Employment Opportunities

The Oregon Golf Association is currently accepting applications for three non-permanent seasonal positions at our Woodburn, Ore. offices. Individuals interested in either position should send a cover letter and resume to: 

MAIL: Oregon Golf Association, 2840 Hazelnut Drive, Woodburn, OR 97071
EMAIL: info@oga.org

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POSITION - COMPUTER ASSISTANT (NON-PERMANENT/SEASONAL)

JOB DESCRIPTION - The person in this role will help us continue to implement the Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System.

The ideal candidate will have some familiarity using databases and spreadsheets.  The position will require data entry, creation reports, views and workflows as well as testing integration with third-party applications such as Constant Contact.

AVAILABLE - March 2010

REQUIREMENTS
* Computer skills: (Preferably Windows XP or higher, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
* Knowledge of Microsoft CRM helpful. (including process such as creating views, workflows, reports)
* Knowledge of Database Management helpful.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Ability to learn new software programs
* Knowledge of golf and/or golf administration extremely helpful
* Strong work ethic and willingness to learn

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POSITION - P.J. BOATWRIGHT INTERNSHIPS (NON-PERMANENT/SEASONAL) for the Oregon Golf Association and Oregon Junior Golf.

JOB DESCRIPTION - The P. J. Boatwright Intern will perform many administrative and managerial duties for the Oregon Golf Association’s various programs and activities.  The Intern must be able to exercise initiative and independent judgment in completing the tasks necessary to the smooth, professional operation of the OGA.

This internship will provide extensive training and experience in tournament administration.  It will also involve exposure to all aspects of golf administration including member services, handicapping, course rating, communications, media relations, junior golf, and general office administration. This position will provide a well-rounded experience for an individual seeking a career in golf administration.

AVAILABLE - MAY 2010

REQUIREMENTS
* Computer skills: (Preferably Windows XP or higher, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Knowledge of golf and/or golf administration extremely helpful
* Knowledge of GHIN’s Tournament Pairing Program (TPP) extremely helpful
* Ability to learn new software programs
* Strong work ethic and willingness to learn

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Individuals interested in either position should send a cover letter and resume to: 

MAIL: Oregon Golf Association, 2840 Hazelnut Drive, Woodburn, OR 97071
EMAIL: info@oga.org

My Big Break Experience - The Finale

The finale of the Big Break Disney Golf aired a couple weeks ago with finalists Kevin Erdmann, Tony Finau and Mike Perez. 

As you saw, all the guys were still there to watch the final contest.  We never really left after being eliminated.  We just enjoyed a great Disney vacation on The Golf Channel until that final day.

We were all miked up, so that the producers could have some outside commentary from the guys.  I was a little surprised in how little they used us and included us in the show.  It was almost like we really weren’t there.  But, of course, this episode wasn’t about us…it was about who would win The Big Break Disney Golf.

From what I heard from the fans that approach me, I think almost everyone was surprised at who was in the finale—with the exception of Tony.  Let’s face it, the two guys that seemed to be up for elimination the most were Kevin and Mike.  But each time they were just good enough to make it through to the next show.

That’s really what this show was all about.  It wasn’t necessarily one the discovers the guy with the best raw skills and talent…because competitive golf is more than that.  Its also about how well you manage your game on the course and how well you handle pressure.    Handling pressure is the key in this show.  In many of the contests, what you would see on the show more than anything was how guys handled the pressure.  Guys like Blake, Mike and Kevin didn’t seem to handle it as well as the others, and that’s why they were always in elimination challenges. 

What you also see is that no matter what the skill level, there’s always a little bit of luck involved because in the end, the game can come down to fractions of an inch.  And in this contest, since you never a really warmed up and you’re not playing a regular round of golf, good timing also helps.

In the end, being able to play a full 18-hole contest is what helped Mike the most.  He was one of the more talented guys out there, but you just never really saw it in the other challenges.  After Tony showed he is one of the best by taking a commanding lead after 9-holes, Mike used his emotions and passion to fire himself up and pull himself back into contention with some great approaches and putts.  Each time Mike clawed his way a little closer to Tony, there was a little extra pressure for Tony to deal with and as a result Tony might not have made the best decisions.

That’s the beauty of match play….and even though they were scored on strokes, it was essentially a match.  When Tony pulled out his driver on 17, he made a bad decision.  Sure, he was hitting it well and its probably his favorite club…but he is extremely long off the tee, and on this hole it got him into too much trouble.  With all that adrenaline pumping through his veins, he hit it too long ...the ball hit the cart path and took a tremendous bounce into the water.  With the lead (and most likely the win) in his pocket, Tony made a bad decision and paid the ultimate price.   Instead of the competitors having to step up to beat him…he beat himself and fell back to the pack, leaving the door wide open for Mike.

Remember what I said about luck?  Throughout the match, Tony was missing some very makeable birdie putts, skirting the edge of the hole a couple times that could’ve given him an even bigger lead had they gone in…but they didn’t.  Mike, on the other hand, was sinking some bombs that most would’ve been happy with walking away with a 2-putt.  Each time, that took a little wind out of Tony and ultimately kept Mike in the game.  That’s the fighter aspect of Mike. He kept saying “I don’t have it,” and at the beginning, he didn’t.  He just kept plugging away and pushing himself to player smarter and better.  In the end, he came out on top.

So that was my Big Break experience.  I came back home over the holidays and will now be heading back to Phoenix to work on my game and prepare to hit the tour circuit.  I’ve laid out a 3-year plan to play the Gateway Tour, Canadian Tour, Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour.  The bigger events will require a lot of Monday qualifying hopes since I do not have any current status on any the Nationwide or PGA Tour.

If you are interested in supporting my efforts, you can click here to read my Golf Investment Prospectus.

My Big Break Experience - NASCAR Challenge

This was the NASCAR episode and our first challenge was to drive the ball down pit row at the race track and cross the finish line. We were really surprised with the difficulty of the shot.  No matter how long a hitter you were, the ball had to bounce at least 10 times before it would rach the finish line. 

I originally thought the challenge would be one of accuracy and not of horsepower.  If it was horsepower guys like me and Gipper would be at an advantage because we regularly outdistance the other guys. Kevin, to our surpirse, set the bar early and I think that his draw really helped offset the natural slope of the track.

The shot is far more difficult than it looks simply because your hitting on a asphalt track which is ever so slightly banked to the right. You could hit what you think is the exact same shot twice thinking it is landing in the exact same place, but one bounds across the finish line and the other just seems to curve off the track.  I remember that my second shot was equally as good as the first, landing 3-4 yards from the first one…both were great swings that split the track, but one just missed crossing the finish line and I was sent to the elimination challenge where we played B-R-E-A-K, the Big Break’s version of HORSE!

Each of us was able to select a location to hit from and the added bonus was that whoever hits it closest was able to add an additional letter to the competitor of their choice. I think you saw that for the most part, we were piling on Andrew giving him letters whenever we could.  Everyone wanted to send him to elimination, and he was the first one sent to the next stage.

At that point Gipper and I were tied in the lead with only one letter each, so when he had the chance, he gave me a letter.  I completely saw that coming.  What’s he gonna do…give it to his brother?  That left him in alone the lead, and Since only one person from this game was going to move on to the next show, it was a great strategic move—especially since he ultimately made it.

When it came to the competition to determine who would be sent home, I felt really good.  It was one of the first times I felt calm and not too nervous which looking back was probably not a good sign.  We had three different places to play from where we were to hot it into a 20-foot circle.  Each time we were successful we earned a point and each of us who made it to three points was safe and unto the next show unless we were tied forcing a sudden death playoff.

From the yardages we were at, I certainly thought I could get it done.  Coming from the Northwest where I honed a decent short game on on Poa Annua and bentgrass considering the yardages we were hitting from, I certainly thought I would make it through, but in the end, I think my lack of experience in playing from Bermuda rough really hurt my chances.  I was really disappointed that I could not stop the ball within 20-feet of the hole.  That’s just not me.

This challenge was the most competitive overall. I was consistently coming closer that the other guys. But sometimes in this competition it comes down to a matter of inches.  I had three chances to be safe and one more to at least force another attempt and you’d think with all those opportunities I’d get at least one of them in.  I really was shocked to not move on.

There’s so much build up to just one shot, in a regular tournament there so many opportunities to help yourself out and right the ship if need be.  But here just one swing (not even a putt) could mean your done for the day and onto the next show, or done completely.  Its unlike any pressure I’ve ever felt, including when I teed it up for the first time in a PGA Tour event when I played the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

I was certainly disappointed that I only lasted six episodes.  I would have liked to have won the whole thing.  If it was a regular golf competition, I think my chances would have been better against these guys.  One of the best things I’ll take from my experience on this show is that it helped teach me how to deal with pressure.  The pressure here was much more than any I’ve ever faced in any tournament setting so I think that learning and now knowing what it takes to handle that extreme pressure will help me down the line.

So what was next for me—well it was the walk to the “losers lounge.”  When I got there, the guys were really surprised to see me.  J.R. said “all you could do is make it one more day?”

Although we couldn’t even talk with the guys that were left in the show, 1 by 1 more would join us.  It was really fun to hang out with the guys.  It was 6 days without competition and an opportunity to vacation at Disney World until the last show where we would all be back together. 

All in all, it was two of the best weeks of my life. 

After that show, I’ll fill you in on my plans for my future.

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Vince Cellini conducts the exit Interview with Vincent Johnson

My Big Break Experience - The Lob Wall

I was really excited about this challenge.  First, it’s the Lob Wall!  And I think they changed things up a bit this year.  One thing was the location.  We were in the Magic Kingdom in front of the castle.  Second, not only did we need to clear the wall, but we had to land the ball in a net on the other side. 

The wall itself was about 12-feet high and we we hitting from about 15-feet from the front of the wall.  The net on the other side was about 8-feet in diameter and was only 10-feet from the back of the wall.  There was so little room for error. It seemed the best approach was to clear the wall with as little room to spare as possible otherwise there was little chance to hit the net.  What’s even more difficult is that I only carry a 58-degree wedge.  Some of the other guys had 60-degree and 64-degree wedges so that should’ve given them some advantage getting the ball up and down.

The task in this immunity challenge was to hit three lob shots.  If you got it in the net on the first or second shot, you’d earn 1-point.  The last shot was worth 2-points.  Whomever made the most points wins immunity and automatically advances to the next show, while the remaining guys would go onto another immunity challenge.  Andrew set the bar by getting his last shot in the net and earning two points. 

It’s such a bizarre shot.  When I got there, and remember we really had no practice or warm-ups, I chose to try something that no one else did.  I chose to stand on the ground, not on the mat.  That meant that the ball was a little above my feet, but I felt that would give me a better opportunity to get under the ball and get it up quickly.  Apparently I was right since I nailed my first shot and got a point.  I just missed hitting the net on the second shot…but then I hit my third shot just right and into the net for 2 more points and eliminating Andrew.  Taking three out of the four available points.

I was one of the early players, so I had to wait and see how the rest of the guys did.  It felt like it took forwever. But in the end, I won the challenge and $5,000.  Now I have to wait to actually get the prize.  They don’t pay out any of the actual prizes until the full series ends so it’ll be a great Christmas present!

You hear a lot from the guys on the show how intense the pressure is on the show.  It really is.  I never felt so much pressure in my life, and it was great training for handling the stresses of competing daily for a paycheck. I felt like I dodged a bullet since the next immunity challenge was a long iton shot to a very small green.  As one of the longer hitters, I might have had an advantage on that one since I would probably be hitting a shorter iron, but I really felt the lob wall shot played even more to my strengths.

As I mentioned last week, I was playing in the first stage of the PGA Tour Q-school.  I really thought I could shoot a good number, and I go off to a good start, but my second and third rounds left a little to be desired and I shot my way out of the opportunity to advance to the next stage. I struggled on the back nine, which was interesting since I liked the back nine better than the front.   

I had plenty of unforced errors and I just wasn’t ready to play.  I think my lack of experience cost me as I may have been a little too aggressive at times.  I also looked ahead a little too quick and was already practicing and playing in the second stage.  Now my plans have to change.

