News
Friday, May 2, 2008
Athletes Take Stab At U.S. Open Qualifying
Michael Chang won 34 singles titles in his Hall-of-Fame tennis career, including the 1989 French Open at the age of 17. (Photo courtesy of USTA)
By David Shefter, USGA
Far Hills, N.J. - Grant Fuhr has a list of accomplishments that would make any professional athlete cringe with envy.
Five-time Stanley Cup champion (with Edmonton Oilers). Five-time All-Star. Vezina Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s best goaltender (1987). Hall of Fame Inductee (2003).
But there’s one thing the 45-year-old Fuhr has yet to achieve: qualifying for the U.S. Open. A self-proclaimed golf addict – he plays three to four times a week during the NHL season and every day in the summer – the Scottsdale, Ariz., resident would love nothing more than to compete right alongside Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the game’s best on the biggest stage in mid-June.
And later this month, Fuhr will join 8,043 other hopefuls at local qualifying, hoping to move a step closer to his ultimate dream. This year, the USGA accepted 8,390 entries for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, with 8,102 having to endure one or both stages of qualifying to get into the championship proper. Some 550 golfers will advance from 18-hole local qualifying to the 36-hole sectional stage with all but one of those qualifiers being held June 2 at 13 sites. One sectional is May 26 in Japan.
Fuhr is among seven current or ex-athletes to file an entry. He is joined by fellow former NHL goaltender Mike Dunham, former tennis greats Michael Chang and Ivan Lendl, former major league third baseman Chris Sabo, ex-NFL quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Romo already has a starting time at Torrey Pines on June 6 as part of the Golf Digest U.S. Open contest that will also feature singer/actor Justin Timberlake, NBC “Today” show co-host Matt Lauer and one at-large amateur golfer chosen from a final list of five.
Since moving to Arizona three years ago to serve as the Phoenix Coyotes goaltender coach, Fuhr’s time on the golf course has increased exponentially. When he lived in Canada, golf was a seasonal sport. Now he can chip and putt every day in his backyard or play nine holes after a Coyotes practice. He’s even taken his clubs on a few road trips.
And since his retirement in 2000 after 19 years in the league, Fuhr, who started playing at 15 while in junior hockey in western Canada, has maintained his competitive edge on the course. He has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open before, but it has been five years since he filed an entry. Recent results and his move to the desert have increased his competitive fire.
Two years ago, he won the Toyota Celebrity Classic in San Diego. Last summer, he finished third at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, the biggest event on the celebrity circuit. He’s also competed in events on the Canadian Tour. Two weeks after the U.S. Open, he’ll play in the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic near Toronto on the Nationwide Tour through a sponsor’s exemption.
“I probably should have won [the American Century Championship], but I putted horribly coming down the stretch,” said Fuhr. “[To get through local qualifying] you have to putt good. The guys that get through shoot four or five under and they have good days putting.
“I’m hitting it good right now. If the short game behaves itself, then I think I’ve got a chance [to advance].”
To prepare for his May 19 qualifier at Royal Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz., where 84 players will vie for six spots, Fuhr spent a few days in San Diego competing in former NFL quarterback Stan Humphries’ celebrity event, where he finished second. He’s also played the qualifying course a few times, shooting as low as “one or two under.”
“I’ve actually got a few more outings that I am going to play,” said Fuhr, a member at Legend Trail in Scottsdale. “I’ve got some friends who are really good players and we are planning on playing a bunch to get ready for it.”
But Fuhr’s experience in the NHL does not make him immune to pressure, especially since golf brings on an entirely different kind of anxiety. In hockey, players rely on teammates, but any mistake on the golf course goes directly back to only one individual, the player himself.
“A lot of it is just getting comfortable trying to make 4-footers that mean something,” said Fuhr.
Asked what is easier: making a 4-footer to get into the U.S. Open or facing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky on a breakaway, he said, “I would take Gretz on a breakaway. At least I would be in my comfort zone.”
If Fuhr needs any advice about what it’s like to play in a USGA championship he could contact Dunham. Retiring from the NHL in 2007 after 11 seasons and currently the goaltending coach for the New York Islanders, Dunham has excelled at golf. Last fall, Dunham qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Bandon Dunes, where he missed the match-play cut. But he enjoyed every second of the priceless experience, sharing the moment with his father, Ron, who is a PGA of America club professional and is the director of golf at Teton Pines in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for me and one that I have certainly cherished,” said the younger Dunham. “We were there for four days and it felt like we were only there for a day. It went by so quick, but it was so much fun.”
A second USGA championship experience, especially at the U.S. Open, would be the ultimate for the 36-year-old from Concord, Mass. This will be his third attempt at qualifying.
But unlike Fuhr, Dunham, a silver medalist on the 2002 USA Olympic team, did not play much between last fall and the spring of 2008. Right now, he’s just trying to wipe away the rust. He’ll prep for the qualifier by competing in the Massachusetts Four-Ball.
