15 Year-Old In U.S. Open

/
From AP:
Tadd Fujikawa, a 15-year-old who just completed his freshman year at Moanalua High School, beat out nine other players in the smallest U.S. Open sectional qualifier to earn a trip to Winged Foot next week.

"Maybe in my wildest dreams I thought about it," Fujikawa said.

Fujikawa missed by one year becoming the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open. Tyrell Garth was 14 when he qualified to play in the 1941 U.S. Open at Colonial.
And...
Lori Fujikawa said her son didn't start getting serious about golf until four years ago when he began taking lessons. He was previously into judo. Despite being just over 5 feet, the teen averages about 285 yards off the tee.

Fujikawa said he doesn't know what to expect, but he likes the idea of being inside the ropes with the best players in the world.

"I don't really have a favorite player, but of course it will be pretty cool to be in the same tournament as Tiger Woods," he said.

The Man Loves His Spikes (And He'll WD To Prove His Point)

/

Thanks to reader Tom Kirkendall and reader Edward for the heads up on this interesting Steve Campbell story about Steve Elkington WD'ing after being told he couldn't wear spikes at Lakewood Country Club.

USGA rules allow players to use spikes at next week's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. At the sectional level, the USGA allows the host sites to set the rules. Of the 13 sectionals on American soil, two allowed long spikes and 11 required soft spikes.

"I made a stand for the sport," Elkington said. "The USGA does not have an across-the-board way of qualifying. How can they have some sites that are spikeless and some sites that are not — and the rules of the USGA don't apply?

"They lost the plot here today about what it's all about."

Euro U.S. Open Qualifier: 24 WD's *

/

Starting at 71 players for 8 spots, it ended up a 47 for 8 spotter. Lovely.

Other than Darren Clarke, the rest of the DNS's should not be allowed to enter next year unless they have a really, really good excuse.

Maarten Lafeber 64-66--130 -14
Graeme McDowell 70-68--138 -6
Jyoti Randhawa 71-67--138 -6
Graeme Storm 69-69--138 -6
Richard Green 72-67--139 -5
Jeev M. Singh 70-69--139 -5
Oliver Wilson 71-69--140 -4
Phillip Archer 69-71--140 -4
• • •
Failed To Qualify

y/a-Gary Wolstenholme 72-68--140 -4
y-Soren Kjeldsen 70-70--140 -4
Soren Hansen 69-71--140 -4
Marcus Fraser 74-67--141 -3
Garry Houston 67-74--141 -3
Peter O'Malley 71-70--141 -3
Steve Webster 68-73--141 -3
Gary Emerson 71-71--142 -2
Gregory Havret 71-71--142 -2
Andrew McLardy 75-67--142 -2
Jamie Spence 71-71--142 -2
Simon Wakefield 72-70--142 -2
Emanuele Canonica 75-68--143 -1
Peter Fowler 73-70--143 -1
Raphael Jacquelin 71-72--143 -1
Chris Rodgers 72-71--143 -1
Brett Rumford 73-70--143 -1
Gregory Bourdy 71-73--144 E
Brian Davis 73-71--144 E
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 72-73--145 +1
Jose-Filipe Lima 73-72--145 +1
Joakim Backstrom 71-75--146 +2
Paul Broadhurst 72-74--146 +2
Paul Lawrie 77-69--146 +2
Wade Ormsby 71-75--146 +2
Christian Cevaer 71-76--147 +3
Robert Karlsson 73-74--147 +3
Barry Lane 77-70--147 +3
Anthony Wall 72-75--147 +3
Simon Dyson 74-74--148 +4
Simon Khan 76-73--149 +5
Johan Edfors 76-74--150 +6
Francesco Molinari 74-79--153 +9
Peter Gustafsson 76-79--155 +11
Paul Curry 77-80--157 +13
Francois Delamontagne 72-WD
Andrew Oldcorn 75-WD
Richard Bland 76-WD
Sam Little 76-DQ
Darren Clarke WD
Nicolas Colsaerts WD
Robert-Jan Derksen WD
Jamie Donaldson WD
Scott Drummond WD
Richard Finch WD
Alastair Forsyth WD
Stephen Gallacher WD
Ignacio Garrido WD
Anton Haig WD
Christopher Hanell WD
Peter Hanson WD
Shiv Kapur WD
Jose Manuel Lara WD
Peter Lawrie WD
Jean Francois Lucquin WD
Andrew Marshall WD
Gary Murphy WD
Steven O'Hara WD
Marten Olander WD
Phillip Price WD
Miles Tunnicliff WD
Jean Van de Velde WD
Lee Westwood WD

 

Wie Coverage Watch

/

Michelle_Wie.jpgThere was something retro and really fun about following Brett Avery's live hole by hole account of Michelle Wie's quest to qualify for the U.S. Open. You'll get the same old time vibe by checking out this photo gallery from GolfDigest.com.

