Tuesday_Notebook

Tuesday Notebook: Golf Course Produces Olympic Effort

Stroke-Play Qualifying Yields 7 Sub-Par Rounds

By David Shefter, USGA

San Francisco - When the U.S. Open was last held at Olympic Club in 1998, the winning score was 280 or even par by Lee Janzen.

The 156 juniors assembled here this week to play the U.S. Junior on the four-time U.S. Open venue quickly discovered why the world's best professionals struggled to post low numbers.

Even though the course measure just 6,790 yards, the rolling terrain, small greens and penalizing rough takes its toll on these elite junior golfers.

Out of 311 rounds (one competitor withdrew on Tuesday) played in stroke-play qualifying, just seven were below the par of 70, and two of them were by the same person, medalist Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga. (67-66).

Sunghoon Kang, the 2003 U.S. Junior stroke-play medalist, had a 67 on Tuesday, while Matt Savage had a 68 on Monday. Korean-born Seung-Su Han, the 2002 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, Robert Galletti Jr. and Lucas Lee each had a 69 on Tuesday.

The stroke average for both rounds combined was 77.379, with the back nine playing.3 strokes higher than the front. In 1998, for the U.S. Open, the course played to a stroke average of 74.4.

"The rough around the greens is just so thick and you have no idea how [the ball] is going to come out," said 16-year-old Chris Jensen of nearby Los Al tos who carded rounds of 71-75-146 to easily qualify for match play. "It can come out soft or you could fly it over the green."

Tom Glissmeyer, who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club, discovered that finding the fairways is paramount if you want to keep your score down. His hit just one fairway in his first 12 holes on Tuesday and eventually stopped using his driver. The result was a 79 that put him at 151 and just inside the cut line of 152.

"My key for match play will be fairways and greens," said Glissmeyer, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo. "I still think I can do well. I hit some good shots coming in and it will be fun if I can get in [to match play]."

Added Savage, who finished up at 141 (one over) and is the No. 2 seed for match play: "This is a tough golf course. I played great the last two days. But I kind of struggled with my driver today. I didn't hit too many fairways. I didn't put myself in good position. I liked it a lot better yesterday. It was an easy 68. Today it was a tough 73."

As for the toughest hole, that easily was the 464-yard uphill 17th, which plays as a par 5 for the membership but is converted into a par 4 for championships. The stroke average on that hole this week was 4.852 with just six birdies recorded. It was the only hole not to yield double-digit birdies. Hole 11 gave up 10 birdies.

At the 1998 U.S. Open, No. 17 also ranked No. 1 for the week with a 4.716 stroke average (nine birdies). Janzen wrapped up the Open title in 1998 when hit a gorgeous 3-iron approach to the back of the green and two-putted for par en route to beating the late Payne Stewart by one stroke.

The easiest hole was the par-3 eighth, which played to an average of 3.071. The par-5 first ranked 17th at 5.100.

An-Core

Even though he failed to match his 1-over par round from Monday, 14-year-old Korean Steven An still managed a 6-over 76 to easily qualify for match play. An has spent the last two summers living with his golf coach, Tommy Kim, in Daly City, Calif. Kim is a teaching pro at the Cypress Golf Course in Colma. An's mother, Bok Sun, also is with him while his more-famous father remains in Korea.

Bhyung An is a well-known baseball coach and worked with current major leaguer Chan Ho Park before he came to the U.S. to pitch for the Dodgers. But his son preferred to hit a ball that is a little bit smaller and isn't moving quite so fast.

"He is scared of baseball," said Kim. "The ball is too hard and goes too fast."

An, despite his young age and lack of experience - this is his first U.S. Junior - is showing quite the mental fortitude this week at Olympic. He seems relaxed and his constant smile reveals that he's enjoying himself.

He displayed his talent at the par-4 12th hole when he hit his drive into the right rough. He only was able to advance the ball some 50 yards, but his wedge approach stopped just four feet from the flag where he converted the par putt. At the par-3 eighth hole, An's last of the round, he landed his tee shot six feet below the hole and converted the birdie putt.

"He hits the ball so straight," said his caddie David Kim, who is not related to Tommy but does see him for instruction. David Kim will be a sophomore at San Jose State and played in the 2001 U.S. Junior, losing in the first round to current PGA Tour pro Kevin Na, 4 and 3. "He hits almost every fairway and every green. And he has really good touch on the greens.

"I feel this course is just right for him. It's not a lengthy course (6,790 yards), but you have to hit it straight and hit every green."

Added fellow-competitor Chris Jensen, who played a practice round with An: "He really has good, sound fundamentals. He doesn't miss very many shots."

Tommy Kim says he's seen vast improvement in An's game since he began working with him last winter. Kim and An's father are friends and that's what brought the two together.

"He has a very strong mental game," said Tommy Kim, who has been a teaching pro in the U.S. for the past 18 years. "He has a big heart."

An will head back to Korea in August, but one gets the feeling he wants to keep returning to the U.S.

"I like it here better," An said with a big smile.

When asked what his goals are now that he made the match-play cut, An replied: "Win the tournament."

