With five bogeys in his opening seven holes on Thursday, followed by a crushing seven at the long 10th, John DiMarco knew he was set for an early departure from his first US Open. But the 38-year-old club professional had realised an ambition simply by being at Pinehurst. It was the sort of achievement people here are describing as straight out of Tin Cup.
This will be recalled as the Kevin Costner movie in which the eponymous professional from an obscure, run-down drivingrange in Texas, qualified for the US Open. For DiMarco, the chance came when rounds of 73 and 68 allowed him to join former champion Fuzzy Zoeller as one of the seven qualifiers at Canoe Brook CC, New Jersey, on June 8th.
As part of his reward, he was to be seen last Wednesday, name-plate and all, hitting shots on the practice ground at Pinehurst No 2 beside Nick Faldo and a few places away from Jack Nicklaus. Though he clearly enjoyed the experience, not all debutants could relish the moment.
Indeed it took considerable persuasion by caddie Denny Lenartowicz to get his man, Mike Stone, to hit balls beside the stars. "There's a spot," said the caddie, pointing to a space just past Fred Couples and directly beside Tiger Woods. "Not there, no way," Stone protested. But the caddie stood fast. "Come on," he insisted, "you belong here."
So, from giving lessons for $35 an hour at a driving range beside a miniature golf course in Toledo, Ohio, the 27-year-old was about to hit shots with the best. Lenartowitz handed Stone a sandwedge with the gentle warning: "Don't shank it and kill somebody."
Last week, when he realised he had qualified by two strokes, Stone made no attempt to stem the tears. "I had to put on my sunglasses, my eyes were so swollen," he said. Then came the offer of a free air-ticket from a Toledo benefactor and accommodation from friends in the Pinehurst area.
Nobody would dispute that the chance of a player like DiMarco or Stone capturing the US Open is extremely slim. But by paying a $100 entry fee, they earned the right to compete with 7,800 others for 89 qualifying places. And their presence at Pinehurst served to emphasise the democratic nature of golf at the highest level.
" `The rough is too high!' Check him off. `The greens are too fast!' Check him off. You just check guys off as they complain, because they complain themselves right out of this championship." - Jack Nicklaus on this week's US Open.
AS a potential successor to Seve Ballesteros, it was hardly flattering to have his appearance compared with that of a battered heavyweight fighter. But according to his manager, Jose Marquina, Sergio Garcia looked like "Evander Holyfield after a fight", when an abscess caused his left eye to become almost completely shut. That was why he withdrew from the St Jude Classic in Memphis last weekend.
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who earned $202,650 from two US tournaments recently, is now back in Spain, preparing for European Tour action in the Murphy's Irish Open. But before returning home, he got a letter from the PGA of America inviting him to compete in their championship at Medinah in August, on a special exemption.
Garcia also received a sponsor's exemption to compete in the Buick Open on August 5th to 8th, the week before the USPGA Championship. In fact he made himself eligible for a conditional card and unlimited sponsors' invitations on the USPGA Tour, by earning $58,650 for an 11th-place finish in the Memorial Tournament.
Surprisingly, he didn't try to qualify for this week's US Open, though he would probably have been forced to withdraw because of the eye problem. Meanwhile, he could make a temporary departure from the US scene with a ringing endorsement from no less a figure than Jack Nicklaus. Looking towards the Ryder Cup, the Bear declared: "He's got a chance to be the first player on the (European) team. They'd be crazy not to pick him."
OVER the years, Pinehurst has been host to numerous celebrities, including actors Bing Crosby, Dustin Hoffman, Randolph Scott and Julie London, quite apart from US Presidents Harry Truman and Richard Nixon. But in the resort's early years, a particularly popular resident was the famous sharp-shooter, Annie Oakley.
Having made a name for herself in "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" from 1885 to 1901, Annie joined the staff of the resort's Carolina Hotel in 1916. And while she was giving shooting exhibitions, her setter birddog Dave would sniff out money from spectators, to be donated later to the Red Cross.
Her sojourn at Pinehurst was ended, however, by a car accident when she was holidaying in Florida. A semi-invalid, she returned to her native Ohio where she ended her days.
IF Pete Sampras happens to appear quite relaxed when opening the defence of his Wimbledon title next week, it may be due to a nerve-wrecking sporting experience he had three years ago. That was when he competed in his first real golf tournament, in Lake Tahoe. "There were a couple hundred people around and I was shaking," he said. "It was worse than Wimbledon."
Still, he controlled his nerves sufficiently to win a longdriving competition with a formidable whack of 332 yards. Though he hasn't an official handicap, Sampras once shot 83 around Augusta National and reckons he's capable of playing to about 10. "I started the game when I was 17 and was hooked," he said.
So, let's have it Pete: what's the difference between golf and tennis? "You can make a couple of mistakes in tennis and still win, but not in golf," he replied. "It is also an advantage to be able to run around in tennis. In the Tahoe event, I was mentally drained. Then there is the way golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years."
But one crucial element is common to both sports. "With high-tech equipment you have a bigger sweet-spot and therefore fewer misses," he said.
GOLFERS have more than minute snails to worry about. Here in Pinehurst, it is the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker which, according to an impeccable ornithological source, are not an everyday sight on Irish courses.
Anyway, since 1995, the Pinehurst club have been working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and other private landowners to create a safe harbour for our feathered friend. It seems that they nest in cavities in trees and the Pinehurst property is home to seven varieties, including a couple currently nesting and breeding.
"Thanks to them and other landowners like them, the decline of the species has been halted," said Michael Bean, chairman of the EDF wildlife programme. And what are the woodpeckers' prospects of living in harmony with golfers? "The birds don't seem to be the slightest bit bothered," added Bean. And as we all know, Mr Bean is nobody's fool.
IF the claim that it "truly is an Irish links" were not enough, its description as the country's "most unique course" clearly warranted closer study. Who knows, it could be a layout of such quality as to be literally worth going to hell and back to see.
We are referring to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, where the 32nd PGA Club Professional Championship will be played next week. Designed by Pete Dye to resemble "an Irish seaside links course", the 7,186-yard par-72 layout was officially opened last July.
"The course really doesn't have a tree on it, other than some of the areas far off the fairway," said resident professional Kent Instefjord. "It is unlike anything else in this country." Which appears to have been the intention of Dye and the course owner, Herb Kohler Jnr.
Kohler's company bought a two-mile stretch of land along Lake Michigan, where Dye supervised a massive earthmoving project to create majestic, cliff-side par-three holes and off-fairway sand dunes. And to enhance the traditional look, the fairways are of specially selected fescues. The verdict? "It's a monster," said defending champion Mike Burke. Which covers a multitude.
Teaser: A player who started a round with 13 clubs, broke his putter in anger, i.e., other than in the normal course of play, during the first nine holes. He bought another putter in the pro shop after the first nine and used it for the remainder of the round. Rule 4-4a(ii) permits replacing a club only if it becomes unfit for play in the normal course of play. Was the player subject to penalty?
Answer: No. Since he started with 13 clubs, he was entitled to add another club under Rule 4-4a(i).
