are 15 percent faster. The rough is two to four inches longer in spots. And the pins are in every spot imaginable." When asked if these hole locations are ever used, Haydon quickly replied: "No. They want to keep members happy." Haydon, a 17-year-old senior-to-be at Palo Al to High, befriended a longtime Olympic member ( Tom Lewis ) in 2000 while practicing at Palo Al to Municipal Golf Course. Lewis put Haydon's name in for a junior membership and three months later Haydon had one of three scholarship memberships ( Jordan Cox, the 2003 Junior Amateur runner-up, and Joseph Bramlett, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur as a 14-year-old two years ago, are the others). Haydon began his first round on Monday one under par through seven holes (he started on No. 9) and thought he could post a score right around par. But he bogeyed the par-5 first hole, lost a ball on the second hole and wound up with a 40 on his second nine for a 76. "I know the front nine is two shots harder," said Haydon, who missed the cut at the 2003 Junior Amateur by two strokes when he bogeyed his last two holes. "Hopefully I can come in with a 72 or 73 [on Tuesday]." The Marshall Plan Marshall Pickett of Wilmington, N.C., is getting quite a tour of America 's classic layouts. Since last August, the 17-year-old has played at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club for the U.S. Amateur, Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 8 for the North and South Amateur and now Olympic Club for the U.S. Junior Amateur. "I play better on nicer courses," said Pickett, who carded a 2-over 72 in Monday's first round of stroke-play qualifying. The round included a double-bogey 6 at the 12th hole due to an unplayable lie. "The longer the course, the better I play. I shot 71 at Oakmont (with a double bogey on his first hole) and I had a 69 at Pinehurst No. 8 and a 75 at Pinehurst No. 2." Pickett, however, would like to see better results in match play. At the North and South, he was 3 up with four holes to play against Benjamin Spitz and lost in 19 holes. He also lost his first match at this year's Carolinas Amateur. He missed the cut at the U.S. Amateur (he shot 78 at Pittsburgh Field Club to go with the 71 at Oakmont). "I just have to play my game and not pay too much attention to the guy I'm playing," said Pickett, who has verbally committed to attend University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where his golf coach will be 1988 U.S. Junior Amateur Jason Widener. "Hopefully I'll shoot another 72 [on Tuesday]." Pickett also hopes to someday have his own charity golf tournament to raise money for cancer research. Cancer is a disease that has affected his family. His first cousin, Scott Parker, died from lung/throat cancer seven years ago while in his late-30s. Another cousin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 13 and is a survivor (now 18). Pickett's older sister, Parlett, named her senior project Hailey's Hope after her cousin and raised $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (Marshall donated $500). The money helped a young boy get a trip to Disney World. Another aunt, died from cancer at the age of 56. Pickett was quite close to Parker and visited him at his home in Maryland some 12 times a year. His birthday was June 9 and somehow Pickett always plays well on that date. He had a hole-in-one and shot a 65. "I was like a son that they never had," Pickett said of Parker. "I'd always go there and play on his computer and stuff." Fog Horn San Francisco is known for Al catraz, Fisherman's Wharf, sourdough bread, cable cars and, of course, plenty of fog. The contestants got a taste of it on Monday when fog delayed the start of the championship for three hours. It gave some players a chance to get a few more hours of rest or practice. "I wasn't hitting it all that well, and I just started experimenting on the range," said Matt Savage, 17, of Louisville, Ky., whose 2-under 68 was the second-best round of the morning wave. "I just kept swinging and it came around and I started to feel pretty good." Meanwhile, defending champion Brian Harman took a snooze in the clubhouse. "I got about a two-hour nap on the couch this morning," said Harman, who shot a 3-under 67, including a sizzling 31 on the back nine. "I sat down on a chair and put my head on the arm rest. It was a beautiful nap." Add Harman The walking Rules official with Harman's grouping on Monday was former USGA president Reed Mackenzie of Chaska, Minn. Harman spent some time chatting with Mackenzie, who just left the Executive Committee this past January. "I always try to get to know those guys and see where they are from," said Harman. "He's a super nice guy. I really enjoyed walking with him today." When asked if he knew that Mackenzie was a USGA president, Harman incredulously replied: "I heard something like that." Second add Harman This week Harman had to return the Junior Amateur trophy to the USGA, and it was tough giving it back. "It was kind of awkward seeing it and having everyone looking at it," said Harman. "I was like, 'Man, that's mine. I want it back.' " Wow, What a Round! Dave Poggi of Salt Lake City, Utah, came off the 18 th green and took one look at the giant scoreboard to his right and saw the number posted by Matt Savage. His eyes lit up. "Sixty-eight!" he exclaimed. "Are you serious? How do you shoot a 68 out here?" Poggi had a nice round himself with a 74. One and Nine Because of The Olympic Club's unique configuration - the eighth hole comes back to the clubhouse instead of nine - the USGA decided to go with a one- and nine-tee start for the stroke-play rounds. Pat Murphy, the championship chairman from Olympic, discussed this idea with David Donnelly, the USGA staff member in charge of the Junior Amateur and they agreed this format would work better logistically. That way, players don't have to be shuttled all the way out to the 10th tee and when they finish on eight, they are right at the base of the clubhouse. New gadget Hot new equipment isn't just relegated to the game of golf at this week's U.S. Junior Amateur. GHIN (Golf Handicapping and Information Network) wheeled out a new piece of scoring technology: Tournament Player Program Clubhouse. The device allows spectators to view mid-round and end-of-round scores on a wide computer screen in the clubhouse instead of waiting for an available computer. Each competitor also can be found at the bottom of the screen as it scrolls names alphabetically. On Monday, a small group of parents, players and interested parties were gathered around the screen "It's great," said one Olympic club committee member. "This is wonderful." The relation-to-par scores were displayed like a regular scoreboard and scores are constantly updated as cards get turned in. The program could be in use at all USGA amateur competitions in the near future. David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. E-mail him with comments or questions at dshefter@usga.org.