June 24, 2013: Qualifying Day

What an amazing day.  I have suddenly been hitting the ball much better in the past week, but unable to make putts.  A 71 at Club GreenMeadows the previous Friday, but had the opportunity for a 66.  Yesterday morning at GMGC a 70 leaving two strokes on short putts.

So heading into today’s qualifying at Willamette Valley CC for the US Senior Open I just wanted to hit tee shots in the fairway and putt well.  I really had no serious expectations of qualifying.  This was to be practice for the Chapter Championship and the Section Senior Championship.  I did think the course length with the undulating greens, it wouldn’t take too much under par to qualifying.

I was nervous to start, missing the first two fairways and first three greens making one par.  A par on the fourth from the trees, an easy up and down on the fifth calmed me down.  A birdie on the long, 615, par-5 sixth let me know I would play well.  Birdies on 8, 3-iron par-3 and a 25 foot putt, and 9, a 60 foot putt that nearly slam dunks are encouraging. At one under par making the turn, I am still focused on hitting each shot and putt the best I can without concern for positive or negative consequences

A terrible tee shot on 10 to the right trees and I still make par with a 10’ putt.  Tee shot on 11 barely misses the trees, I have never liked that tee shot, but I miss a short L-R birdie putt.  Still having problems with those.  A lucky break on 12 and another 10 footer made for par. 

Beginning with 13, the pin locations got tough.  A poor tee shot on this par-3 lead to a difficult two putt that I executed.  A birdie on the short par-5 14^th was nice, but I still didn’t think I could make enough birdies on the remaining holes to qualify.  Finally a three putt on the long par-3 15^th, a missed short L-R.  16 was playing 50 yards longer than I usually play it, so a 3-iron to a back left pin hooked too much but made a 6’ for par. 17 was a routine two putt par.  Another bad tee shot on 18, right in the trees well over 200 yards away with no chance to reach the green.  But a made 12’ putt kept me under par for the day, equaling my lowest round at Willamette Valley CC.

As I left the scores tent, I saw Bruce Stewart on the putting green, and he said he was waiting around to see what happens.  Then he told me he shot 70.  I just shook my head in disbelief and the irony of missing out on qualifying by one shot.  Neil Bartlett and all my college friends would laugh as well.  I can’t tell you how many times in missed qualifying (1983 US Amateur is the biggest), or cashing a check by only one shot.

Around the scoreboard, some players say that the first alternate from this qualifying should get it the championship.  The USGA reserves spots for “unlikely winners” on the Senior Tour.   An unlikely winner is someone who wins in the last few weeks before the championship that isn’t already qualified.

Three of us head to the first tee for the playoff to determine the first and second alternates.  Tom Carey, Meriwether National, misses a 6-7’ birdie putt on #1 while Randy Mahar and I both make pars.  On the par-5 second, both Randy and Tom hit good drives and I hook one into the left rough and I squirt a 2 hybrid to the right rough while Tom and Randy are side by side about 90 yards from the pin.  I have 130 out of the rough and need to keep the shot under the trees.  I first pull and 8-iron to play it back in my stance to keep it under the trees, but I determine that it is too risky feeling the ball would fly too high and hit the trees.  So I pull a 7-rion and make a smooth  130 yard shot perfectly under the trees to about 15 feet from the pin.  Tom hits his wedge to 20 feet and Randy misses the green.  Randy chips to a foot and Tom’s putt is too hard and misses high.  My putt is downhill with a slight double break.  I put no pressure on myself to make an exceptional putt, but I have seen the lines well all day, and this was no exception as the ball dropped for a birdie.  Now I have played this golf course at least a dozen times, and have never birdied this hole until today!

This is unbelievable.  Again after returning to the clubhouse afterwards, a player tells me that I will get in and what a great experience I will have.  I am having difficulty at this time keeping it together.  One of my goals I set 30 years ago was to play in every USGA event available to me – Jr. Amatuer, 1980, US Amateur, 1983, US Open, not going to happen, and the US Senior Open, 2013?.  To be able to play in the Senior Open will just be incredible.

What to do?  If I get in I am calling everyone I know that has played in a tour event or USGA Championship – Jeff Wilson, Jeff Coston, Tom Carey – to learn how to prepare and what to expect.

I asked Connor to caddie.  At first he was unenthusiastic, but when he found out it is an actual championship he is all over it.

I will need to adjust my work schedule to provide more opportunity to practice and play.  I will need a 12 degree driver and a couple hybrids, I expect I need more loft into greens.

But I am already nervous about the first tee.  If I get the first tee shot off, I would be fine.

If I go I want to learn – tour vans, fitness center, watch the tour guys prepare.  Play practice rounds with old friends – Duffy, Brehaut.  Ask the USGA if they have replica player medallions from the 1980 Jr. and 1983 Amateur that I could acquire.