Now I am planning to play the Gateway Tour again and I might check out a  new tour called the Pacific Coast Golf Tour. The one thing for sure is that as I travel around Southern California lately, its bizarre how many people have come to recognize me.  In all, maybe it’ll help me find the best path for the next year and try to get into as many Nationwide Tour events as I can. 

My Duramed Futures Tour Q-School Experience - Making the Cut

I made the cut after the fourth round in the Duramed Futures Tour Qualifier here in Lakeland, Florida, and after having a good first three rounds, today was a bit of a different story. I hung in all day and finished with a 78, good enough to make the cut, putting me in the final round tomorrow, played at Lake Region Golf Club.

I can’t even begin to explain the emotion that has gone into the last four days of golf. My first round was definitely full of the jitters. I was nervous the entire front nine until I drained a 15 foot slider for par at the par 4 seventh hole. Sometimes it only takes one swing, one putt, one something to turn the butterflies off and really get you comfortable in your round-that putt was it. I turned at 3-over and started dropping putts to make 3 more birdies and 1 bogey to shoot a 1-over 73.

Tuesday’s round was at Ridgewood Lakes Golf Course, a resort style course that has large fairways, and even larger greens, it’s a good thing because the wind started blowing at 8 am and never stopped. This was by far my best putting round of the four days. My dad and I added up my footage and came up with 160 feet of putts made including a 30-foot downhill slider on the first hole and three in a row on the backside from 15-25 feet! I worked my way through a not-so-great ball striking day to post a 2-over par, 74.

Yesterday, we teed it at The Club at Bridgewater, in my opinion, the hardest and definitely most visually intimidating golf course of the four this week. Battling a persistent 20 mph wind all day, patience was key. Again, I made the turn at 3-over par after making my first 3-putt of the week as well as two bogies with a 9-iron in my hand, a bit frustrating to say the least.

A birdie at the par five 10th calmed me down a bit and then it was just a matter of getting in and dealing with the wind. Unfortunately it wasn’t just the elements that were trying, but also my stomach. The final 5 holes I dealt with one of the worst stomach aches I’ve ever had while playing. Bad enough that I had 2 officials following me, continually asking if I was going to be okay as I was doubled over in pain anytime I wasn’t hitting a shot. Needless to say, I somehow found myself with 4 birdie opportunities within 10 feet in the final 6 holes, and only managed to capitalize on one, leading to my 2-under, 34 on the back nine. It sure would have been fun to make a few more coming in! I’ll take 74 on that course any day!

Today, was a brutal battle with the wind as well at Huntington Hills. The front nine we fought a steady 25mph wind with gusts up to 30mph that wreaked havoc on the entire field. I hit a lot of solid shots and put a lot of good strokes on the ball, but for some reason I just never scored. With only two birdies on the scorecard, I posted a 6-over par 78, not exactly wonderful and definitely not good enough to feel confident that I had made the cut.

For the next hour, we played the scoreboard watching game, NOT FUN.

By 4pm, it was time to celebrate! I made the cut (top 90 and ties out of a 275-person field) and will be playing the final round tomorrow! I tell ya, it feels so good to be back competing and even better that I was able to stay patient and hang in to get to this point. My work isn’t over, but tomorrow promises to be a fun day at Lake Region. After two years off of competitive golf, I can now proudly say that it’s all worth it in the end, funny, it’s only the beginning!

Birdies Forever, Julie

My Big Break Experience - Breaking Glass

This past week was really busy for me.  In addition to watching the Big Break Disney along with the rest of you, I was competing at the First Stage of Q-School at Carlton Oaks Country Club in Santee, Calif.  Remember, we completed filming the entire show in July, so while I know the results of each  challenge before any episode airs, I am contractually obligated to keep everything a secret…from everyone including my family!  What I don’t know is how they put the show together to make it the most interesting for the viewers.  For instance, in the last episode where we had the home run challenge, they added a significant amount of drama by having my attempts air at the end even though I really hit my shots early on.

This week we had J.B. Holmes make a guest appearance for the Immunity Challenges which included the popular Glass Break Challenge as well as the 100-yard wedge shot and 10-foot putt to determine who would be forced into the elimination challenge.  Whomever had the most points at the end of the three contests would face-off for elimination.

I got off to a good start with the glass break challenge.  The glass is about 2-square feet and is placed about 25-yards from the teeing area. I hit it on my first shot so I got zero points along with I think half of the other guys. 

From there we went to the 100-yard wedge shot.  J.B. set the standards with his shots hitting his first to 7-feet and his second to 21-feet.  So that meant that the crew went about setting up a circle with a 7-foot radius from the hole that if we hit would give us zero points, then a circle with a 21-foot radius that was worth 1-point.  Hitting the green was worth 2-points and if you missed the green you were given 3-points. This is really an easy shot, and one of my strengths is my short game. It was so straightforward. But as I mentioned before, its not like we are able to get into any real rythm going into any of the contests.  We have limited warm-up periods way in advance of the days’ shooting schedule, then there’s lots of hurry up and wait as the crew sets up all the shots.  Sometimes we are waiting a good two hours before we can take that 1-swing in a contest.  Unfortunately for me, I put way too much spin on the ball, and while I hit the green, it spun off giving me three points thru the first two contests in the challenge.  I went from the top of the pack to the bottom three.  That put some significant pressure on me to ensure that I would not be going into the elimination. 

I knew I had to make something happen with the 10-foot putt.  With no practice time to get any feel for the speed of the greens, we just had to step up and make the shot.  It seems so easy, but as you saw on the show, most of the guys were unable to sink the putt in their three attempts.  I missed the first attempt too, but sank the second to give me a total of 4 points for the contests which was good enough to give me an automatic pass to the next show.

The drama that continues to build in the show is that basically they are making Andrew Guilianni to be the “villan.” You saw Blake and Andrew get into it a bit (with me sitting uncomfortably between them).  You really saw it a couple times in the show.  When Kevin Erdmann missed his putt that would’ve have forced a playoff against Andrew, he actually stated that he wanted to see the playoff.  Of course he really just wanted to be nice (in his way), but Blake called him on it, and it really set him off.  Andrew is a talker.  One of the guys actually said, “If you have to sit next to Giuliani, your ears will bleed!”

Blake got a little p-o’d again while watching the elimination challenge when both Kevin and Sean played it safe on the first hole by not going pinseeking over the tree from 150-yards.  Andrew made some comments then as well as a few other times.  I don’t know what they’re planning, but my guess is you’ll see some more fireworks next week.

In the end, Kevan “K-Max” Maxwell was the one eliminated.  I think he was one of the guys most pumped up about the whole experience.  While he took it well, what you didn’t see is that off-camera being eliminated really got to him as he broke down.  I really felt bad that he was off the show.

So, while I can’t reveal what happens in future episodes, I can fill you in on what I am doing now.  As I mentioned, I was competing in the first stage of the PGA Tour’s Q-School.  I started out strong on Tuesday, shooting a 1-under par 71 good enough to put me in 11th place, but things went downhill from there. 

I had a late tee time the second day where I had to deal with very strong winds.  While I was strong on the front nine each day, shooting 1-over par for the four rounds, I really struggled on the back nine ballooning to scores of 4-over on the second day and 7-over the third as I had a triple bogey on 613-yard par-5 13th hole and a double on the par-3 17th.  I really ruined a good round after playing even par through 11 holes.  I played the last round at even par, but that was not good enough to advance to the next stage of qualifying.  They took the top 22 players, and I finished in a tie for 43rd, 9-strokes from the cut line.  I only had 4 bad holes during the four rounds, but those four holes accounted for the 9-strokes that I missed the cut by. 

Next week, I’ll fill you in on what my plans are going forward.

Don’t forget to watch me on the Big Break Disney, Tuesdays at 7pm on The Golf Channel!

Vincent

My Duramed Futures Tour Q-School Experience

Well, it’s been almost 2 weeks that I’ve been here in Florida getting ready for Q-School.  I just finished Round #1 at Lake Region…73, feeling pretty good about it, 1st 18 hole round in 5 months, I definitely hung in all day and tomorrow we begin!

After playing practice rounds at all four courses, I feel comfortable will the game plan I have set out and I’m excited to see how the week unfolds.   I love having such a mixture of feelings to work through, this is what I’ve been waiting for and I couldn’t be happier!

Tomorrow we move to Ridgewood Lakes Golf Course, then its The Golf Club at Bridgewater on Wednesday, and Huntington Hills on Thursday. The field is then cut to the top 90 & ties and then we finish on Friday back at Lake Region.

My dad flew in Saturday and I couldn’t be happier to have him on the bag this week. After panic set in last night once we realized that our hotel t.v. wasn’t going to air the Ducks vs. Trojans game, we sped to the local TGIFriday’s.

A big shout out goes to Chad for not only knowing the name of our QB but also having the ability to correctly pronounce Oregon! (Orygun) LOL! What an AWESOME game! So much fun!

After sleeping in Sunday (Dad’s still on west-coast time) we took the opportunity to drive three of the four courses to give him a feel for how they’re playing. We finished up with a little practice session at Lake Region, went to dinner and then spent way too much time trying to find a grocery store.  Have you ever noticed how spread out Florida is? My Garmin is currently grounded, at least until the morning!

Today was all about enjoying my time on the course, staying in the present and really appreciating the battle of thought processes that I haven’t felt for five months! This is where Yoga breathing comes in handy right??? I’m ready, I’m ready for the heart to pound, the hands to shake and the butterflies to be flying…

Until next time….

Birdies Forever, Julie
www.juliewellsgolf.com

Click Here to follow Julie on Duramed Futures Tour Q-School Live Scoring

My Big Break Experience - The Home Run Derby

by Vincent Johnson
Big Break Disney - Episode 2
Original Air Date: October 20, 2009

Many of you saw that I had a far bigger role in last night’s episode than on opening night.  Much of that was due to me providing the only real challenge to Tony Finau in the Home Run Derby Challenge.  Tony is a real long hitter, and he was one of the first out of the blocks putting up a huge number—22 home runs.

For those of you who didn’t see the show, the challenge took us to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and the baseball stadium which hosts the Atlanta Braves during Spring Training.  What we did was tee up some reduced flight golf balls at home plate with the goal of hitting as many “home runs” as possible.  If you missed twice, you were out.

At the end of the competition, you saw both Blake and me going after Tony.  I thought Blake would have been a big threat, but as soon as he missed one, I knew he would be out.  That was really it, there were only three of us that did anything of note in the challenge.

Now what you didn’t know from the show is that I actually hit just a few guys after Tony…not at the end.  I really thought I had a chance, but unfortunately I came up just a little short.  It would’ve been sweet if I could have won the $5,000 from Dicks  and a pass onto the next show.

I really liked how they put the show together, creating far more drama than it felt like when we were filming.  For the most part, the contest was really slow and boring as we did it—taking a couple hours from start to finish.  You also saw that they [the producers] seem to be starting to create the drama within the show, focusing on the personality clashes between the guys and Andrew Guiliani.  Mikey [Perez] had just the right thing to say at the right time, when he focused on the solitude we finally had when it was Guiliani’s turn at bat!

Yeah, Guiliani does have a tendency of talking too much, and that can wear on you in tense situations, but I really enjoyed my time with him.  Although on the show it appeared that I was far more annoyed when he selected me as his challenger in the bunker elimination challenge.    I really felt my short game was far better than his and that I would easily win the challenge but he hit a great bunker shot to 18-inches while I was about 6 feet below the hole.  My putt looked good, but it took a little hop when I had hit it and that was enough to throw it off a little leaving me with a lip out.  Again, so close!  I was left to battle again and not be sent home.

The challenge was simple.  We had a shot of 145-yards from the wet bermuda rough, and fairway shots of 170 and 190-yards.  YOu couldn’t see this from the show, but the green was a little elevated so it was tough to see the 30-foot circle we were expected to hit into in as few shots as possible. 

Andreas struggled right off the bat,  so that took a lot of pressure off the rest of us.  I was able to get the first shot in, but then you saw me struggle a bit on the 170-yard shot.  It was the most difficult shot because the ball was above my feet and with the wet bermuda turf, you didn’t know what to expect even after making clean contact with the ball.  The first one just squirted away.  The 190-yard shot was really the easiest. 