Eagle Has Landed

Daniel Woltman of Beaver Dam, Wis., couldn't wipe the small off his face after recording a rare feat at the 18th hole on Tuesday. The 17-year-old holed out his approach shot on the par-4 finishing hole for an eagle. Woltman used a 9-iron from 128 yards. The ball took a hop, glanced past the flagstick some 18 inches and then spun back into the hole, much to the delight of the gallery standing around the green.

In the same round Robert Galletti Jr. of Clayton, Calif., matched the feat with an eagle at the 284-yard uphill par-4 seventh hole. He drove within 10 yards of the green and then used a 60-degree wedge to hole out his second shot en route to a 69. Galletti's front nine included back-to-back double bogeys on holes one and two and the eagle at seven.

Another eagle on a par-4 hole occurred at the 422-yard dogleg-right 10th as Geoff Gonzalez made a two, playing the hole in three under for the two rounds. Gonzalez wound up at 153, one stroke off the cut.

Daniel Lim made an eagle-3 at the par-5 first hole in Monday's first round of stroke play. A total of four eagles were recorded in stroke-play qualifying.

Learning Experience

The only 13-year-old in the field, Damian Telles of The Dalles, Ore., got a taste of elite junior golf this week in his first USGA event. The youngest competitor in the field had rounds of 80-77 to miss the cut by five strokes. But he did get an up-close view of the stroke-play medalist and the defending U.S. Junior Amateur champion.

"It was fun seeing him play," said Telles, whose only other national competition was the U.S. Kids World Championship in Virginia two years ago (tied for 30th out of 70 players). "His short game and everything is just so good. He's like a machine."

Leaving No Doubt

As one of the participants in the 10-for-9 playoff for the final match-play spots, Marshall Pickett knew he was in for tough battle. And when his tee shot at the par-3 eighth landed right of the green in the thick rough, his chances to survive suddenly became a lot more difficult. Despite the nasty lie, the 17-year-old from Wilmington, N.C., used a 58-degree wedge and holed out for the only birdie among the 10 playoff competitors. It earned him the 56th spot in the match-play draw and he avoided having to face medalist Brian Harman in the first round.

"I knew all I had to do was get up and down, so I chipped it in instead," said Pickett.

Pickett watched Andrew Winings chip his ball some 15 feet past the hole and thought he would have a difficult time saving his par. That took some of the pressure off. Winings, as it turned out, missed the putt and was the odd man out. The other eight players all made par.

Glenn Northcutt, the last golfer to make par in the playoff, wound up drawing Harman for his first-round opponent.

