Wednesday_Notebook

Wednesday Notebook: Harris Puts On Rally Cap

By David Shefter, USGA

San Francisco - You can officially call Charlie Harris "Captain Comeback."

Two down with two to play against Alex Wagner, Harris was seemingly on his way back to his hometown of Fresno, Calif. But the 17 year old called on his experience to pull out a dramatic 19-hole victory Wednesday in the first round of match play at the 57th U.S. Junior Amateur at The Olympic Club.

A year ago at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., Harris was 5 down after nine holes to Greg Carlin, a Columbia C.C. member. Harris didn't give in and took the match to the 18th hole before losing, 1 down.

"Last year I was a nervous wreck," Harris recalled. "This year I felt I was much more calm and I had much more experience than the guy I was playing. That's what fueled me. I could see in his eyes that he was pretty nervous."

Harris, who was the seventh seed from stroke-play qualifying (144), won the difficult 17th hole with a bogey-5. At 18, he hit a 3-iron off the tee and a solid approach to the fringe. Wagner 's approach found the right rough near the bunker. The uneven lie forced him to stand with his back to the flagstick and hit the chip backhanded. The ball stopped eight feet from the hole. With a chance to win the match, Wagner missed, while Harris coolly holed a tricky 3-foot right-to-left slider to keep the match going.

"I probably had one of the toughest putts [on that green]," said Harris. "His chip was one of the best I've ever seen. It was a clutch shot.

"But I'm like, 'I've got the momentum, I can win this [match].' "

Harris hit a nice fade at the par-5 first hole and ripped a 3-wood approach to 20 feet. A two-putt birdie capped the rally, as Wagner bogeyed the hole.

"I struggled a bit today," said Harris. "But when I needed to get it done, I got it done. I was playing catch-up the whole day."

Galletti's Gallery

Roberto Galletti Jr. of Clayton, Calif., has drawn quite a following this week, including one uncle (Fernando) who flew over from Florence, Italy to see him play. The 16 year old has not disappointed, although he sweated out a tough 1-up victory over left-hander Brad Valois of Warwick, R.I., on Wednesday. The two were all-square going to 18 when Valois made a six to Galletti's four.

"That's the most nervous match I've ever had in my life," said Galletti, who drew a loud cheer after holing the clinching putt. "There's just a lot of pressure. So many people are rooting for me and I don't want to let them down. Winning the first match feels pretty good, especially when it came down like this."

That nervousness sometimes manifests itself to the pace at which Galletti plays. When he thinks he has the hole won, he'll get ahead of himself and play too quickly. That's when caddie and friend Mike Vickers steps in.

"It's not so much when the pressure is on," said Vickers. "It's more when he knows he can win the hole easily, he gets real fast and anxious."

Galletti was born in Oakland, but actually spent a couple of his early childhood years in his dad's native Italy. The younger Galletti can speak a little Italian and he makes regular visits to the country every summer, although the last two years, competitive golf has kept Galletti in the U.S.

"I can speak the language," said Galletti, who missed the match-play cut at the 2003 U.S. Junior. "I love the food there."

Savage Salvages Win

The thought process behind match play is much the same as the NCAA basketball tournament: survive and advance. That's exactly what Matt Savage did on Wednesday. The 17 year old from Louisville, Ky., didn't quite match his stellar play from the stroke-play qualifying rounds against Seth Lauer of Bradenton, Fla., but he managed a 1-up victory to reach the second round for the second consecutive year. He'll face Andrew Carroll of Little Rock, Ark., on Thursday morning.

"The first one is always the hardest to get," said Savage, who lost to Seann Harlington, 1 up, in the round of 32 last year. "I can't play like I did today and expect to win tomorrow. I'm just playing tomorrow, that's all I can really say."

Savage was sporting a hat signed by fellow Junior Amateur competitor Daniel Woltman. When Woltman captured the Westfield (Ohio) PGA Junior last week, a lot of young fans approached him for autographs. So Savage decided to get into the act.

A few more wins this week and Savage might be returning the favor.