It's funny that PGATour.com had the best coverage of Wie's quest today while GolfDigest.com tried three different links to scores (Met, TGC, ESPN), SI had nothing but AP stuff and USGA.org kicked the day off with its annual rehash of its merchandising success story (and scores only updated after each nine holes).

Golf Channel and Rich Lerner came through with an excellent wrap up show that you would hope they might do every year for the Sectionals, and not just the times Michelle Wie tries to qualify.

But it was Avery's hole-by-hole account, and his (Bernard) Darwinian obervations that stole the show. Not only because it allowed us to get a feel for this unique event in golf history via the Internet, but Avery and the Tour may have ushered in a new era in golf coverage. With the length of a golf round and the spread-out nature of a course, no other sport lends itself to a writer using a Blackberry type device (I'm pretty sure these were written accounts) to contribute real time blog updates.

blackberry.gifIt wasn't perfect. You had to refresh the page instead of the page doing an automatic refresh like a typical PGATour leaderboard, but that's a minor detail they can work out. Imagine a similar on-course blog at a major where the writer follows the last group and offers supplemental online coverage for viewers at home wondering what went on with a ruling or what Tiger was saying to Stevie when they appeared to not agree on something.

Still, it requires an observant writer willing to take a few changes, and Avery, the former Golf Journal editor who covered the rise of Tiger Woods, was more than up to the task of putting Wie's historic run into perspective.

We can only hope PGATour.com will send Avery to Winged Foot so that web readers can get such a unique, inside-the-ropes account and that other golf news organizations will experiment with this novel form of reporting.

For a distinctly old school summary of the events, here's Dave Anderson column in the New York Times.

For final sectional results, check out this USOpen.com link.

Wie Watch* ** ***

/

PGATour.com's Brett Avery is doing a live blog on Michelle Wie's quest at Canoe Brook.

There is also this live scoring, but it's not nearly as up to date or interesting a complete waste of time.* Wie was through 8 holes and the live scoring page is still listing her tee time. Stick with the Avery blog.

Sectional "Storylines"

/

2006usopenlogo.jpegHighlights from the USGA media department release on U.S. Open qualifying "storylines":

June 5
Littleton, Colo. (Columbine C.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots

Steve Irwin of Golden, Colo., the son of three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, is in the field. The younger Irwin has never competed in an Open, while his father has 34 appearances, the second-most in history. 

Tyler Parsloe, 16, of Littleton, Colo., is hoping to follow in the footsteps of two other Colorado teens who recently qualified for the Open as 16-year-olds: Derek Tolan (2002) and Tom Glissmeyer (2003). Parsloe is one of four 16-year-olds to advance to sectional qualifying. 

Surrey, England (Walton Heath Golf Club): 71 golfers for 8 spots

Graeme McDowell of Ireland is a former Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper. 

Francesco Molinari of Italy is the older brother of 2006 U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari. Francesco captured the 2006 Italian Open. 

Gary Wolstenholme of England is a career amateur and is the all-time points leader for the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad. He also is a two-time British Amateur champion. 

Rockville, Md. (Woodmont Country Club): 51 golfers for 4 spots

Tommy Armour III of Las Colinas, Texas, is the grandson of 1927 U.S. Open champion Tommy Armour. He will be looking to play in his seventh Open. His grandfather competed in 27.

David Berganio Jr. of Sylmar, Calif., is a two-time winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship (1991 and ’93).

Wayne Defrancesco of Rockville, Md., will proceed to sectional qualifying at Woodmont C.C. where he is a teaching professional.  He finished with the low score of his qualifying field in Baltimore, Md. 

Gordon Vietmeier, 39, a teaching professional and a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., moved ahead to sectional rounds after qualifying at Quicksilver Golf Club.

Summit, N.J. (Canoe Brook C.C.): 153 golfers for 18 spots

Several New York-area residents will be trying to make it a special week at Winged Foot. 