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


	Tuesday Notebook: Golf Course Produces Olympic Effort Stroke-Play Qualifying Yields 7 Sub-Par Rounds By David Shefter, USGA San Francisco - When the U.S. Open was last held at Olympic Club in 1998, the winning score was 280 or even par by Lee Janzen. The 156 juniors assembled here this week to play the U.S. Junior on the four-time U.S. Open venue quickly discovered why the world's best professionals struggled to post low numbers. Even though the course measure just 6,790 yards, the rolling terrain, small greens and penalizing rough takes its toll on these elite junior golfers. Out of 311 rounds (one competitor withdrew on Tuesday) played in stroke-play qualifying, just seven were below the par of 70, and two of them were by the same person, medalist Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga. (67-66). Sunghoon Kang, the 2003 U.S. Junior stroke-play medalist, had a 67 on Tuesday, while Matt Savage had a 68 on Monday. Korean-born Seung-Su Han, the 2002 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, Robert Galletti Jr. and Lucas Lee each had a 69 on Tuesday. The stroke average for both rounds combined was 77.379, with the back nine playing.3 strokes higher than the front. In 1998, for the U.S. Open, the course played to a stroke average of 74.4. "The rough around the greens is just so thick and you have no idea how [the ball] is going to come out," said 16-year-old Chris Jensen of nearby Los Al tos who carded rounds of 71-75-146 to easily qualify for match play. "It can come out soft or you could fly it over the green." Tom Glissmeyer, who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club, discovered that finding the fairways is paramount if you want to keep your score down. His hit just one fairway in his first 12 holes on Tuesday and eventually stopped using his driver. The result was a 79 that put him at 151 and just inside the cut line of 152. "My key for match play will be fairways and greens," said Glissmeyer, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo. "I still think I can do well. I hit some good shots coming in and it will be fun if I can get in [to match play]." Added Savage, who finished up at 141 (one over) and is the No. 2 seed for match play: "This is a tough golf course. I played great the last two days. But I kind of struggled with my driver today. I didn't hit too many fairways. I didn't put myself in good position. I liked it a lot better yesterday. It was an easy 68. Today it was a tough 73." As for the toughest hole, that easily was the 464-yard uphill 17th, which plays as a par 5 for the membership but is converted into a par 4 for championships. The stroke average on that hole this week was 4.852 with just six birdies recorded. It was the only hole not to yield double-digit birdies. Hole 11 gave up 10 birdies. At the 1998 U.S. Open, No. 17 also ranked No. 1 for the week with a 4.716 stroke average (nine birdies). Janzen wrapped up the Open title in 1998 when hit a gorgeous 3-iron approach to the back of the green and two-putted for par en route to beating the late Payne Stewart by one stroke. The easiest hole was the par-3 eighth, which played to an average of 3.071. The par-5 first ranked 17th at 5.100. An-Core Even though he failed to match his 1-over par round from Monday, 14-year-old Korean Steven An still managed a 6-over 76 to easily qualify for match play. An has spent the last two summers living with his golf coach, Tommy Kim, in Daly City, Calif. Kim is a teaching pro at the Cypress Golf Course in Colma. An's mother, Bok Sun, also is with him while his more-famous father remains in Korea. Bhyung An is a well-known baseball coach and worked with current major leaguer Chan Ho Park before he came to the U.S. to pitch for the Dodgers. But his son preferred to hit a ball that is a little bit smaller and isn't moving quite so fast. "He is scared of baseball," said Kim. "The ball is too hard and goes too fast." An, despite his young age and lack of experience - this is his first U.S. Junior - is showing quite the mental fortitude this week at Olympic. He seems relaxed and his constant smile reveals that he's enjoying himself. He displayed his talent at the par-4 12th hole when he hit his drive into the right rough. He only was able to advance the ball some 50 yards, but his wedge approach stopped just four feet from the flag where he converted the par putt. At the par-3 eighth hole, An's last of the round, he landed his tee shot six feet below the hole and converted the birdie putt. "He hits the ball so straight," said his caddie David Kim, who is not related to Tommy but does see him for instruction. David Kim will be a sophomore at San Jose State and played in the 2001 U.S. Junior, losing in the first round to current PGA Tour pro Kevin Na, 4 and 3. "He hits almost every fairway and every green. And he has really good touch on the greens. "I feel this course is just right for him. It's not a lengthy course (6,790 yards), but you have to hit it straight and hit every green." Added fellow-competitor Chris Jensen, who played a practice round with An: "He really has good, sound fundamentals. He doesn't miss very many shots." Tommy Kim says he's seen vast improvement in An's game since he began working with him last winter. Kim and An's father are friends and that's what brought the two together. "He has a very strong mental game," said Tommy Kim, who has been a teaching pro in the U.S. for the past 18 years. "He has a big heart." An will head back to Korea in August, but one gets the feeling he wants to keep returning to the U.S. "I like it here better," An said with a big smile. When asked what his goals are now that he made the match-play cut, An replied: "Win the tournament." Eagle Has Landed Daniel Woltman of Beaver Dam, Wis., couldn't wipe the small off his face after recording a rare feat at the 18th hole on Tuesday. The 17-year-old holed out his approach shot on the par-4 finishing hole for an eagle. Woltman used a 9-iron from 128 yards. The ball took a hop, glanced past the flagstick some 18 inches and then spun back into the hole, much to the delight of the gallery standing around the green. In the same round Robert Galletti Jr. of Clayton, Calif., matched the feat with an eagle at the 284-yard uphill par-4 seventh hole. He drove within 10 yards of the green and then used a 60-degree wedge to hole out his second shot en route to a 69. Galletti's front nine included back-to-back double bogeys on holes one and two and the eagle at seven. Another eagle on a par-4 hole occurred at the 422-yard dogleg-right 10th as Geoff Gonzalez made a two, playing the hole in three under for the two rounds. Gonzalez wound up at 153, one stroke off the cut. Daniel Lim made an eagle-3 at the par-5 first hole in Monday's first round of stroke play. A total of four eagles were recorded in stroke-play qualifying. Learning Experience The only 13-year-old in the field, Damian Telles of The Dalles, Ore., got a taste of elite junior golf this week in his first USGA event. The youngest competitor in the field had rounds of 80-77 to miss the cut by five strokes. But he did get an up-close view of the stroke-play medalist and the defending U.S. Junior Amateur champion. "It was fun seeing him play," said Telles, whose only other national competition was the U.S. Kids World Championship in Virginia two years ago (tied for 30th out of 70 players). "His short game and everything is just so good. He's like a machine." Leaving No Doubt As one of the participants in the 10-for-9 playoff for the final match-play spots, Marshall Pickett knew he was in for tough battle. And when his tee shot at the par-3 eighth landed right of the green in the thick rough, his chances to survive suddenly became a lot more difficult. Despite the nasty lie, the 17-year-old from Wilmington, N.C., used a 58-degree wedge and holed out for the only birdie among the 10 playoff competitors. It earned him the 56th spot in the match-play draw and he avoided having to face medalist Brian Harman in the first round. "I knew all I had to do was get up and down, so I chipped it in instead," said Pickett. Pickett watched Andrew Winings chip his ball some 15 feet past the hole and thought he would have a difficult time saving his par. That took some of the pressure off. Winings, as it turned out, missed the putt and was the odd man out. The other eight players all made par. Glenn Northcutt, the last golfer to make par in the playoff, wound up drawing Harman for his first-round opponent. David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. E-mail him with comments or questions at dshefter@usga.org.