Even though Andreas left the door open, I really thought it would be Blake that would go home.  He’s the type of guy that a bad bounce, bad swing…anything for that matter, gets inside his head.  He was really beating himself up, but lucky for him he was just a little better than Andreas.

Well, bottom line is that I made it onto the next show.

By the way, this week I am in Southern California playing an event on the Golden State Tour.  Its at the same site that I will be playing next week for the first stage of PGA Q-School.  We’ll have one round completed when I get to watch the next show.

 

My Big Break Experience – Episode One

My Big Break Experience – Episode One (original air date Tues. Oct. 13, 7pm PST)
by Vincent Johnson

Vincent Johnson, a former Oregon Junior Golf standout and a player for Oregon State, is one of the competitors on “Big Break Disney Golf,” a reality competition on the Golf Channel.  The David Douglas High School graduate is one of 12 golfers selected to compete in the series.  He is contributing this blog exclusively to the Oregon Golf Association.

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On Tuesday evening, along with my debut on The Golf Channel’s Big Break - Disney Golf, many of you saw olympian Ed Moses be the first of the twelve guys to be be sent home after the elimination challenge. 

I was recruited in late May to be one of the contestants on the show, and mostly that is due to the great Mr. Charlie Sifford and the exemption I got to play in the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour.  If I would have had to go through the process of applying for the opportunity, which I beleive was required in previous seasons, I don’t think I would have pursued this—I have enough to worry about with pursuing my dream and with my golf game.

The show, itself, was filmed in Orlando July 6-20.  When we arrived, we spent the first few days just getting to know one another, learning the ropes from the production crew and of course going over all the legal mumbo jumbo.  Clearly, I know who won…but I can’t tell you, or anyone for that matter!  But what I can share is some of the inside stuff that happened during a particular show, and I hope you’ll enjoy getting that insiders view.

I was a little anxious sitting down and watching the show. While I know the end result of each challenge, I didn’t necessarily know what transpired at the time with my fellow competitors, and I also don’t know what the producers will decide to use in the show and what will be left in the digital dumpster.

We started the actual episode production three days after arriving.  One of the things that I found fascinating is how much time it takes to setup each shoot.  All of the contestants were on a full schedule, waking up each day at 4:30 in the morning and other than a meal break, we were on call until 11pm.  Unfortunately, most of the time all we were doing is sitting around, waiting for our turn to be interviewed, warm-up or compete in a challenge.  We spend a lot of time just b-s-ing with one another.  We were never really on our own, and we weren’t allowed to go off and practice when we weren’t busy.  If there was time to practice, we’d only practice as a group.

Fatigue was a big factor.  Just sitting around doing nothing for the better part of the day made things difficult.  For those that know me, fitness is something that I’ve focused on.  Its a mindset that was first introduced by legends like Gary Player, and now made the norm by Tiger.  I am consistent with a fitness regime normally, but during the time of the show, it was tough to find a time and place to work out.

The first challenge was a short game shot.  We had a choice of hitting from a greenside bunker, a lob shot over the bunker or a chip from the fairway.  One thing that you might not have known is that all the guys had no clue as to the where anyone stood in the challenge.  We were brought up, one by one, to the challenge area and all we knew was what shot the guys before us had selected to play.  I was the third to play, and I chose the bunker shot because that was the shot I thought I had the best chance of controlling and hitting close.

Now the practice green that we warmed up around was really firm and the shots we played were taking big skips and running fast.  Thinking that the competiton green would react the same is what clearly everyone assumed as you saw that most of us came up short. I didn’t hit my shot as well as I could’ve, but if that same shot had been on the practice green, it would have been far closer than it was here. 

Also consider this.  We might have some warm-up time, but then we ice up waiting for the crew to be ready for the actual shots.  The shots really aren’t all that difficult, but its the circumstances that make it hard.  That’s the great equalizer.

If I had seen how the ball reacted from the other players, I would’ve played the shot differently.  And, if I had been further down the list, I might have selected a different shot since it seemed just about everyone picked the bunker shot.  In the end, as you know, it really didn’t matter because what is important in the end is that I advanced to next week’s show.

Other than the intro and the challenge, there was little focus on me although the teaser at the end of the show makes me think that you’ll see a lot more of me on next weeks episode.  At the end of the show you see a snippet of my interview where I say something like “I will not be beaten by Guiliani!”  I don’t even remember saying that!

Remember, each night we are put into the confessional room where you stare at a camera and just start talking about the days events.  When your alone like that, its easy to talk some smack.  I think we all tend to forget that what was said behind closed doors might be aired, so it will be interesting to see what everyone was thinking at the time.  I just tried to be myself and say what I thought.
What you also don’t know is that Ed Moses really wasn’t sent home.  Sure, he was booted off the show, but anyone that was eliminated still stayed around the entire two weeks.  He was left on his own and he was not allowed to talk to us.  It kinda reminded me of the scene from the movie Anchorman when you couldn’t talk to Ron Burgundy!

But his elimination was the first reality check we faced.  We spent the first four days getting to know one another and build some friendships, and the next thing you know…bam!  There’s one less person in the competition.  Now you know what is at stake.

Click Here to Read More About Vincent and the Big Break

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About the Big Break Disney Golf
Shot mainly at both the Magnolia and Palm Courses at Walt Disney World Resort, the winner of the 10-week series will receive an exemption to compete in the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic. The series marks the first time that a Big Break winner will compete in a PGA TOUR event on the same course in which the series was filmed.
In addition, the winner will earn cash and prizes with a potential value of more than $50,000 that includes entry fees paid to compete in the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament from SkyCaddie, a $10,000 shopping spree at Dick’s Sporting Goods, free golf for a year courtesy of GolfNow.com, and an endorsement contract from Adams Golf including $10,000 cash.

To earn the exemption and prizes, the champion will have to defeat highly skilled golfers in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness.
Utilizing the unique venue, Big Break Disney Golf’s challenges also will take place at various locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, including Main Street U.S.A., Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and the Walt Disney World Speedway. Intertwined into several episodes will be cameos by PGA TOUR players and memorable moments from the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

Watch the Debut of Portlands-own Vincent Johnson

Vincent Johnson, a former Oregon Junior Golf standout and a player for Oregon State, is one of the competitors on “Big Break Disney Golf,” a reality competition on the Golf Channel.  The David Douglas High School graduate is one of 12 golfers selected to compete in the series, which airs over 10 weeks beginning tonight (Oct. 13 at 7pm)

“Big Break” is a long-running Golf Channel staple whose alumni include other northwest favorites including Julie Wells, a 3-time OSAA High School and Oregon Junior Amateur champion who recently left a job with the Oregon Golf Association to continue to pursue her dream of playing professional tour golf, and Kim Welch, a Washington State alum who won Big Break Ka’anapali.

This season’s Big Break Disney was shot in July at two courses at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, and the winner will receive an exemption into the PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic in 2010.

Johnson began playing golf at age six, and by 14, Johnson had set a course record score of 62 at his home course, Glendoveer Golf Club where his father Darren works on the superintendents crew. He earned 68 titles throughout his junior golf career, having served on the Junior America’s Cup and Hogan Cup teams and played for Team Tiger at the Junior World Championships. He played in the 2004 and 2007 U.S. Amateur Championships and the 2005, 2007 and 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships.

Johnson graduated from Oregon State University in three years with a degree in finance and a minor in music and enrolled in the university’s MBA program while still on scholarship. He was named Oregon State’s captain and MVP in the ‘06 season and a co-captain in ‘08. He overcame Graves’ disease in the middle of 2007 to win the PGA Minority Collegiate National Golf Championship by 12 strokes in May 2007, marking the last of his two collegiate victories.

All of the symptoms of Graves’ disease are just about as bad as you can get for an athlete – an increased heart rate that makes exercising difficult and a shortened attention span making it hard to focus  “To have parts of my game taken away was almost as big of a mental leap as it was physical because you’re losing your ability,” said Johnson.  “Golf is the ultimate focus game and I couldn’t focus.  And because of muscle weakness, I also lost 20-30 yards off of my drives. You know what you used to be able to do, and now you can’t. I played in every tournament my first two years [at Oregon State], and then I couldn’t make the traveling squad. It was very difficult.”

Earlier this year, Johnson received national attention when he became the first recipient of the Charlie Sifford Exemption, an honor that enabled him to play in the PGA TOUR’s Northern Trust Open (LA Open). The Charlie Sifford Exemption awards a golfer of high character and accomplishment who advances the cause of diversity. “Mr. Sifford endured a lot for me to be able to play pro golf,” says Johnson, who had met Sifford years ago at an awards banquet. “It’s important to know your history and to know where the game has come from.”

“I played pretty well,” said Johnson reflecting on his PGA Tour debut.  Although he missed the cut by three shots (partly because of a rules infraction), the experience convinced him that he has the talent to compete on TOUR. “I started off with a birdie on my first hole (No. 10) and that calmed me down a little bit. All in all, I competed well even though I ended up missing the cut.  And until a minor rules infraction happened, I was a few under par. If I had made a couple more birdies, I was actually on the edge of being in contention, which was actually pretty wild.”

Since the Northern Trust Open, Johnson has competed on the Gateway Tour and several other state opens in an attempt to gain experience and prepare himself for PGA Tour Qualifying School.  He made his first start ever on the Nationwide Tour on October 1 at the Soboba Classic in San Jacinto, Calif. but missed the cut by 7-strokes after shooting 73-75—148.

“Of the ten professional events I competed in this year, my highest finsh is a tie for tenth which was at the Long Beach Open in July” said Johnson, “The tournament was four rounds and I wound up at 15 under par, thanks in part to a 66 in the third round.  I feel like my game has been going in the right direction for the past 6 months.  In late September, I played in the Prequalifying Stage of Q School because of my lack of status.  I played solid for four days and ended up tied for fourth.  This was a good tune up for the 1st stage of Q School because I have played in so few 4-day events.   The 1st stage of Q-school starts on October 27th in Santee, California.  It will be very competitive and I look forward to grinding it out there.

On competing in Big Break Disney, Johnson added, “I want to win this thing, but it would be an accomplishment to play for a while and just to see all of the crazy challenges that we’re going to do.”  On the show, Johnson will be competing against a diverse field of golfers that include Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani; Ed Moses, a gold medal-winning swimmer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; Andreas Huber, the son of actress Susan Lucci; and Mike Perez, the brother of PGA Tour player Pat Perez.

Inside the Ropes at the Safeway Classic

PHOTO GALLERY

THURSDAY
I ventured out to the course for the Kraft Pro-Am on Thursday.  With its ongoing support for Oregon Junior Golf, Tournament Golf Foundation has awarded one of its pro-am pairings at the LPGA Safeway Classic to be used by the OGA to reward Junior Golfers who have demonstrated their community spirit and support by giving back to the game.

The pro am is an integral part of the event, and is one area where the organizers generate much of their contributions for the charitable organziations that they support.  Oregon Junior Golf is one of the beneficiaries as is the Evans Scholars Foundation - two very important golf charities that have been a part of the tournament since its inception in 1972.

With pro am teams selling for $24,000, and this opportunity donated to Oregon Junior Golf, deciding who would get this unique and exciting opportunity was no easy task.  The criteria used to select players was 1) The golfer had to be 12 years of age or older and a member of Oregon Junior Golf; 2) The golfer had to have demonstrated ongoing contributions by having volunteered to carry over/under boards both this year and last which help Oregon Junior Golf earn significant and necessary operating funds; 3) The golfer must not have been selected to represent Oregon in any of its team events.

Those that meet all of the above criteria were then selected from the Oregon Junior Golf Performance Points Lists based on average points earned in Oregon Junior Golf Events and the winners were Morgan Thompson, Tess Jennings and Nigel Lett who are all 15 and 12-year old Gigi Stoll.

They teed off at 1:50pm and were paired with Johanna Mundy, a 10-year journey-women on the LPGA with career earnings just under $750,000. 
Nigel joined Johanna on the tournament tees and the girls played from the forward tees.  On the first hole, Nigel ripped his drive 323-yards to the amazement of Mundy.