“It’s just another opportunity for me to play in a tournament-caliber atmosphere and to keep improving my game,” said Dunham, who carries a plus-1.4 USGA Handicap Index. “For me, it’s another chance to go out there and play good golf on a hard golf course.”
Dunham qualifier takes place at the Tournamet Players Club of Boston in Norton, Mass., which is the site of the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship. A total of 99 golfers are vying for seven spots. Last year, Dunham played one group in front of 2000 U.S. Amateur runner-up James Driscoll at Pine Hills.
“It all comes down to putting,” said Dunham. “You can find fairways and find greens, but there’s a lot of slopes on those [TPC] greens and there’s a lot of tiers, so it comes down if you can make the putts.
“[At local qualifying] you’re dealing with a lot of mini-tour players and club pros and obviously the top amateurs…There’s always going to be a guy who goes low with a 65 or 66. Then there’s going to be a lot of guys around that two under [par] or one under number. I think one under qualified last year.”
Chang and Lendl are hoping to join Hall of Famer Ellsworth Vines and former Champions Tour player Frank Conner as the only individuals to compete in both the U.S. Open tennis and golf championships. Vines, who won the U.S. Championship in 1931 and ’32, later became a golf pro and played in four U.S. Opens (1946-49), finishing tied for 14th in 1948 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles and 1949 at Medinah (Ill). Country Club. Conner competed in three tennis U.S. Opens and 10 U.S. Open golf championships, finishing tied for sixth at Merion in 1981.
Lendl, a Hall of Famer with eight Grand Slam titles, has tried multiple times. This will be the first attempt for Chang, the 1989 French Open champion who took up the sport seven years ago. The 36-year-old will play at Newport Beach (Calif.) Country Club with his 39-year-old brother, Carl. Ninety golfers will be vying for six spots. The 48-year-old Lendl is headed to Weathersfield (Conn.) Country Club, where 80 golfers are playing for five qualifying spots.
En route to that ’89 French title, Chang upset Lendl in a grueling five-hour, five-set round-of-16 match before beating Stefan Edberg in the final to become the youngest male Grand Slam champion at 17 years, 3 months. Last year, the two played golf together at the Toyota Celebrity Classic.
“We had a great time,” said Chang. “We talked a little about tennis and a little about golf. I know Ivan plays a lot more golf than I do. I think Ivan has got a bed out at the golf course he plays at.”
Chang’s game has progressed enough to give U.S. Open qualifying a shot. In all his years on the tennis court, he never had to qualify for the U.S. Open due to his high ranking. And with his brother Carl also a highly competitive golfer – he plays in a lot of local and Southern California Golf Association events – the two decided the time was right to give it a try.
“This is something that I know Carl wanted to be part of and wanted me to be part of as well,” said Chang, who will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame this July in Newport, R.I. “We love to be able to go out and play [golf] with friends, but for somebody like Carl, he doesn’t play very well unless there’s something on the line or there’s a little more competitiveness.”
Carl and Michael are extremely close. For most of Michael’s career, Carl served as his coach. Michael finished his 16-year tennis career with 34 singles titles, including the French Open, where he became the first American to win at Roland Garros in 34 years. He also was a finalist in the 1996 U.S. Open and ’96 Australian Open.
By taking up golf and getting his handicap to near scratch, Michael has been able to continue his competitiveness, albeit in a different venue.
“It’s just the fun part of sports,” said Michael, who plays out of Coto de Caza C.C. “And obviously I have missed out on that as far as tennis goes the last few years. The competitive juices never really stop.”
On the golf course, the two have contrasting styles; Carl is a long hitter, while Michael excels with his irons and wedges. Both are good putters. Michael’s best score at Coto de Caza is a 1-under 71, while he has shot two under par at another local course in Orange County, Calif. He’ll likely need a similar result to advance to the sectional qualifying stage.
“Just watching the guys play out on tour … [my] level of play is not even close,” said Chang. “Who am I trying to kid here, right? I think [playing the qualifier] will make you a better player in the long run. And if you have a great round and are able to qualify, that’s even better.”
A year ago, the 28-year-old Romo nearly qualified for sectionals in Dallas, shooting even-par 72. He also recently posted a respectable 3-over 73 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas during the pro-am for the PGA Tour’s EDS Byron Nelson Classic. And in April, he tied for 34th at the Azalea Amateur in Charleston, S.C.
Scott Verplank, the 1984 U.S. Amateur champion, served as his pro-am partner at the EDS Byron Nelson Classic
“He’s a good player,” Verplank told the Dallas Morning News. “Obviously, when he’s not playing football, he spends a little bit time playing golf.”
Romo’s qualifier is May 7 at the Golf Club of Dallas, where 107 players are vying for eight spots. Among the players in his field are 1999 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Hunter Haas and Nationwide Tour players Jaxon Brigman and Scott Gutschewski.
“I love competition and challenges like this,” Romo told Golf Digest in an interview for the U.S. Open contest. “This is what I live for when it comes to fun.”
David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.