* Charlie Meola grew up on the public courses near his house in Mamaroneck. But every once in a while he'd work up the nerve to take a few clubs and a handful of balls, cut through a couple of yards and sneak into Winged Foot Golf Club. Meola, now 31, has since returned to play the famed courses by entering through the front gates. The Mahopac Golf Club pro moved a step closer to playing Winged Foot in one of golf's majors. He fired an even-par 71 in his U.S. Open local qualifier at Siwanoy Country Club. 

* Ben Hoffhine’s apartment on Fenimore Road in Mamaroneck is as a little more than a mile down the street from Winged Foot Golf Club, and it’s likely there isn't a golf pro in the world who lives closer to this year's championship site. Hoffhine, the head pro at Wykagyl C.C. in New Rochelle, shot a 70 to earn medalist honors at his local qualifier at Atlantic Golf Club. 

* Another qualifier from the Atlantic G.C. site was Andrew Svoboda, a Winged Foot member (4-time Club champ) and former Met Open champion who advanced to the quarterfinals of the ’04 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot. Svoboda has since turned pro. 

* Heath Wassem, the head pro at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, also advanced at his local qualifier at Cherry Valley Club in Garden City. Fenway is located not far from Winged Foot. 

* Rick Hartmann of Sag Harbor, N.Y., is the pro at Atlantic Golf Club in Southampton. He played in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and finished tied for 46th. He is paired with Michelle Wie on Monday. 

* George Zahringer of New York is the oldest winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was 48 when he won in 2002 at his home course, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. 

USA Walker Cupper Nicholas Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., will be trying to advance to his first U.S. Open. He advanced from a Weston, Fla., qualifier. Thompson now plays on the PGA Tour. 

Brock Mackenzie of Yakima, Wash., was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup team. Mackenzie qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as an amateur. 

Geoffrey Sisk, 41, of Marshfield, Mass., will be attempting to qualify for his fifth U.S. Open. Sisk made the cut at Shinnecock Hills (T40) in 2004. He also made the cut at Pinehurst in 1999, finishing tied for 30th. 

Michelle Wie, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii is attempting to become the first female to ever play in a U.S. Open. Wie was medalist (shot even par 72) at her qualifier at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii. Wie won the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship as a 13-year-old, becoming the youngest winner of an “adult” USGA championship.

Former major winners Mark O’Meara (1998 Masters and British Open) and Mark Brooks (1996 PGA) are in the field. 

Hunter Mahan of Plano, Texas, won the 1999 U.S. Junior title and was the runner-up at the 2002 U.S. Amateur. He has competed in one U.S. Open (2003). 

Ricky Barnes of Stockton, Calif., was the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion. He competed in three U.S. Opens as an amateur, but has yet to qualify since turning pro in 2003.

Former Walker Cupper (1995) Kris Cox of Dallas, Texas, will look to draw on his good memories of Canoe Brook, where he shot a course-record 64 on the South Course to help him qualify for the Open in 2004.

Ben “Bubba” Dickerson of Plano, Texas, won the 2001 U.S. Amateur, but turned pro after the Masters and thus forfeited his exemption into the ’02 Open. He is hoping to qualify for his first Open. 

Austin Eaton III of North Sutton, N.H., won the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a semifinalist last summer at the U.S. Amateur. 

David Gossett of Germantown, Tenn., won the 1999 U.S. Amateur and made the cut at the 2000 Masters. He is paired with Michelle Wie in this qualifier. 

John Nieporte of Boca Raton, Fla., would like to have a special Father’s Day at Winged Foot. His father, Tom, is Winged Foot’s longtime head professional.

Columbus, Ohio (Brookside Golf & C.C./Lakes Golf & C.C.): 144 golfers for 21 spots
Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer's grandson, survived a six-man playoff to grab one of the final three berths available from his qualifier at Orlando’s MetroWest Golf Club. An 18-year-old amateur, he was the stroke-play medalist at the 2005 U.S. Junior, where he recorded a hole-in-one. Palmer has played in 32 U.S. Opens, while Saunders will look to play in his first. 

Jason Gore of Valencia, Calif., who was the ‘Prince of Pinehurst’ in 2005, went on to win three Nationwide Tour events and the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic. Gore played in the final pairing last June, only to shoot an 84 on Sunday.

Cincinnati native Brett Wetterich, who earned his first PGA Tour win in May at the EDS Byron Nelson Classic, needed a playoff to advance from his local qualifying site in Cincinnati.