Going An

One of the youngest players in the field, 14 year old Steve An of Korea needed 19 holes to dispatch one of the field's tallest players in 6-foot-6 Phillip Chauncey of Durham, N.C. An held a 1-up advantage going to 18, but his approach shot landed well short and right of the green. He put his third in the bunker and eventually made a six to lose the hole.

At the first extra hole, the par-5 first, An knocked his wedge approach to within six feet and he converted the birdie putt to clinch the victory.

An has spent the last two summers living in nearby Daly City with his swing coach, Tommy Kim. He heads back to Korea to begin eighth grade in a couple of weeks.

Magic Beads

Two years ago Brian Harman bought a black necklace and he hasn't taken it off, not even for a shower. Call it a good-luck charm.

"I've been everywhere with them," said Harman. "I've always had two black ones. I bought a couple of new ones because they break occasionally. I got a couple in Hawaii.

"I started wearing them and started playing good, so I don't take them off."

Add Harman

Helped by a gentle breeze, Harman was able to drive the 286-yard, uphill seventh hole in Wednesday's first-round match with Glenn Northcutt.

"We had a little different wind today, a little downwind and I piped it," said Harman. "It was right up that little neck [between the bunkers] and I was like, 'Yeah!' Let's get up there and make birdie."

As fortune would have it, Harman three-putted for a par, while Northcutt, who hit his drive short and right into the rough, knocked his wedge approach shot to within four feet and holed the putt for a birdie to take the hole.

"There was a few times . where I thought I was going to rattle him a little bit and I just didn't," said Harman. "It was a good match. He kind of just fell apart there in the end. It was a lot closer match than the score showed."

Still Going

Three players who survived the 10-for-9 playoff just to get into the match-play draw managed to play well enough to earn another match. Tyler Obermueller, a lefty from River Falls, Wis., defeated eighth-seeded Daniel Lim of Gilroy, Calif., 3 and 2, and Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass., ousted fifth seed Lucas Lee of Los Angeles in 19 holes. Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., also defeated 2002 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year Seung-Su Han of Korea, 4 and 3. Han was the sixth seed.

