Notebook: Making The Most Of A Chance

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Growing up in Brisbane, Australia, Bronson La'Cassie immersed himself in kid-like activities with little thought toward the future.

For 10 years, the 21-year-old University of Minnesota sophomore focused on the intricacies of his first love, which wasn't golf. That took a back seat to rugby.

"Rugby is a lot of fun," he said. "I'd still like to give it a go."

That may have to wait after he fired a 3-under 67 Tuesday on the East Course for a two-day stroke-play total of 1-over 141.

La'Cassie, who once played with 2003 U.S. Amateur champion Nick Flanagan on a touring Australian amateur squad, didn't give golf much thought until Minnesota coach Brad James, a fellow Aussie, encouraged him to apply to Minnesota.

La'Cassie sent in his SATs, got accepted and played on the golf team last season. He took the experience in stride, improving bit by bit. The week of April 7 he was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week, then earned All-American Honorable Mention honors at the end of the season.

In the recently-held Western Amateur, La'Cassie advanced to the round of 16. This week he's hoping to finish higher.

Acclimating to the U.S. hasn't been as difficult as he imagined. He hasn't been home in more than a year, but that's due to a snafu on his own end. He tried going home at Christmas, waiting too long to book the flight. In any event, he talks to his parents at least once a week.

Choosing to come over hasn't caused any regrets.

"This is where you have to be for golf," said La'Cassie, adding that he's surprised over how much he's learned about his game.

"I've learned that you have to keep the ball straight and how to position balls. In Australia, it's just hit it as hard as you can and go from there," he said.

His confidence has reached the point where he'd like to play in golf's four majors and turn pro eventually.

Eventually.

"College is a lot of fun," he said. "I do like to party."

Speaking of Flanagan, 22-year-old Jason Hartwick still has ill memories from Oakmont last year. That's because he lost to Flanagan in the third round of match play. The Big-12 Player of the Year, who attended the University of Texas, fell 2 and 1.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

"It's tough to take no matter who you get beat by," said Hartwick after completing his second round at 4-under 74 Tuesday for an overall score of 4-over 144. "I know the guy I lost to didn't play a whole lot better than me."

It gives the accomplished amateur more incentive to do well in match play, which begins Wednesday. It's most likely his last Amateur because he plans on turning pro immediately - unless he wins.

He said it would be tough to forego his amateur status knowing that exemptions into the U.S. Open and British Amateur await, as does an invitation to compete in the Masters.

One of the more intriguing sights at any match play event has to be observing those on the bubble anxiously await their fate. Are they in or out? Will they have to participate in a playoff?

Players, family and friends crammed around the scoreboard late Tuesday, some of whom nervously paced. Others were partaking in the outdoor cash bar the club set up a stone's throw from the board or lounged around.

Each time the cut line moved, in one case from 149 to 150, cheers would permeate the air. Then cell phone buttons would ecstatically be punched.

One player, 17-year-old Seath Lauer of Bradenton, Fla., knows all about the emotional roller-coaster of being on the bubble. He failed to qualify after shooting 19-over 159, but had to scoreboard watch at this year's U.S. Junior Amateur.

"Oh, it's nerve-racking," he said. "You don't know if you should be practicing or playing."

Compounding the problem, he said, is that in many cases muscles have stiffened. If there's a playoff, being prepared to play has to be part of the mindset. In the Junior Am at The Olympic Club, he hadn't swung a club in two hours before learning he made the playoff. He had to sprint up a hill to get his clubs. Fortunately, he made match play but lost 1 up in the first round to Matt Savage.

"It's not a good feeling. You stand there wishing you made one more putt. You just don't know what to think," he said referring to being on the bubble.

How many players in the field can say they won a slam dunk contest? At least one can. Nick Cook, 22, a recent Georgetown graduate did the trick his sophomore year. It helped that he's 6-foot-5. For his effort, he won a $50 certificate to a bookstore.

"I can still dunk," he said after posting a two-day total of even-par 140.

As he walked off the West Course's ninth green, his final hole of the day, 32-year-old Trip Kuehne heaved his putter into the ground. At the time he didn't know if his 6-over 146 would be good enough to qualify for match play.

It didn't help matters that he missed a 4-foot putt on the hole. He said his frustration went deeper than that. He had several other close misses within 5 feet during the round.

"I had six three-putts over 36 holes," he said.

He blamed the putting woes on stroking to the wrong side of the hole. Still, he knows that he can't afford such lapses when match play begins. Or he'll get eaten alive.

"It's the best amateur event in the world. It's not just a U.S. event; there are a bunch of great amateurs from all over the world," he said.

Twenty-year-old Spencer Levin of Elk Grove, Calif., has made a name for himself this year. The fiery competitor notched a 13^th-place showing at the U.S. Open, with it bringing low-amateur honors. It marked the precipice of success for the University of New Mexico junior before he took the victory plunge.

Since the Open, Levin has won the Porter Cup and the Northern California Amateur. He was the runner-up at the Pacific Coast Amateur, losing in a playoff.

The latter event was all the more impressive because, after pasting Terry Foreman 11 and 10 last Friday, he flew cross country to get to Winged Foot.

Tired? Nah.

"I like to play and I like to travel," he said. "It's not that bad. Plus, I really like New York."

Levin tried comparing Winged Foot's West Course, where match play will be contested, to Shinnecock Hills. He said the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Winged Foot is harder from tee to green. But Shinnecock's greens were more unforgiving.

"Shinnecock's greens were ten times firmer and faster," he said.

With 312 players in any field, there are bound to be stories. A unique one has to do with 19-year-old Justin Scott of Monroeville, Pa.

Built like a linebacker, Scott picked up the game at age 7 but had to make do with knockoff clubs until finally getting a new set the summer of his senior year in high school. Somehow he excelled at the sport while others around him seemed to have the technological advantage.

"I had some pretty nasty clubs in high school," he said after shooting 13-over 83 on the West Course Monday. "They were knockoffs. My parents didn't think I'd take [golf] seriously."

When he shot a 67-71 at Alcoma Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., he became the first member from Churchill Valley Country Club (Pittsburgh) to ever qualify for the U.S. Amateur. He said prior to Tuesday's round that he was still thrilled to be playing at Winged Foot no matter the outcome.

Scott failed to qualify for match play, carding a two-day score of 24-over 164.

Prior to the cut, the 312 players in the field were broken down this way statistically:

Twenty-seven, or 8.7 percent, attend high school.

One-hundred ninety-six players (62.8 percent) attend college or graduated this year. Broken down further, 23 (7.4 percent) graduated this year.

There were 198 players (63.5 percent) making their first Amateur appearance.

There were 226 (72.4 percent) aged 23 or under.

And there were 86 (27.6 percent) older than 23.