Pinehurst, N.C., native Drew Scott, who is the golf coach at Rice University in Houston, survived a playoff to get one of the last two remaining spots at his qualifier in Daniels, W.Va.

Two-time major winner John Daly (1991 PGA and ’95 British Open) hopes to make it to his 14th U.S. Open, where his best finish is a T-27 in 1996. 

J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville, Ky., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup squad and then captured his first PGA Tour event as a rookie this past January at the FBR Open in Phoenix 

Trip Kuehne of Dallas, Texas, is a two-time USA Walker Cupper and the runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1994 U.S. Amateur. He also was low amateur at the 2003 U.S. Open.

Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur. 

Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., would like to get back to the venue where he won the 2004 U.S. Amateur. Moore also won the 2002 and ’04 APL titles and competed on the 2003 USA Walker Cup team. 

Kyle Reifers of Columbus, Ohio, competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and is one of three players not to turn professional. 

Jeff Sluman of Hinsdale, Ill., captured the 1988 PGA Championship and competed in 17 U.S. Opens. 

D.J. Trahan of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and was on the 2001 USA Walker Cup team.

Camilo Villegas of Colombia was the 1999 U.S. Junior runner-up and one of the top rookies on the PGA Tour. The 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills was his professional debut.

Chris Devlin, a native of Northern Ireland, advanced to sectional qualifying rounds.  He is currently a member of the golf team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Brad Hardin of Nashville, Tenn., moved ahead to sectional qualifying.  He is the brother of Leigh Anne Hardin, who was the 1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion. 

Columbus, Ohio #2 (Double Eagle Golf Club): 37 golfers for 2 spot

Michael Putnam of Tacoma, Wash., was a member of the 2005 USA Walker Cup team. He qualified for the 2005 U.S. Open as an amateur. Putnam, a member of the Nationwide Tour, was the medalist at the Somis, Calif., local qualifier.

Chez Reavie of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. 

Creswell, Ore. (Emerald Valley G.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots
Clay Ogden of West Point, Utah, won the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, including a quarterfinal victory over Michelle Wie.

Alejandro Canizares, 23, a native of Spain, finished first in local qualifying in Phoenix, Ariz.  The former ASU Sun Devil was the 2003 NCAA national champion and was also named Freshman of the Year. 

Houston, Texas (Lakeside Country Club): 32 golfers for 2 spots
Tom Kite of Austin, Texas, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, will be looking to compete in his 34th Open. Only Hale Irwin (34) and Jack Nicklaus (44) have competed in more U.S. Opens.

Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 APL. 

Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., won the 2005 U.S. Junior title on his 17th birthday. He is the son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, who will try to qualify in Columbus, Ohio. 

June 6

Tampa, Fla. (Old Memorial Golf Club): 59 golfers for 3 spots
Fred Ridley of Tampa, Fla., won the 1974 U.S. Amateur and just completed his two-year term as USGA President. The 53-year-old will try to qualify at his home club. 

John Calabria, 58, of Naples, Fla., is the oldest player to come out of local qualifying. 

Eric Cole, 17, of Orlando, can look to his mother for inspiration on the course. Laura Baugh captured the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur as a 16-year-old and competed in 14 Women’s Opens, including a tie for eighth in 1979. 

Matt Every, 22, of Daytona Beach, Fla., was low amateur at the 2005 U.S. Open and a member of the ’05 USA Walker Cup team. He recently was named the Ben Hogan Award winner. 


Atlanta, Ga. (Ansley Golf Club Settindown Creek Course): 65 golfers for 4 spot
Matt Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion who made the cut at both the 1998 Masters and U.S. Open, will look to play in his fifth U.S. Open. 

Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., won the 2003 U.S. Junior and was a key member of the victorious 2005 USA Walker Cup team. Harman just completed his freshman season at the University of Georgia. 

Nick Flanagan of Australia won the 2003 U.S. Amateur and competed at the ’04 Open, but missed the cut.

St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Run Golf Club): 27 golfers for 2 sports
Jay Delsing of St. Louis, who owns a pair of runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, will be vying to play in his third U.S. Open, but first since 1992 at Pebble Beach, where he tied for 33rd.

USGA Rough "Flexibility"

/

How's this for a strange take offered by the New York Times's Charles McGrath not offering tiered rough on Winged Foot's three most birdieable holes.