“He was incredible,” she said in an interview following her second round of the tournament on Saturday.  “I don’t think he hit a drive under 300 yards.” Keep in mind that the professionals are used to playing their own ball in the pro-am which is normally a good thing as they get to know the course and prepare for the tournament proper.  Most often, the amateurs they play with rarely hit the ball further than professional women.

When asked what she thought first when learning she’d be paired with a bunch of kids, Mundy was reserved in her comments.  But once she saw how good they were, she was thrilled with the pairing saying it was a “refreshing experience.”  She added “They were all so talented and fun to be around.”  They were all thrilled at the end of the day learning that they had finished in 2nd place!  Too bad there was no paycheck for Mundy!

SATURDAY
I returned to Pumpkin Ridge for the 2nd round of the tournament, primarily to observe the operation and compare it to what I observed last week at the Jeld-Wen Tradition which I wrote about in blogs (The Starters Tent  and the Scoring Area)

The crowds were much larger, but that’s mostly because the event is in the Portland Metro market and because the event is steeped in Portland tradition dating back to 1972.  It doesn’t hurt that all top-50 players on the 2009 money list were in attendance as were all the members of the winning Solheim Cup team with the exception of Paula Creamer who unfortunately withdrew prior to the first round.

When it came to the starting area, one big difference is that the Starters just introduce the player by name, nothing else. Very similar to what we do at our championships.  The scoring area is also more like ours at the OGA.  Its a tent off the finishing hole, staffed by volunteers who check the scorecards, create three copies of each card to run to various officials and departments.

The media center is much the same as at the Jeld-Wen, but far improved from when the event was played at Columbia Edgewater.  The interview room is adjacent (last year it was a couple hundred yards away in the clubhouse).  Most interestingly, there is a stenographer on site to record an transcribe each interview - a requirement of the LPGA (something that does not exist on the Men’s tours).

The highlight of the day, however, was the pairing of Natalie Gulbis and Christina Kim (and not for the reasons you may think).  It just so happens that the OGA’s Golfer of the Year, Jim Dunlap was looping for Kim.

On Wednesday, Kim was in search of a caddie and inquired in the pro shop to see if they knew of a highly qualified person. The called Jim and asked if he’d be interested. When told it was Kim he said he’d call back in 5 minutes after he would know if he could clear his business calendar.

I kidded Jim about his flourescent lite-green tennis shoes he was wearing, wondering if he was trying to upstage the colorful Kim.  Dominic Marconi had tried to get him to change into something “more appropriate” but Kim interjected ... “don’t listen to him….the more colorful the better.  Quinessential Kim.

Kim doesn’t ask much of her caddies.  She doesn’t want yardages or club selections.  She doesn’t want help reading greens.  But they do talk alot.  “I want to know what he had for dinner,” said Kim who also liked that “he’s pleasant on the eyes.”  She wants to talk about anything but golf to keep her calm and loose.

Kim and Gulbis talk alot too.  Today, much of the talk was about….shopping. 

As a player, Jim describes himself as someone who analyzes everything.  He’s intrigued by Kim’s loose…maybe overly loose approach.  “In the practice round I wasn’t sure what to expect come tournament time,” he said.  “But she’s just as loose now as she was then.  But when it’s her turn to hit - she’s all business.” He also mentioned that he has learned alot from closely watching the women.  From their tempo to their ability to hit pretty much every club in their bag for any shot.  “I never know what club to pull until she tells me.”  Since he’s presently in a slump (since winning his club’s championship), he’s thinking hard about changing his approach to the game…. a little.

Next week, Jim will be competing in the U.S. Mid Amateur Qualifier that the OGA conducts on behalf of the USGA.  Last year, he earned a trip to the championship in Milwaukee, WI where he finished in 10th place in the stroke play qualifying phase of the tournament and advanced all the way to the round of 16. 

The Scoring Area At The Jeld-Wen

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go Inside The Ropes once again, and this time spend time in the Scoring Area.  My goal was to observe how The Champions Tour manages the process as well as how the players handle themselves and then compare that to what we see at the high-level amateur championships we conduct.  In the overall scheme of things, it is much the same. 

Last year, like many other State/Regional Golf Associations, we were asked to assist in the scoring area.  The Tour didn’t have the road-crew necessary to handle all the required jobs and this was one where we could lend a hand.  Unfortunately, this policy also led to an inconsistency from site to site, as some events had trained personel assisting them and others just had volunteers. 

In fact, they had a situation last season where one of the players was disqualified for not having two signatures on their scorecard.  Its something we all try to guard against but ultimately it is not the responsibility of the scoring official, it’s the players.  That’s the rules, and its one we also enforce. 

Now, our scoring area is typically marked off since once the player leaves that defined area, they are basically done. The players are asked to come to the scoring area immmediately following their round (otherwise they could be subject to undue delay penalties - Rule 6-7) where they should check their score (maintained in the markers notes tear-off tab on the top of the card) and compare that to the score on their scorecard that was kept by the marker.  The marker should sign the scorecard first, then give it to the player.  Once the player is satisfied that the hole-by-hole numbers are correct, they sign the card and turn it in.

We then verify that we can read the scores, that there are two signatures and then we total it up.  The players should always sit tight and wait until the scoring officials confirms that everything is in order and that the players are free to go.

A few weeks ago we had to disqualify a player for an incident similar to the one the Tour had last year.  In our case, I was the the person responsible for taking the cards, checking to make sure that there were two signatures and ensuring that there was a legible score for every hole.    We had a two-tee start and often both sets of players were there at the same time leading to a bit of uncontrolled madness. 

The player in question was upset with his round after posting a bogey on a few of his final holes.  He signed his card, gave it to his marker and left - not even coming to the scoring area despite the fact that ultimately turning in a correct scorecard was his responsibility.  His marker never signed the scorecard and did turn it in, but left the scoring area before the problem was caught.   We had no choice but to enforce the rules and disqualify the player.

Rule 6-6b makes this clear. “After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee.  He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the scorecard, sign the scorecard himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.”  

This year the Jeld-Wen Tradition also had a two tee start on the weekend.  Their scoring area controls the madness a bit as the players don’t just go to a roped in area, but also inside an enclosed trailer where they are not exposed to any distractions.  The scoring area is defined as the trailer plus the area outside the trailer where the players often sign autographs after their day is done.

With the extra resources available, the trailer has two doors—one for the players finishing on 9 and the other for this ending on 18.  They enter the applicable door along with their walking scorer and sit down, tear off the tab on top of the card where they kept their own score and immediately exchange cards.  Remember, I mentioned in the last blog that many of the players sign the scorecard given to them by the starter as soon as they get it.   This ensures they don’t have to remember that at the end of the day.

The walking scorer, in most instances, is asked to read off the scores that they kept as an additional check and balance.  The competitors check that score with their scorecard.  Next they compare their scoring tab with their scorecard.  Most never total the scorecard. (remember, Rule 33-5 specifically states that in stroke play, the Committee is responsible for the addition of scores and to apply the applicable handicap.)

When they are satisfied that everything is right, they hand the scorecard to the official and wait until told they are good to go!  The official places a checkmark or initial next to each of the signatures on the card, checks the hole-by-hole scores and then adds it up.  Sometimes while the players are still there, the official enters the card into a blind score entry screen which compares the final official scorecard to the scores entered by the walking scorer.  Each hole score that is correct is denoted with a green check mark, and if everything matches…they are done.  If not, there is still time to settle any discrepencies—as long as the player has not left the defined scoring area.

A couple other things I noticed that were different.  For one thing, the players submit very legible scorecards.  There are no hash marks for every stroke, there are no circles, squares or triangles surrounding a hole score.  The score recorded fills the applicable box and is easy to read.  That’s the way it should be.

Oh yeah, one other thing.  The Champions Tour has reading glasses available for each of the players in case the need it. 


This coming week is the LPGA Safeway Classic, where I will compare and contrast the two operations.

The Starters Tent at the Jeld Wen

PHOTOS

The field in this event is relatively small.  Just 69 players before the start of play.   The qualifications to be eligible are so narrowly construed for this event because this is a major.  Its the 4th of 5 majors on the Champions Tour.  Players must be in the Top 30 on the Champions Tour Season Money list or top 30 all-time.  Many on the all-time list won most of their money when pursers were far smaller, so even legends like 73-year old Gary Player are now on the cusp of being able to qualify for the majors.

Our day started with the first tee time at 8:20am with Bruce Fleisher, Don Pooley and Fultem Allem.  The Tour provides the starters with scorecards (with labels for each player) which we provide the appopriate marker, and a script to read.  We are told to start the players on the button using an old fashioned clock (without a second hand).  Both are interesting since, in comparison, we preprint all our scorecards prior to the round and have a digital clock.  The script, by the way, includes phonetic spellings of players, clubs or hometowns when necessary so that we pronounce proper nouns correctly.

Also on hand were Mark Brock, the Executive VP of Sales and Marketing for Jeld-Wen as well as Bill Hueffner, Director of Development & Professional Relations for Jeld-Wen who were on hand to welcome the players.

As the title sponsors of this event, its interesting to know that these guys are very involved in the tournament and spend time recruiting players.  Even though this a the fourth of five majors on the Champions Tour circuit and the field is relatively smaller, they are actively involved in trying to ensure the top draws will come to Central Oregon.  They personally were involved in getting Greg Norman to commit to the tournament.  Norman has now entered twice, but has yet to play.  He withdrew today at the last moment due to severe back spasms.

Many of the reporters that cover the event are hovering just outside the ropes.  One even stated, “I just have to stick around till the end.  With guys this age, you never know what’s going to happen!”  It came sooner rather than later, and from someone that was not really expected

In fact, Norman’s playing partners, Peter Jacobsen and Craig Stadler, were standing on the tee when they were notified that they would be a 2-some.  In typical Jake Trout fashion, Jacobsen yelled to the crowd, “Hasn’t he heard about playing hurt?”  Considering Jacobsen has suffered from problems with his back, a knee and a hip since joining the over-50s and has played in just 26 of a possible 75 since 2007, it was noticably ironic.  Just a couple of minutes later, he confided with Bill Hueffner and others that in his swing he regularly hears a noticeable pop in his joints…but its just him getting used to all his replacement parts.  At the end, realizing that he’s not in any pain he’ll often say to himself, “I’m fine!!”

A few groups later, Fred Funk proclaimed to the crowd, “Lanny Wadkins is celebrating the 1-year anniversary of his new back.”  As this is the senior circuit, the effect of aging on their bodies is a common thread of discussion both before and after the round.

But don’t let that affect your perceptions of how great these players really are.  Brad Bryant had a career best 62 today, setting both a course and tournament record at Crosswater (more on that in my next blog).  These guys are great players.  After his 5-under par round, Tom Watson noted, “this is a game for life.  You can pick it up at any age and be great.  I know many a player who took up the game at 50 and by 55 was a single digit handicap.”  Just remember, he almost won the British Open last month against the “flat-belly” set.

The talk among many of the players on the tee, of course, was the somewhat surprising withdrawal of Norman.  All knew he wanted to play.  Norman was in the physical therapy trailer all morning trying to stop the spasms.  He tried to hit a couple balls, but he was left with no choice just minutes before his round.

One of the things that makes it special to watch these guys is that they do engage their audience (at appropriate times, of course).  The comaradarie they have with each other also shows.  The Champions Tour has made it possible for many to have far longer careers as professional players than many would have though possible at the start of their careers, and it has also allowed several late bloomers and career club pros enjoy a successful Tour career.

In addition to showing that they genuinely enjoy what they do, many also show their gratitude to the fans as well as all those that make it possible to stage an event of this magnitude.  For the most part, the players came to the tee thanked the volunteers that help with scoring and over/under boards and also thanked the sponsors.  Some were noticably quiet and reserved.  While those that you’d expect to be animated and engaging were.

Only Jerry Pate took on the crowd with a little politics asking with his hand raised high, “Who here wants government run health care.”  With no takers, he then asked “So why’d you all vote for them?”

One of the better moments came between Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw.  Upon entering the staters tent, Watson said “Let’s play the right ball today!” Referencing a pairing two years ago when they both realized they played each other’s ball on a hole.  I was also surprised to see the Black Knight, Gary Player, come all decked out in white.