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


	Wednesday Notebook: Harris Puts On Rally Cap By David Shefter, USGA San Francisco - You can officially call Charlie Harris "Captain Comeback." Two down with two to play against Alex Wagner, Harris was seemingly on his way back to his hometown of Fresno, Calif. But the 17 year old called on his experience to pull out a dramatic 19-hole victory Wednesday in the first round of match play at the 57th U.S. Junior Amateur at The Olympic Club. A year ago at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., Harris was 5 down after nine holes to Greg Carlin, a Columbia C.C. member. Harris didn't give in and took the match to the 18th hole before losing, 1 down. "Last year I was a nervous wreck," Harris recalled. "This year I felt I was much more calm and I had much more experience than the guy I was playing. That's what fueled me. I could see in his eyes that he was pretty nervous." Harris, who was the seventh seed from stroke-play qualifying (144), won the difficult 17th hole with a bogey-5. At 18, he hit a 3-iron off the tee and a solid approach to the fringe. Wagner 's approach found the right rough near the bunker. The uneven lie forced him to stand with his back to the flagstick and hit the chip backhanded. The ball stopped eight feet from the hole. With a chance to win the match, Wagner missed, while Harris coolly holed a tricky 3-foot right-to-left slider to keep the match going. "I probably had one of the toughest putts [on that green]," said Harris. "His chip was one of the best I've ever seen. It was a clutch shot. "But I'm like, 'I've got the momentum, I can win this [match].' " Harris hit a nice fade at the par-5 first hole and ripped a 3-wood approach to 20 feet. A two-putt birdie capped the rally, as Wagner bogeyed the hole. "I struggled a bit today," said Harris. "But when I needed to get it done, I got it done. I was playing catch-up the whole day." Galletti's Gallery Roberto Galletti Jr. of Clayton, Calif., has drawn quite a following this week, including one uncle (Fernando) who flew over from Florence, Italy to see him play. The 16 year old has not disappointed, although he sweated out a tough 1-up victory over left-hander Brad Valois of Warwick, R.I., on Wednesday. The two were all-square going to 18 when Valois made a six to Galletti's four. "That's the most nervous match I've ever had in my life," said Galletti, who drew a loud cheer after holing the clinching putt. "There's just a lot of pressure. So many people are rooting for me and I don't want to let them down. Winning the first match feels pretty good, especially when it came down like this." That nervousness sometimes manifests itself to the pace at which Galletti plays. When he thinks he has the hole won, he'll get ahead of himself and play too quickly. That's when caddie and friend Mike Vickers steps in. "It's not so much when the pressure is on," said Vickers. "It's more when he knows he can win the hole easily, he gets real fast and anxious." Galletti was born in Oakland, but actually spent a couple of his early childhood years in his dad's native Italy. The younger Galletti can speak a little Italian and he makes regular visits to the country every summer, although the last two years, competitive golf has kept Galletti in the U.S. "I can speak the language," said Galletti, who missed the match-play cut at the 2003 U.S. Junior. "I love the food there." Savage Salvages Win The thought process behind match play is much the same as the NCAA basketball tournament: survive and advance. That's exactly what Matt Savage did on Wednesday. The 17 year old from Louisville, Ky., didn't quite match his stellar play from the stroke-play qualifying rounds against Seth Lauer of Bradenton, Fla., but he managed a 1-up victory to reach the second round for the second consecutive year. He'll face Andrew Carroll of Little Rock, Ark., on Thursday morning. "The first one is always the hardest to get," said Savage, who lost to Seann Harlington, 1 up, in the round of 32 last year. "I can't play like I did today and expect to win tomorrow. I'm just playing tomorrow, that's all I can really say." Savage was sporting a hat signed by fellow Junior Amateur competitor Daniel Woltman. When Woltman captured the Westfield (Ohio) PGA Junior last week, a lot of young fans approached him for autographs. So Savage decided to get into the act. A few more wins this week and Savage might be returning the favor. Going An One of the youngest players in the field, 14 year old Steve An of Korea needed 19 holes to dispatch one of the field's tallest players in 6-foot-6 Phillip Chauncey of Durham, N.C. An held a 1-up advantage going to 18, but his approach shot landed well short and right of the green. He put his third in the bunker and eventually made a six to lose the hole. At the first extra hole, the par-5 first, An knocked his wedge approach to within six feet and he converted the birdie putt to clinch the victory. An has spent the last two summers living in nearby Daly City with his swing coach, Tommy Kim. He heads back to Korea to begin eighth grade in a couple of weeks. Magic Beads Two years ago Brian Harman bought a black necklace and he hasn't taken it off, not even for a shower. Call it a good-luck charm. "I've been everywhere with them," said Harman. "I've always had two black ones. I bought a couple of new ones because they break occasionally. I got a couple in Hawaii. "I started wearing them and started playing good, so I don't take them off." Add Harman Helped by a gentle breeze, Harman was able to drive the 286-yard, uphill seventh hole in Wednesday's first-round match with Glenn Northcutt. "We had a little different wind today, a little downwind and I piped it," said Harman. "It was right up that little neck [between the bunkers] and I was like, 'Yeah!' Let's get up there and make birdie." As fortune would have it, Harman three-putted for a par, while Northcutt, who hit his drive short and right into the rough, knocked his wedge approach shot to within four feet and holed the putt for a birdie to take the hole. "There was a few times . where I thought I was going to rattle him a little bit and I just didn't," said Harman. "It was a good match. He kind of just fell apart there in the end. It was a lot closer match than the score showed." Still Going Three players who survived the 10-for-9 playoff just to get into the match-play draw managed to play well enough to earn another match. Tyler Obermueller, a lefty from River Falls, Wis., defeated eighth-seeded Daniel Lim of Gilroy, Calif., 3 and 2, and Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass., ousted fifth seed Lucas Lee of Los Angeles in 19 holes. Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., also defeated 2002 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year Seung-Su Han of Korea, 4 and 3. Han was the sixth seed. David Shefter is a USGA staff writer. E-mail him with questions and comments at dshefter@usga.org