Notebook: Former Steelers Kicker Bahr Has Golf Bug

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Oakmont, Pa. – It wasn’t quite a pressure-packed field goal attempt in the Super Bowl, but Matt Bahr had a look of worry amid the frenzy Tuesday at Oakmont Country Club.

Rushing from scoring tent to scoring tent, the former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker was trying to locate the scorecards of a finished group. When the near calamity dissipated, Bahr beamed. Crisis solved.

Bahr, a member of the club for a couple of years, is volunteering his services this week by overseeing scorecard runners. More important, the two-time Super Bowl winner (Pittsburgh, 1980 and N.Y. Giants, 1991) is tickled to be helping because of his appreciation for the game.

"As my NFL career was winding down, I wanted to be active and involved in something,” said Bahr, estimating his handicap index at 13 or 14. “In golf, no matter how good you shoot, you can always shoot better. And no matter how bad you shoot, you can always sleep and try it again.”

A resident of the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon with his wife and three kids, Bahr at age 47 still displays the boyish looks from yesteryear even if his girth has expanded a bit. After his 17-year NFL career for four teams ended in 1997 – or to what he jokingly referred to as “getting fired for the final time” – Bahr took a fancy to the sport. His brother, Chris, who also kicked in the NFL and is currently a scratch golfer, inspired him.

Since retiring from the NFL, Bahr has dabbled in different endeavors. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State prior to football. After football, he’s owned his own company, worked for Westinghouse, applied his electrical engineering skills to radio, instructed kickers and has been involved in a national children’s program denouncing the use of drugs.

As for the similarities between golf and lining up over a crucial field goal attempt?

"It’s exactly the same!,” he said, nearly jumping up. “First off, the technique in kicking was to hit a stationary target, just like golf. The only excuse you have is what you’ve done to get it there.

"Whenever I practiced extra points, field goals with my center or the rest of the team, every kick was to win the Super Bowl. I wanted to jog off the field, not saying to myself, ‘I should have tried harder.’

"It’s about good visualization. The only shot that is important is the next shot. And that’s true in kicking and golf.”

Bahr joins former NFL linemen Bill Fralic and Jerry Hart, former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Friend and Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux as members.

Thrill Over

Oakmont member and resident Richard Berglund, 38, was realistic before playing his second round Tuesday. At the Pittsburgh Field Club Monday, he shot an 8-over 78.

Guessing that he’s played the Oakmont course around 150 times since becoming a member five years ago, Berglund knew he’d have to post a phenomenal number to even have a remote chance at making match play. His best score on the course was a 71.

As it turned out, the two-time club champion didn’t come close. He shot an 11-over 81 and finished 19 over.

The silver lining to the story is that he felt fortunate even to qualify. His first competitive tournament this year was at the Youngstown, Ohio Mill Creek qualifier, where he shot a 71-67. He went the final 27 holes without a bogey.

"I was surprised to even make this,” he said. “Never was I thinking I was going to make it. My home course, it was overwhelming.”

Berglund last played in the Amateur in 1999 at Pebble Beach. He told his wife, Rachel, then that if he ever qualified for another one, she could caddie for him.

He kept his promise.

"She says the right things,” said Berglund.

He admitted over lunch that he felt torn after his first round. Nerves and fear got the better of him, opening up the mind game floodgates. Afterward, he admitted he felt embarrassed, guilty about playing bad. That didn’t last long when he thought about the accomplishment.

Especially if one heeds the words of 31-year-old seasoned amateur Trip Kuehne, who has appeared in four Amateurs.

"I think before there was a group of 20 guys who were better than the rest,” said Kuehne. “Today there is a lot of parity. It’s indicative of the qualifying scores. It’s almost harder to qualify for this than the U.S. Open because there are more players who are trying to qualify. And the bottom end of players is getting better and better.”

Hurley Sets Sail Toward Match Play

Three cheers for 21-year-old Billy Hurley of Leesburg, Va. Hurley shot a 1-under 139 and shared the lead at one point. Even so, the product of the Naval Academy spoke like he’s been here before.

"It’s nice to put some of the smaller schools on the map,” he said. “[Stroke play] is a qualifier. If I would have shown up Monday and been offered the 64 th seed, I would have taken it.”

Hurley, an Academic All-American this year, has been named Navy Golf MVP three years running.

According to the Patriot League Web site, Hurley is the fourth Navy player to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. Jim Seeley, Tom Flory, both class of 1964, earned invitations. Meanwhile, All-American Aaron Wright, class of 1998, played in 1996 and 1997.

Penalty

On Oakmont’s 426-yard par 4 fourth hole, 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur winner Henry Liaw, 17, sent his ball into a greenside bunker. Before addressing his ball he leaned on his club, resulting in a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club. It led to a 10 on the hole. Liaw finished at 12-over 152.

Walker Cup Roundup

Of the eight players selected to the USA Walker Cup Team, six made it to match play.

The two who missed? Twenty-one-year-old Chris Nallen and Matt Hendrix, 22, after shooting 8-over 148s.

Those who made it: Kuehne with a 1-under 139; Brock Mackenzie, 22, who was even-par 140; Ryan Moore, 20, after posting a 1-over 141; Adam Rubinson, 23, with a 3-over 143; Bill Hass, 21, at 3-over 143; and 18-year-old Casey Wittenberg with a 5-over 145.

With the final two positions to be named Monday, there was a sense of relief among those already chosen.

"I was a little relieved, one of those reasons being because I didn’t qualify for the Amateur,” said Mackenzie. “But I feel the pressure of everyone watching you, seeing if it was a worthy pick.”

Being selected to the Walker Cup team carries an automatic exemption into the Amateur.

"It’s definitely a relief,” said Kuehne. “Making the Walker Cup team is why I play golf. The job the USGA has to do to pick the top 10 guys for the Walker Cup team has to be tough, because there are 20 guys who could make it.”

Said Moore: “A big goal of mine was to make the Walker Cup team. To actually achieve that is nice. But winning the U.S. Amateur is another goal of mine.”

Go Figure

Over the past two days, too many players were looking weary after finishing up at Oakmont. There was a reason why. Compared to the Pittsburgh Field Club, Oakmont played nearly five strokes tougher.

Oakmont registered a 79.014 stroke average through both rounds; Pittsburgh Field Club’s was 74.248.

Quote Of The Day

"Unfortunately, I had the thought in my head on the 10 th hole, ‘I could bogey my last nine holes and still make the cut.’ I probably shouldn’t have thought that.”

--Moore, of Puyallup, Wash., after watching his championship-leading 5-under disappear on Oakmont’s back nine by bogeying six of the holes.

Ken Klavon is the Web Editor for the USGA. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org with questions or comments.