Other than that, there were some interesting things that I could relate to in comparing the Champions Tour to our amateur circuit.  First, like we have occasionally had to do, there was a change that we had to communicate to the players regarding a new hole location.  Second, several of the players including Isao Aoki and Andy Bean actually signed the scorecard as the marker prior to the start of the round.  This was particularly interesting since we had one player get disqualified at both the Pacific Coast Amateur and the Oregon Men’s Stroke Play for the infraction of turning in an unsigned scorecard.  Despite the efforts of scoring officials to catch the basics of a legible score for every hole and two signatures, it still happens.

Finally, kudos to Hal Sutton a former 5-year member of the Tour’s policy board.  He took a good chunk of time to graciously thank the sponsors for their support of the tour.  He commented on how the players on the “junior” circuit just don’t realize how good they have it and is worried about the future.  He reflected on discussions with his father who would often talk about just making his son’s life better, and Sutton achnowledged that he, too, as a father wanted thing to be better for his kids.  He then paused and asked why we do that.  “We had it pretty darn good,” he reflected as he wondered aloud whether we are making it too easy for the next generation.  “People just want to sit back and expect things to be done for them,” he noted.  “That’s just not right.”

Safeway Classic Caddie Orientation

Individuals interesting in finding out more about caddying during the Safeway Classic LPGA Tournament are asked to attend a meeting on Sunday August 23rd at 9:00 AM.  The meeting will be held in the caddie tent, near the driving range at Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge, site of the event.  Pumpkin Ridge is located in North Plains, west of Portland.

Prospective caddies need to be available each day of tournament week, Aug. 24-30.  Candidates who have experience will be chosen first.  Attention to detail and a clean-cut appearance are of utmost importance. 

For more information contact the Tournament Golf Foundation/Safeway Classic office at 503-626-2711.

Oregon Amateur Final Round - Men

Visit www.oregonamateur.org for complete coverage of the 100th Oregon Amateur Championship.

The final matches of the Oregon Amateur are refereed.  For both the players and Rules Officials this is a noticeable departure from a non-refereed match.  The Rules of Golf Define a referee as follows:

A “referee” is one who is appointed by the Committee to accompany players to decide questions of fact and apply the Rules.  He must act on any breach of a Rule that he observes or is reported to him.

A referee should not attend the flagstick, stand at or mark the position of the hole, or lift the ball or mark its position.

If you have been reading the previous posts, you will notice how different this is from a non-referred match where Rules Officials could openly observe Rule infractions though have no authority to intervene.  The primary reason for this restriction is to ensure fairness.  Players in a match are obliged to protect their own interests.  During non referred matches, should the Rules Official inform a player that a penalty has been incurred, the match is very likely to be affected.  But, there is no guarantee that the opponent has not been breaching the same or other Rules throughout the match without penalty simply because the Rules Official was not in the area.  To ensure fairness in a non-refereed match, the players are left to protect their own interests not only by playing their best but also by being aware of what their opponent is up to and filing a claim if needed.

As more players are eliminated from the draw we are able to provide referees for all remaining matches.  Refereeing the semifinals and finals of the Oregon Amateur always serves as a great highlight of my summer. 

Though there were few Rulings in the men’s final match, I would like to take an opportunity to discuss the Rules and how they were applied throughout the 36-hole men’s final of the 100th Oregon Amateur between Chris Polski of Eugene and Andrew Vijarro of Bend as well as pass on some of my observations while I walked alongside the two during their finals match.  The pictures included in this post were not all taken during the finals.

Hole 3

The initial incident occurred on the third hole.  Both players were preparing for their approach shots into the 546 yard par 5.  By Local Rule (Rule 33-8) the OGA allows players to use distance measuring devices and both of the players in the final relied on them before many shots.  I was unable to determine who was away and in a few seconds they both reported back the same number, 224 yards from the hole.  Rule 10-1b governs Order of Play in match play and requires the player further from the hole to play first.  In addition if their distance is either equidistant or the distance is not determinable, the order of play should be decided by lot.  This was done with a flip of a coin.  Andrew was deemed to be away and thus was first to play.

Hole 4

Hole four is my favorite hole in the entire resort and requires a well placed drive to provide the player a clear look at the green and, for the first time, the ocean beyond.  In both the morning and afternoon rounds Andrew drove the ball too far down the hole and was unable to see the flagstick for his approach.  His caddie, Drew, was operating under Rule 8-2a – Indicating Line of Play other than on the putting green.  Drew walked up the ridge to show Andrew the direct line from his ball to the hole.  In both rounds, Drew left the line before a stroke was made as required by the Rule:

Except on the putting green, a player may have the line of play indicated to him by anyone, but no one may be positioned by the player on or close to the line or an extension of the line beyond the hole while the stroke is being made. Any mark placed by the player or with his knowledge to indicate the line must be removed before the stroke is made.

Exception: Flagstick attended or held up - see Rule 17-1.

Thus, when the caddie moved out of position, Andrew was free to make a stroke without incurring any penalty.  Note that the Rule allows anyone to be positioned to indicate a line of play (spectators, partners, even your opponent or fellow-competitor) though they would need to move before a player begins the stroke.

Hole 7
Both players approaches landed inside of 20 feet with good looks at birdie.  As the match progressed, it became clear that Andrew was well versed in the Rules and, as has was looking over his line of putt, he confirmed with me that it was OK to repair old holes on his line of putt.  The answer can be found in Rule 16-1c – Repair of Hole Plugs, Ball Marks and Other Damage.  The Rules reads:

The player may repair an old hole plug or damage to the putting green caused by the impact of a ball, whether or not the player’s ball lies on the putting green. If a ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved in the process of the repair, the ball or ball-marker must be replaced. There is no penalty, provided the movement of the ball or ball-marker is directly attributable to the specific act of repairing an old hole plug or damage to the putting green caused by the impact of a ball. Otherwise, Rule 18 applies.

Any other damage to the putting green must not be repaired if it might assist the player in his subsequent play of the hole.

Therfore, a player is permitted to repair old hole plugs even when they are on the line of putt.  The same is true for ball marks.  Though, all other damage may not be repaired if it might assist the player in the further play of the hole.  This would include spike marks and any other damage that may be present on the putting green.  Further play of the hole would be interpreted to mean that a player who repairs spike marks a few feet behind the hole would be in breach as a putt “might” finish in the repaired area.  A player that repairs spike marks many feet from his line of putt and not in the vicinity around and behind the hole would not incur a penalty.

Andrew repaired the old hole plug and rolled his putt right over the top of the plug and into the hole for a birdie three to square the match and take the honor on the eight hole.

Hole 9

Two interesting things happened on the ninth hole.  Andrew missed a shot putt for par on hole eight and stayed behind to practice his putting.  Rule 7-2 allows a player to practice putt or chip on the hole last played as long as it does not unduly delay play.  Throughout the Amateur, Andrew used this Rule dozens of times to allow him to practice after he completed a hole.  During Friday’s semifinals, the group behind complained that he continued to putt while they waited to play from the fairway.  I spoke with him about the complaint and for the remainder of the round he kept a close eye on the group behind to ensure he was not delaying play.  As a result of his birdie at the seventh and both players scoring bogeys at the eight he retained the honor on hole nine.  When Chris, his caddie, Andrew’s caddie and I arrived at the tee, Andrew was nowhere to be found.  I started a stopwatch and shortly after Andrew appeared from the eight green with his putter and a ball.  I made note of the bad time and would have warned him if a similar incident occurred again in the match.  It did not.

During the final, not only did we appoint a referee to each match but we were also fortunate to have observes present as well.  For the men’s final, veteran OGA Rules Official, Peter Pittock, served in this role.  The Rules define an observer as follows:

An “observer” is one who is appointed by the Committee to assist a referee to decide questions of fact and to report to him any breach of a Rule. An observer should not attend the flagstick, stand at or mark the position of the hole, or lift the ball or mark its position.

Both players played from the tee and Andrew missed the fairway to the right and his ball was not spotted by the observer who immediately began to search in the right rough for his ball.  Rule 27-1c and the definition of lost ball allow a player five minutes to search.  The time does not begin until the player or his caddie (or if you have a partner your partner or their caddie) arrive in the area where the ball is likely to be lost.  When Andrew and his caddie arrived in the area a stopwatch was started and the ball was located within a single minute.  The ball was in a very poor lie and, as Andrew played his next stroke, the rough closed down the face on his club and the ball took off left and disappeared in the heavy rough on the other side of the fairway.  Again when he and his caddie arrived in the new location the stop watch started.  Luckily, his ball was again located in a couple of minutes. 

With his ball in over a foot of rough he played an incredible third stroke to about 15 feet and made the putt for birdie to win the hole and make the turn 2 up.

Through holes 10-18, little happened with respect to the Rules though I was witness to Chris playing a near flawless back nine 34, including four birdies during the difficult stretch as, for the first time in the final match, the wind began to play a significant part.

photo by Eric Yaillen

After the morning round Chris Polski held a 1up lead.

Hole 19 (hole 1)
After a brief lunch both players came out in the afternoon and pushed their drives right into the rough.  What they found were great lies on top of the right ridge with a good look at the green.  At Bandon Dunes the long rough present just off the fairways can often create difficult lies, though here, both players were lucky to draw great breaks. 

Throughout the final, on the rare instance when the players missed the fairway, I was aware of the care they used when taking practice swings.  In rough like this, a practice swing in the immediate vicinity of the ball could easily lead to improving the lie, stance or area of their intended swing.  Throughout the round, when the players found themselves in the rough they would take a few steps away before taking practice swings to get a better feel for how the grass would affect the stroke.  By moving away they were not at risk of incurring the loss of hole penalty associated with a breach of Rule 13-2.

Hole 22 (hole 4)
As I mentioned during the first trip through Hole 4 above, Andrew’s caddie walked up the ridge to line him up and moved away in accordance with Rule 8-2a.  For the second round his ball came to rest in a very similar position and again his caddie used the Rule to give him a line and then moved away.  From the left side of the fairway, his approach found the putting green 40 - 50 feet from the hole and he lagged putted to about 4-6 feet.  After he had marked and lifted his ball a tee he had in his mouth fell out and bounced off the mark he had just placed.  As the mark did not move there was not penalty. 

Rule 20-1 – Lifting and Marking lays out the procedure for lifting and marking your ball.  When permitted by the Rules (here with his ball on the Putting Green, Rule 16-1b allows the ball to be lifted) a player is allowed to mark and lift a ball.  If the ball, or the mark once the ball is lifted, is moved and the movement is directly attributable to lifting or marking, there is no penalty and the ball or the marker must be replaced.  In this case, the tee falling is not directly attributable and, had the mark been moved, Andrew would have incurred a one stroke penalty and he would be required to replace the mark.

Andrew was able to make the putt for par and for the first time since hole 10 he regained the lead to go 1up.

Hole 23 (hole 5)

One of the most difficult holes throughout the week is the long narrow par 4 fifth hole.  Both players played great tee shots directly into a 25-30 mph wind.  Unfortunately, both approaches were caught by the wind and came down right of the green.  As the players neared the area, I cautioned both players and their caddies to be careful not to disturb the sandy area with their footprints.  Chris found his ball in a terrible spot under the branch of the scotch broom.  If he chose to drop (declare the ball unplayable) or play the ball as it lies he would not be permitted to smooth the sandy area as this would breach Rule 13-2 with respect to his next stroke because he would incur a loss of hole penalty.  Chris decided to play out backwards with an underhanded “trick shot.”  His effort was good enough to remove the ball from trouble and avoid the many depressions that were made during the brief search and he played his fourth stroke to the putting green.

Andrew’s ball also had come to rest in a sandy area immediately adjacent a bunker to the right of the putting green.  Before he played his stroke, I informed him that although his ball was in sand it was not in a bunker.  As such he was not restricted by Rule 13-4 – Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions.  Andrew took a few practice swings to test the sand and played a great shot inside of six feet, made the putt and won the hole to go 2up in the match.

photo by Eric Yaillen

Hole 24 (hole 6)
Hole six played as the most difficult par 3 during the Amateur and, in the afternoon round, the winds were approximately 25 mph as the players arrived at the teeing ground.  As Andrew won the previous hole he was first to play and chose to hit a very low draw that ran over the putting green and came to rest in the scotch broom behind the hole.  Chris also played a low draw that was caught up in the wind and landed hole high right of the green in a difficult lie.