[Fay] explained later in an e-mail that he was looking for "the mythical half-stroke penalty": the shot that has a chance of getting to the green but that probably won't stay there. Fay added that the U.S.G.A. would also be flexible; on some of the easier holes, like Nos. 5 and 11, the rough might be six inches, and on 6, a 321-yard par 4 that some of the boomers may be able to reach off the tee, he intended to let the grass sprout to eight or beyond. "They're going to need a scythe to get it out of there!" he said happily.
Ah, spoken like a frustrated golfer.

You know, somehow the word flexible in the context of harvesting rough to stop birdies, just doesn't quite work, does it?
Length, he added, wasn't everything, explaining that the Winged Foot doglegs are so severe — in some cases, golfers can't see the green from the tee box — that a player who can't shape his drives may run out of real estate. "Look what happened here at the P.G.A. in 1997," he said. "On the last day you had Davis Love, one of the longest hitters in golf, and Justin Leonard, one of the shortest."
To which, McGrath counters with this: 
A couple of days later I spoke to Rick Smith, Phil Mickelson's swing coach, who said of No. 9: "You've got to blast it there. On the other hand, you're better off in the fairway with 240 in than being in the rough. If guys are struggling, they're just going to hit something accurate." About the driver question, he said: "Initially, Phil felt he wouldn't use both, because the fairways are so narrow — only about 22 yards. But with the length of some of those holes, he's reconsidering, and depending on the conditions, no question he might bring along the other driver."

Sounds like Phil may be flogging!

The story also has Fay predicting Tiger will only driver around 4 times around. Wanna bet? 

Mickelson On Winged Foot, Furrowing

/

 

PHIL MICKELSON: Over at Winged Foot, it's tough. It's a very tough golf course. Obviously we know the USGA is going to make it difficult. The rough is thicker and deeper than I've seen it. But I really like the layered rough. In the past you were rewarded for missing a shot with a larger margin of error. If you could hit it into the people, you were much better off than missing the fairway by a yard. Now with the layered rough it's imperative that you keep it, if you do miss a fairway, just off the fairway, because that thick rough is so high that there were sometimes it would take two or three shots just to get it back to the fairway. We'll see a lot of doubles and triples out of that rough, especially given the fact that they're going to keep the people further away. That thick rough won't get trampled down.

Q. (Inaudible.)

PHIL MICKELSON: I can always reach the people. If you reach the people now you'll be in the trees and it will be much more difficult to get it back to the fairway, because you have to chip it over the chick rough and get it stopped in a narrow fairway under the trees.

Q. (Inaudible.)

PHIL MICKELSON: It wasn't like Carnoustie like it wrapped around and they hadn't cut it for 1 year. They've ^money it perfectly right across the top, probably six inches, just like they said. Very consistent. But the third cut is. But it was thicker than I've seen it. It looks like when the ball would go to the bottom, the grass would just grow over it. It was very difficult.

Q. (Inaudible.)

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, yeah, the guy who wins won't be hitting it there. He'll be hitting it in the short stuff or if he ^dismiss it in the shorter cut. However, that thick grass was all around the green, they didn't layer it around the green, the six inch rough around the green.

Q. Do you like it?

PHIL MICKELSON: Do I like it? I'm not in favor of it around the green as much, because it takes the short game out of play. But I think that if you miss it right or if you hit a number of greens you'll be okay.

Q. (Inaudible.)

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, oh, yeah.

Q. (Inaudible.)

PHIL MICKELSON: No, but I have a hard time seeing it being anymore difficult than Shinnecock in '04 on the weekend. And I think the USGA can make it as hard as they want. Winged Foot is such a good course that it won't require ridiculous things to keep par a good score. In looking at it now, I don't see how guys are going to shoot under par. Of course I say that every open, and every open guys are under par the first couple of rounds.

And on the furrowing...
Q. The sand traps, they're going to do something different for the first time here at this tournament, the raking. It's really going to be a penalty. What do you hear about that, what are your thoughts?

PHIL MICKELSON: It is a hazard and nothing says that the bunkers need to be immaculate. Bobby Jones, back in the 20s, I believe, played Oakmont when they were using those furrowed rakes, and he said that he didn't like it, because it took the skill out of the game. Now, it just depends how bad a lie. Is there a chance we can hit a shot out of it? Or is it going to be just ridiculous where you're lucky to get it on the green, and it takes the skill out of it? So it's a fine line between the two. But I don't mind making a bunker a hazard, because it is.

 

Well said. It's almost like...na!