Andrew was away and chose to deem his ball unplayable.  As he was in the process of measuring two club-lengths a question came up as to whether he would incur a penalty for moving his ball in the process.  Rule 18-2a – Ball at Rest Moved provides exception for multiple occasions when a ball in play is moved.  Measuring is included in these exceptions.  In addition, once a player declares the intention to proceed under Rule 28 – Ball Unplayable, they are no longer governed by Rule 18-2a and would not incur a penalty should a ball at rest move while retrieving the ball.  For example a ball in a tree or bush could be declared unplayable and while shaking the tree to get the ball, the ball would likely move . . . if the player first declared the intention to proceed under the Unplayable Ball Rule he would not incur a penalty for moving his ball in play and then must proceed under Rule 28.

He chose to proceed under Rule 28c and dropped a ball under penalty of one stroke within two club-lengths and no nearer the hole than where the original ball came to rest.  When the ball was dropped it bounced a couple of times and stopped nearer the hole than where the original ball came to rest.  Rule 20-2c provides nine times when a dropped ball must be re-dropped.  Rule 20-2c(vii)a requires that a ball must be re-dropped if it comes to rest nearer the hole that its original position.

As required, Andrew re-dropped the ball and it came to rest in a great lie where he chipped onto the putting green for his third stroke.

photo by Eric Yaillen

Chris was now away and from the difficult lie, his first attempt to play up the steep rise to the putting green came up short and his ball rolled back down the slope and came to rest about 40 feet from the hole.  Chris then pulled off the best shot I witnessed to that point of the Championship.  He chipped his ball up the slope onto the green and, in its final rotation, the ball dropped into the hole.  It was an amazing par that won the hole and pulled him back to within a single hole of Andrew in the match.

Hole 30 (hole 12)

Nothing to do with the Rules happened on hole 12 though it is worth noting that Andrew was the very last player to tee off on hole 12.  After the match, I spoke with him and his caddie about the club he used on the hole.  After a long discussion on the tee with his caddie, he played a hard 7 iron.  He went with the 7 over the 6 he had hit for much of the previous rounds because he was frustrated with a missed putt on the previous green and knew he wanted to play an “aggressive shot.”  The lighthearted discussion between Andrew and his caddie continued up to the green where Andrew marked his ball that came to rest less than five feet from the hole.  He made the putt to square the match and recorded one of the only birdies on the par 3 twelfth hole during the entire Championship.  The match was back to all square with only six holes remaining.

Hole 31 (hole 13)
With his birdie two at the twelfth, Andrew earned the honor and played a great drive down the right side of the hole and Chris followed by pulling his drive left in the vicinity of a lateral water hazard.  When we arrived at the location, the ball was nowhere to be found.  Rule 26-1 requires a player to be virtually certain that a ball is in the hazard if the ball is not found.  Due to the nature of Hole thirteen, where the fairway runs directly into the lateral water hazard, virtual certainty was very easy to attain (click here to see a previous Or Am Ruling blog for another area of the course where virtual certainty is far more difficult to obtain).  The only discussion left was with respect to where the ball last crossed into the margin.

Using the line we saw from the tee, a point was estimated and Chris chose to drop under Rule 26-1c(i).  The Rule requires a ball to be dropped, under penalty of one stroke outside the hazard, within two club-lengths and no closer to the hole than where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard.  The penalty stroke proved to be the difference on the hole as Chris was only able to manage a six while Andrew scored five to go one up in the match.

Hole 32 (hole 14)

Fourteen is where the course turns back into the wind.  If you have played the game in high winds you can appreciate the skill both of the players demonstrated during the final.  Both players hit low draws into the gale and as we walked up the fairway Andrew’s ball was found in a under a large lip of a bunker strategically located in the middle of the fairway. 

Here, Rule 10-2b – Order of Play worked in Andrew’s favor.  Chris was away and was left with a short approach directly into the wind.  The ball ballooned and came to rest left and short of the hole.  Knowing the result of Chris’s second shot, Andrew had the luxury of knowing he did not need to put the ball on the green with his next shot.  After an animated discussion with his caddie, he decided the best play was to blast out and “turn the hole into a chipping contest.”  He played out of the bunker to about 60 yards where his ball came to rest on a drain in the fairway.

The drain, an immovable obstruction by definition, interfered with the lie and area of his intended swing (interference is defined by Rule 24-2a) and, as such, he was entitled to relief.  The fairway is through the green and Rule 24-2b(i) provides the procedure should relief be taken when the ball lies through the green.  Andrew found his nearest point of relief with the club he would have hit if the drain was not there and dropped, without penalty, within a club length of this point, no nearer the hole.  The ball bounced once and came to rest in an area where I was unsure if he would still be standing on the drain (thus, he would still have interference).  I asked him to assume his stance over the ball and his left foot was a few inches clear of the drain.  He no longer had any interference (swing, stance or lie), had properly taken relief and played his next stroke to about eight feet.

Both players made five and Andrew remained 1up going into the very difficult par 3 fifteen.

Hole 33 (hole 15)

Andrew played a low draw into a 30 mph crosswind that the observer saw come to rest about 15 yards behind the hole short of the lateral water hazard behind the putting green.  Chris also chose to play a low draw.  The ball started left and a strong gust took it further left.  Andrew and I signaled to the observer that the ball was moving hard left though, with the low ball flight the ball never made it high enough to reach the horizon.  A white ball on a blue background is quite easy to pick out.  Unfortunately, the ball never made the skyline and was not seen by the observer.  The ball came to rest without ever being spotted.  This is the same hole that I wrote up earlier in the week (click here) and would soon become extremely pivotal in the match.

I reached the area about ten seconds before Chris and his caddie, Jerry, a local to the Bandon caddie corps.  When they arrived, I began the stopwatch that would count the five minutes allowed to search.  Soon about a dozen spectators assisted in the search.  A few balls were found though none belonged to Chris.  After five minutes, the ball was lost by definition and Chris headed back to the tee to play under stroke and distance (Rule 27-1c).  While Chris was heading back to the tee, his original ball was found in the rough but the five minutes had already passed and he was no longer able to score with the original ball.  He third stroke was well struck and finished hole high about 35 feet right of the back left hole location. 

The hole became more interesting when Andrew pitched too strong and his ball rolled over and off the putting green.  He chipped back on and two putted for a five.  Highlighting the difficulty of putting in 30 mph winds Chris left his first putt (his fourth stroke) about eight feet short and missed the next for a disappointing six and lost the hole.

Hole 34 (hole 16)

Andrew stood on the tee of Bandon’s signature hole with a 2up lead with only three to play.  Chris played first and his ball came to rest within ten feet for birdie.  After a very difficult second shot, Andrew recovered with a great chip for his third and was able to save par.  Chris was not able to convert his birdie and the hole was halved.

Hole 35 (hole 17)

As Andrew stood on the seventeenth tee he was dormie.  A player is dormie when he is as many up as there are holes left to play.  Andrew was two up with two to play, or dormie.  It was now or never or Chris and his par versus Andrew’s bogey brought the match to eighteen.

Hole 36 (hole 18)
Andrew was dormie going into the 36th hole of the final.  Riding is not allowed in the Amateur and fatigue is always present the deeper into the event a player continues.  Having to walk, and the sum of golf played often leads to the Amateur showcasing younger players and this year was no exception (Chris is 22 and Andrew is just 20).  This was the ninth, 18 hole round each had played this week (two stroke play qualifying rounds and 6 matches, the first 5 just 18 holes and the final 36 holes).  162 holes in 6 days all played in strong winds under Championship pressure . . . and it all came down to the last hole. 

Andrew’s drive was well placed down the left side and Chris pulled his drive into one of the two fairway bunkers on the left.  Chris, having to contend with the high lip in the bunker played a great shot but could only advance his ball a short distance and left himself about 170 yards to the hole.  Andrew played another great shot that left him 103 yards to the hole.

photo by Eric Yaillen

Chris played his approach to about 30 feet and was left with a very tricky downhill putt for birdie.  Andrew, seemingly had the match wrapped up if he was able to hit the putting green with his approach.  His effort did hit the green but playing into the wind with a short iron the ball had too much spin and backed up off the green and came to rest in a deep bunker.

photo by Eric Yaillen

I radioed Brent Whittaker, the OGA’s Director of Tournament Operations to ensure the first hole was clear in the event that Chris won the hole and the match would be extended to determine the winner.  When I saw where Andrew’s ball came to rest, I became more certain that unless he was able to pull off a remarkable shot, he would make no better than bogey on the hole.  His ball was sitting well but there was little to no sand in the bunker, he had to clear a four foot lip and his ball was very close to a two foot lip on the backside of the bunker that would require him to greatly alter his backswing.

Andrew was first to play and struggled for some time with how he would be able to get a club under the ball without touching the bunker.  If he was to touch the bunker lip during a practice swing or his backswing he would be in breach of Rule 13-4b and would immediately incur a loss of hole penalty and the match would go extra holes.  He finally settled in and played the shot of the Championship – his ball came out high landed a few feet from the hole, spun back and nearly went in.

photo by Eric Yaillen

Later, he called it, “the best  bunker shot of my life.”  He was left with less than a foot which was conceded by Chris for a par.  Chris now knew he had to hole his difficult downhill putt or the match would end.  He rolled the putt by the hole.  The two shook hands, Andrew hugged his caddie and I felt so fortunate to have had the opportunity to referee this extremely competitive, thrilling men’s final match of the 100th Oregon Amateur.

photo by Eric Yaillen

Congratulations to both the runner-up Chris Polski or Eugene, OR and the 100th Men’s Oregon Amateur Champion, Andrew Vijarro or Bend, OR.

Interesting Rulings, Oregon Amateur, Day 1

June 22 - Round one of stroke play qualifying at the 100th Oregon Amateur hosted by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.  All play is on the Bandon Dunes Golf Course.  Visit www.oregonamateur.org for complete Championship details.

Wrong Ball (Rule 15-3) & Identifying Ball (Rule 12-2)

The density and nature of the rough presents more challenges than just finding your ball.  During search for a wayward ball, multiple balls will often be located.  Twice yesterday, players failed to positively ID the found ball and played.  Unfortunately, it was not until after the stroke the player realized that ball was not the ball in play but a stray ball.  Rule 15-3 – Wrong Ball tells us the player ignores any stroke or strokes made with the wrong ball and the error must be corrected before you play a stroke from the next hole (or in the case of the last hole of the round, makes clear the intention to correct before leaving the final putting green) and the player incurs a two stroke penalty (when we move to match play the penalty will be loss of hole so no correction will be necessary as the player immediately loses the hole).

Correction happens one of two ways, either you return to the area and find your original ball and play it out or you are unable to find the original ball and must proceed under the stroke and distance penalty for a lost ball (Rule 27-1c).

If you are uncertain that a ball is yours, you are permitted to ID the ball anywhere on the course (even in hazards) by operating under Rule 12-2.  The Rule requires five things:
1)    You must inform your opponent or marker of your intentions and allow them the opportunity to witness the lifting.
2)    You must mark the location of the ball before lifting.
3)    Lift the ball and, if necessary, you may clean the ball only to the extent necessary to ID it.
4)    Replace the ball exactly from where it was lifted
5)    Allow the fellow-competitor the opportunity to witness the replacement.

 

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One-ball Condition (Appendix 1, Part C)

During the Oregon Amateur the One-Ball Condition is in effect and requires all players to use the same brand and model ball throughout the entire round of play.  For example, if you begin with a ProV1x you must play every stroke in your round with a ProV1x.  Frequently I am asked if a new ProV1x is the same as a previous model ProV1x.  The answer is no.  Anytime a ball has been updated a new entry on the conforming ball list is created.  In specific, the One-Ball Condition requires a player to play a ball throughout the round from a single entry on the conforming ball list.

Only one incident occurred yesterday.  It was virtually certain that a player’s ball that was not found was lost inside a lateral water hazard.  The player found a stray ball and proceeded to take relief by dropping the found ball outside the hazard, no nearer the hole and within two club-lengths of where it last crossed the margin of the hazard.  Normally it is permissible to substitute another ball when proceeding under the water hazard Rule but as the ball that was found was of a different model the player breached the One-Ball Condition.

The penalty for a breach of the condition can be one of two ways.  One, when the breach is discovered (the player became aware that the condition was breached) during play of a hole, the hole must be completed with the incorrect ball and at the next hole the correct brand and model must be used for the remainder of the round.  If the breach is discovered between holes the player must also discontinue play of the incorrect ball and switch back to the correct brand and model.  In both of these scenarios the player incurs a two stroke penalty in stroke play (in match play the penalty is loss of hole).  Should the player not correct the mistake as explained above the player would incur the second penalty, disqualification.

Fortunately, the player knew to correct the mistake and only received a two-stroke penalty and looks to make the cut and play tomorrow as we begin match play.

 

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Wrong Tees (Rule 11-5, Rule 6-3b)

Rule 1-1 defines the Game of Golf:

“The Game of Golf consists of playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.”

Yesterday on the eleventh hole, an entire group began from the incorrect teeing ground.  Rule 11-5 tells us that a hole begun from the wrong teeing ground carries a two stroke penalty in stroke play and the mistake must be corrected before the player makes a stroke from the next teeing ground (or in the case of the last hole of the round, makes clear the intention to correct before leaving the final putting green).  All strokes and other penalties incurred before the error is corrected are disregarded.

Fortunately, the group realized their mistake as they approached the twelfth tee and ran back down the eleventh hole to play from the correct teeing ground playing their third strokes.
By the time they arrived at the correct teeing ground two of the groups behind them had already played from the eleventh tee.  In this situation a question that will often come about is whether groups in a competition are permitted to play through.  Rule 6-3a requires that all players begin their round at the established starting time and 6-3b requires that competitors remain in their established groups.  Neither of these Rules requires that groups remain in the same order.  Thus playing through, though rarely occurring during competition is perfectly allowable under the Rules.  Normally, “playing through” only occurs when an extensive ball search or Ruling creates a lengthy delay and the field would be better served by allowing a group to play through.

Applying Pace of Play Policies in Competitions

Penalties do occur, but infrequently. 

Recently, at a U.S. Open Local Qualifier that we conducted on behalf of the USGA, we had the unfortunate need to assess a penalty for slow play to a pairing group.  Even without the penalty, no one in the group would have qualified, but that did not diminish or affect our decision-making process.

Pace of play policies differ from organization to organization.  We developed a policy in 2004 from one that was first created by the British Columbia Golf Association and each year review the application of the policy and have tweaked it several times.  The policy itself is simple and is explained on the first tee by the starter prior to every round.

First and foremost, we put the obligation of meeting the pace of play requirements on the player.  Each group is expected to keep up with the group in front of them.  Additionally, we provide each player has a scorecard which has a required finish time for each hole.  There are two checkpoints - 9 and 18.  If the group does not finish within the required time, or within 15-minutes of the group in front of them, they will potentially receive a 1-stroke penalty for each incident (9, 18 & total).  Each group may appeal the penalty.

When this occurs, we review the situation among the tournament officials on site.  Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that would provide reason to not assess the penalty.  But in this particular instance, assessing the penalty was one of the easiest decisions we’ve ever had to make.  Here’s why.

The pace for the field was indeed slower than we would like as it was a U.S. Open qualifier, but as long as each group kept up with their alloted times or within 15 minutes of the group in front of them…no problem!  The players in question (all with significant experience playing in OGA events) did neither. 

As a matter of fact, they fell behind early even prior to waiting for a ruling on the 5th hole which placed them even more out of position.  Although they had lost site of the group in front of them, they made no effort to catch up, and even with more than enough holes to ensure they were within their alloted time they also opted to not pick up their pace.

By the way, we also have pace-of-play monitors on the course who record the finish time for each group on a variety of holes so that we have factual information should a questions like the one here needs to be addressed.

Only after the 9th-hole checkpoint where they were informed of the potential 1-stroke penalty did they choose to pick up the pace allowing them to finish the entire round within our stated guidelines.

Like I said, assessing this penalty was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make.

Players With Oregon State Ties Dominate U.S. Open Local Qualifying

James Allenby

PHOTO GALLERY

AURORA, ORE. - James Allenby, a rookie on the Canadian Tour from Langley, British Columbia bested 36 other professional golfers and 53 amateurs, taking medalist honors with a 4-under par 33-34—67 at the U.S. Open Local qualifer held today on the 6,931-yard, par 71 layout at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Ore.  He will lead a contingent of six players who will advance to Sectional qualifying and an opportunity to compete for one of the top prizes in golf, a U.S. Open Championship.

Joining Allenby are professionals Zack Shriver of Marysville, Wash., Chad Fribley of Tualatin, Ore., and Vincent Johnson of Portland, Ore. as well as amateurs Diego Velasquez of Bogota, Columbia and Richard Lee of Bellevue, Wash.

David Lebeck of Beaverton, Ore., who played in the 1999 U.S. Open when it was held at Pinehurst took the 1st alternate position with an even par round.  

Nine players tied at 1-over par of which six entered a playoff to determine the 2nd alternate position.  That final position was won by Oregon State freshman, Morton Madsen of Silkeborg, Denmark who birdied the fourth playoff hole.

This year, the United States Golf Association accepted a record 9,086 entries for the 2009 U.S. Open, to be played June 18-21 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., including those from the 63 golfers who are currently fully exempt into the field.   To be eligible, a player must have a USGA Handicap Index® no higher than 1.4, or be a professional.  

Local qualifying, played over 18 holes at 112 sites, runs from May 6-25.  Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, will be conducted at two international sites (Japan and England) on May 25 and 13 sites in the United States. A total of 175 applicants chose an international site (42 Japan, 133 England). It is the fifth consecutive year that the USGA has offered these two international sectional qualifiers.  The U.S. Open Sectionals for the Northwest region will be held at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Roslyn, Wash. on June 8.

Allenby is a rookie on the Canadian tour, was a member of the Oregon State Golf Team where he was a First Team All Pac-10 and earned Honorable Mention All-American in his senior season.  He earned his first professional victory in 2009 on the Vancouver Golf Tour, but missed the cut at his first Canadian Tour event.

Shriver also plays on the Canadian Tour. In 2008, he made 8 of 13 cuts with his best finish a T-21 at the TELUS Edmonton Open.  In his only appearance on the Canadian Tour this year, the Corona Mazatlan Classic/Mexican PGA Championship he missed the cut.

Velasquez is a junior on the Oregon State Men’s Golf Team.  He recorded his first individual collegiate victory at the Giustina Memorial Classic where he finished 8-under par (298) and had the second lowest scoring average on the team through the fall season with 72.47 strokes per round.  As an amateur, ranked as high as #2 in the country in his native Colombia

Johnson, who also played for Oregon State, was named the first recipient of the Charlie Sifford Exemption for the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open in February.  Although he missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open by three-strokes, he gained confidence in his ability to play golf at the highest level.  He also took the 2007 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, winning that event by 12-strokes.

Fribley played primarily on the Dakotas Tour in 2008 where he had 8 top 10 finishes.  He has also played events on the NGA Tour Carolinas Series where he had two top five finishes and NGA Hooters Tour.  He took medlaist honors alst year at the Oregon Classic qualifier but missed the cut in the Nationwide Tour event. His best finish in 2008 was the title at the Gallatin Valley Open   

Lee is a junior on the Pac-10 Champion Washington Husky Golf Team.  He won the Washington Amateur in 2008 and is a two time winner of the Seattle Amateur. With a 3rd place finish, Lee recently helped lead his team to a 10-stroke victory over Georgia Tech at the NCAA Regional Championship played last week in Alvaton, Ky.

ABOUT THE OGA
The Oregon Golf Association (OGA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership organization and serves as a regional representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game. 

Founded in 1924, the  (OGA) was established in order to conduct the Oregon Amateur golf championship. Since its founding 85 years ago, the OGA has evolved to now provide a multitude of benefits and services to approximately 50,000 individual men, women, senior, and junior members at over 270 member golf clubs and 190 golf courses throughout the Oregon and SW Washington. The OGA also works tirelessly to promote, foster, and grow the game of golf in its region through its support of golf related charities and “good for the game” programs.  

The organization is governed by a 15-person volunteer Executive Committee and managed by a full-time staff of nine. When a golfer joins an OGA Member Club, a portion of the dues paid to the club is remitted to the OGA to belong to the Association.

U.S. Open Local Qualifying

Ninety players including 37 professional and 53 amateur golfers will tee it in local qualifying for the U.S. Open beginning at 8am Monday, May 18 for the opportunity to play in the National Championship.  The Oregon Golf Association is conducting the qualifier at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Ore.  Local qualifying, played over 18 holes at 112 sites, runs from May 6-25. To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® no higher than 1.4, or be a professional.

Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, will be conducted at two international sites (Japan and England) on May 25 and 13 sites in the United States on June 8. A total of 175 applicants chose an international site (42 Japan, 133 England). It is the fifth consecutive year that the USGA has offered these two international sectional qualifiers.  The U.S. Open Sectionals for the Northwest region will be held on June 8 at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Roslyn, Wash.

The United States Golf Association has accepted a record 9,086 entries for the 2009 U.S. Open, to be played June 18-21 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., including those from the 63 golfers who are currently fully exempt into the field.   The previous record for entries was 9,048 for the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

“This is truly wonderful news,” said Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of Rules and Competitions. “One of the very positive things we are seeing is increased participation of quality foreign players in the qualifying process. We have always had a healthy representation of American players, thanks in no small part to our strong relationship with the PGA Tour. Now, we are seeing greater representation of foreign players due to our expanded ties with the European and various Asian tours. Such strong worldwide participation in the U.S. Open supports our efforts to present the very best championship in golf.”

Overall, the USGA received entries from golfers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 71 foreign countries, including 783 applicants with foreign addresses or preferred foreign addresses.

Seven past champions are already fully exempt from having to qualify for the upcoming championship. They are: Angel Cabrera (2007); Michael Campbell (2005); Ernie Els (1994, 1997); Jim Furyk (2003); Retief Goosen (2001, 2004); Geoff Ogilvy (2006); and Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008). A U.S. Open champion receives a full exemption into the field for the next 10 years.

Ninety-three percent of the total entries were received online, including 610 on the last day applications were accepted (April 29). The USGA received 119 entries online in the final hour. Michael Atkeison, a 43-year-old amateur from Somerville, Tenn., submitted his entry online at 4:59:55 p.m., just five seconds before the official deadline of 5 p.m. EDT. Jacob Kline, a 36-year-old amateur from Yellow Springs, Ohio, was the first entrant on March 2.  The youngest golfer to enter was 13-year-old Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y, who lists Bethpage State Park as his home club. The oldest applicant, for the fourth consecutive year, was 78-year-old Ordean Olson of Hollywood, Fla., who turns 79 before the U.S. Open.

The number of fully exempt golfers will increase with the inclusion of the top 50 players from the World Golf Rankings, the top 10 money leaders on the 2009 PGA Tour and the top five money leaders on the 2009 European PGA Tour as of May 25. The winner of The Players Championship (May 7-10) also receives an exemption, as does any multiple winner of a PGA Tour co-sponsored event whose victories are considered official from June 2, 2008, through June 14, 2009.  A list of the 63 golfers who are already fully exempt into the 2009 U.S. Open can be found here.

ABOUT THE OGA

The Oregon Golf Association (OGA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership organization and serves as a regional representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.  Founded in 1924, the  (OGA) was established in order to conduct the Oregon Amateur golf championship. Since its founding 85 years ago, the OGA has evolved to now provide a multitude of benefits and services to approximately 50,000 individual men, women, senior, and junior members at over 270 member golf clubs and 190 golf courses throughout the Oregon and SW Washington. The OGA also works tirelessly to promote, foster, and grow the game of golf in its region through its support of golf related charities and “good for the game” programs.   The organization is governed by a 15-person volunteer Executive Committee and managed by a full-time staff of nine. When a golfer joins an OGA Member Club, a portion of the dues paid to the club is remitted to the OGA to belong to the Association.

Team Waverley Captures 2nd Team Title

PHOTO GALLERY

Woodburn, Ore. (April 23, 2009) - Charisse Spada and Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. shot a second 1-under par round for a two-day total of 71-71—142 to take the title for Team Waverley at the 3rd OGA Women’s Team Championship on the 5,498-yard layout at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore.

The Team Championship is a 4-Ball contest where each team’s score is based on the best score of the 2-player team for the hole.  The event includes both Gross and Net Divisions giving teams and players of all abilities an opportunity to compete for a title. In 2007, Spada and Tennant teamed together to take the inaugural Women’s Team Title at Indian Creek GC in Hood River, Ore.

Spada and Tennant are perennial favorites in Oregon competitions and both were recently named to represent Team Oregon in the 4th PNGA Cup Matches to be held May 7-8 at Crane Creek GC in Boise, Idaho.  Click Here for more information on the PNGA Cup as well as detailed bios of the players. 

Close on their heels and only 1-stroke back after the first round, Sasha Dunlap and Penny Saenguraiporn from Pumpkin Ridge were unable to mount a successful run at the leaders dropping 2-strokes to end up in a tie for second place along with their fellow club mates Kumiko Rodewald and Loree McKay.  Rodewald and McKay scored the low team score of the championship in the second round to move up  the leaderboard.

Also faltering on the day were Felicia Johnston and Marcia Fisher from Willamette Valley Country Club who were also just 1-stroke off the lead after the first round, but finished with a two round total of 5-over par 72-77—149 to finish alone in fourth place. 

This competition actually began in 1996 as the OGA Women’s 4-Ball Championship, but in this format, any two women could form a team.  In 2007, reflecting on the popularity of the OGA Men’s Team Championship, the event changed formats to require 3-players representing the same OGA Member Club with the best two 18-hole scores on the team used.  This year, the format reverted to a 4-Ball contest, but unlike the original event, team members must represent the same OGA Member Club. 

 

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ABOUT THE OGA GOLF COURSE  Visit www.ogagolfcourse.com

In early 1992, the OGA was approached with an astonishing offer from Tukwila Partners Development Corporation to donate over 179 acres of farmland in Woodburn, Oregon alongside their residential real estate development, for the purpose of constructing and operating a golf course on the land.

The first 9-holes opened in August of 1994. Phase II saw the completion of the second nine holes in April 1996. The final phase saw completion of a 14,000 square foot clubhouse and permanent OGA headquarters in February 2000.  In 1996, the golf course was recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top ten new value courses in the United States, and since 2004 has been recognized by Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play as one of the top courses in the region.

As one of only nine golf associations in the United States that own and/or operate their own golf course (of which only Oregon and Northern California have built their own), the OGA Golf Course gives back to the game in numerous ways and will continue to do so for many years.  Over the past several years, the OGA Golf Course has hosted more than 50 OGA Championships, plus USGA qualifiers, PGA Chapter and Section pro-ams, OSAA District and State competitions and other charitable events while offering as many starting times to the public as possible.

The OGA Golf Course achieved certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS) in 2004, an international program administered by Audubon International designed to help landowners preserve and enhance the environmental quality of their property. 

ABOUT THE OREGON GOLF ASSOCIATION (OGA)

The OGA was founded in 1924 as an organization of private member clubs to take over the management of the Oregon Amateur Golf Championship.

Today, it has evolved into a non-profit entity of more than 270 public and private clubs numbering more than 50,000 members throughout Oregon and SW Washington.  The OGA operates under a license from the United States Golf Association with the exclusive jurisdiction and responsibility of administering the USGA Handicap System™ and is solely responsible for rating and measuring courses in accordance with the USGA Course Rating System.™

As guardian of the game of golf for this region, our goal is to foster the enhancement and expansion of the game of golf by protecting the game’s integrity and valued traditions, as well as promoting opportunities for all that want to play by leading in the development of member and information services.  While the activities and services of the Oregon Golf Association (OGA) are often overlooked or misunderstood by many members, the OGA does play a crucial role in the game of golf in Oregon and SW Washington and for the Northwest region in general.  For more information about the benefits the OGA provides members, clubs and golf courses, click here

 

Setting Up A Course To Identify the Best Player in the Field

As the Tournament Director for the OGA, it is my job to set up the courses for our championships. We have the philosophy at the OGA that the way we set up a course for our championship is to “identify the best player” in the field. How we go about doing that isn’t always based on the course conditions: firm fast greens, narrow fairways and extreme rough height. Instead it is surprising how choosing yardages and tee placements can affect the overall difficulty of course set up.

Where we set the tees at our championships is as important as where we set hole locations. We look at the types of players in the field including their skill level, gender and age of the players too when determining the length of the course.

Understanding the range of handicap indexes within the field is first and foremost.   If more scratch players than higher handicaps are playing then the length of holes would be longer, but not so far back that higher handicappers would be at a disadvantage. However, if the field consists of decidedly more higher handicap players, then we’d consider using the shorter sets of tees. Similarly, a course for women is setup shorter than it is for men, and a course for seniors is setup shorter than a field for mid-amateurs.

Another good rule-of-thumb in choosing which tees to use is derived from the parameters of the USGA Course Rating System in which it is assumed that an average scratch player will hit a tee shot 250 yards and a bogey golfer will be in the range of 200 yards. This helps account for what types of obstacles are in landing zones.

We also try to reward the players for hitting in the fairway, so when setting tee placements, I try to consider where every possible approach shot will come from. Sometimes a golf course may unintentionally allow a player to hit a tee shot onto another fairway or in an area of rough that gives them a significant advantage on their approach shot. In a case like this, we may position tee markers to take this situation out of play or move to a shorter tee box so the player is forced to play the hole the way it was meant to be played.

An example of this is the 16th hole at Creekside Golf Club in Salem which hosted the 2008 Oregon Senior Amateur. Depending on where tee markers would be placed on the very back tee box, players may have been given the option to hit a tee shot into the 15th fairway to avoid a lot of trouble and also have a great shot into the green.  Allowing this would not necessarily help us “identify the best player.”

When considering which yardages to use on par-3 holes, I will mix it up between short, medium and longer yardages so that players will be forced to use a different club each time. What we try to avoid is a set up where a player hits 7-iron on every par-3. This provides a better test of the competitors so that we can accomplish our goal to “identify the best player.”

Finally, we will often setup a course differently for match play than we would for a stroke play event.  In match play, risk reward holes are always a good idea. Having a drivable par-4 is not always an advantage for the longer hitters. For example, at last year’s Oregon Amateur, the 14th hole at Bend Golf & Country Club was one that, with the right wind, made for exciting play. About 30-yyards right of the green was a water hazard. Playing from a forward set of tees, longer hitters had the option of going for it. However, if they came up short, there was a lot of trouble. If they missed it right or left, there was trouble, but a good shot was rewarded with a possible eagle putt or chip. Shorter hitters still had the option of driving short and left of the hazard in a very generous landing area that gave them a short wedge to the green. 

So you can see, the overall course length doesn’t always determine the difficulty of the course. When we setup a course for a tournament we always take it hole-by-hole and look at every obstacle the hole presents. We don’t need to go to the very tips on every hole to make it a challenge. We can do that by looking at each hole and determining where it’s going to be the best test for every player in the field.

2009 Championship Schedule Announced

The Oregon Golf Association announced the official championship and U.S. qualifier schedule for the 2009 golf season. In this, the sesquicentennial year for the State of Oregon, this year also marks a number of milestones for the association that serves as the governing body for the sport in the region.
   
This year marks the 100th occurrence of the Oregon Amateur which was first played in 1904 by both Men and Women at the historic Waverley Country Club in Milwaukee, Ore. This year’s milestone event will be held at the prestigious Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore., site of three of the best golf courses in the world.
   
In celebration of Waverley historic place in the history of golf in Oregon, the course will host the inaugural 36-hole “Players Championship” featuring the best 25 Amateur players from Oregon & SW Washington including 10 Men from the 2009 Men’s Points list as well as the top 5 Senior Men, Women, and Senior Women as determined by their respective points lists.  The winner of this prestigious event will be crowned the “Players Champion.”

“The concept of a Player’s Championship was conceived at the OGA Championship Committee meeting held last year,” noted Director of Tournament Operations, Brent Whittaker.  “As a founding member club of the Oregon Golf Association, Waverley’s deep tradition and roots in supporting amateur golf is a natural fit for this event. What better way to celebrate amateur golf in our region.”
   
This year also denotes the 25th Oregon Net Championship, an event open to most every golfer with a USGA Handicap Index.  Net events allow players a different abilities the opportunity to compete against each other on a level playing field.  

Click Here to see the interactive schedule and competition details.

2009 Championship & Qualifier Schedule

The OGA announced the official championship and U.S. qualifier schedule for the 2009 golf season. In this, the sesquicentennial year for the State of Oregon, this year also marks a number of milestones for the association that serves as the governing body for the sport in the region.  Registration for Adult Championships opens February 13, 2009.  Click Here to see the interactive schedule and competition details.

This schedule is subject to change.

Dates	Event	Course/City
April 22 - 23	3rd OGA Women’s Team Championship	OGA GC, Woodburn Ore.
May 2 - 3	65th OGA Tournament of Champions	Stone Creek GC, Oregon City Ore.
May 6 - 8	4th PNGA Cup Matches	Crane Creek CC, Boise ID
May 18	U.S. Open Local Qualifying	Langdon Farms GC, Aurora Ore.
June 1	U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying	OGA GC, Woodburn Ore.
June 6-7	12th Oregon Public Links Championship	Sandpines GL, Florence Ore.
June 17	U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Qualifying	Shadow Hills CC, Junction City, Ore.
June 22	U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying	Emerald Valley GC, Creswell, Ore.
June 22 - 27	100th Oregon Amateur Championship	Bandon Dunes Resort, Bandon, Ore.
May 17	Oregon Amateur Qualifying	Diamond Woods GC, Monroe Ore.
May 31	Oregon Amateur Qualifying	OGA GC, Woodburn Ore.
June 13	Oregon Amateur Qualifying	Quail Valley GC, Banks Ore.
June 29 - July 3	79th Oregon Junior Amateur Championship	Oswego Lake CC, Lake Oswego Ore.
July 1	U.S. Senior Open Qualifying	Creekside GC, Salem Ore.
July 7-9	12th Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship	OGA Golf Course, Woodburn, Ore.
July 11-12	21st Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship	Tetherow GC, Bend Ore.
June 13	Oregon Mid-Amateur Qualifying	Quail Valley GC, Banks Ore.
July 25-26	59th Parent Child Chapman	Salem GC, Salem, Ore.
July 27	U.S. Amateur Qualifying	Illahe Hills CC, Salem Ore.
August 3	U.S. Amateur Qualifying	Juniper GC, Redmond Ore.
August 7-9	57th Oregon Men’s Stroke Play Championship	Emerald Valley GC, Creswell, Ore.
August 10	U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying	Riverside GC, Portland Ore.
August 12-13	19th Oregon Women’s Stroke Play Championship	Sandpines GL, Florence Ore.
August 15-16	41st Hogan Cup	Riverside G & CC,  Portland, Ore.
August 29-30	25th Net Championship	OGA GC, Woodburn Ore.
Sept. 2	U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying	Pumpkin Ridge GC, North Plains Ore.
Sept. 15 -16	4th Super Senior Amateur Championship	Orchard Hills CC, Washougal, WA
October 3-4	82nd OGA Men’s Team Championship	Centennial GC, Medford Ore.
October 12-16	26th Oregon Senior Amateur Championship	Oregon Golf Club, West Linn Ore.
Oct 17- 18	The Inaugural Players Championship	Waverley CC, Portland Ore.
October 22 – 23	61st Hudson Cup Matches	Portland Golf Club, Portland, Ore.

 

 

The Results of the 20th Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship are in!

Established in 1988, the Mid-Amateur Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for competitors age 25 or older. The minimum qualification for entrants is a handicap index of 10.0 or less for men and 22.4 or less for women. Established in 1988, the Mid-Amateur Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for competitors age 25 or older. The minimum qualification for entrants is a handicap index of 10.0 or less for men and 22.4 or less for women. Established in 1988, the Mid-Amateur Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for competitors age 25 or older. The minimum qualification for entrants is a handicap index of 10.0 or less for men and 22.4 or less for women.