Two unforgettable days at Woodmont
The last two Mondays, when Woodmont Country Club hosted sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, it was a rare opportunity for local golf fans to see recognizable players up close and personal, without being restrained by ropes or marshals.
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At these un-hyped 36-hole qualifiers, fans can walk the fairways with Fred Funk or Michelle Wie, and, unlike a tour event, stand a few yards away as they hit their shots. Here are some highlights:
Overtime » Playoffs were required in both events. In the men’s qualifier, where six players vied for four slots, it took four holes to settle. In the women’s qualifier, 10 battled for eight berths, requiring two holes. Many of the survivors were tour veterans such as Funk and Jeff Brehaut, heaving a sigh of relief. But the best reactions came from amateurs such as Drew Weaver, a recent Virginia Tech grad, and Candace Schepperle, a senior this fall at Auburn, who qualified for the open for the first time.
“This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in golf,” said Schepperle, who needed a spectacular shot from well off the green to within three feet to survive.
In search of » Funk and his playing partners and caddies poking through knee-deep grass off the 12th tee of the North Course. They were looking for the putter of Carlos Franco who — playing in another threesome — had tossed it in anger after missing a short putt on the 11th green.
Celebrity » Stylish young amateur Myke Cohn, a member at Bethesda Country Club and former standout at Landon, caddying for long-hitting, eye-catching Blair O’Neal, one of three players left on Golf Channel reality series, Big Break Prince William Island. According to Cohn, the arrangement was facilitated by Washington Kastles owner, and local entrepreneur/man-about-town, Mark Ein.
Amazement » Much has been made of the South Korean invasion on the LPGA Tour. It was never more evident than Monday when nine of the 30 women’s qualifiers were from South Korea. The success was all the more impressive considering only 17 of the 111 players in the field were from the country of 48 million. Even for a qualifier, the Korean contingent is equipped with a young, highly-mobile press corps, apt to plop down anywhere — no chair required — and bang away on a laptop.
Comedy » As O’Neal and playing partners Wie and Angela Jerman walked down the 15th fairway, trailed by the largest gallery Monday at Woodmont, LPGA veteran Audra Burks yells from a parallel fairway, “All those people to watch Angela?” Jerman, also a little-known LPGA player, answers, “Yeah, I’m pretty special.”
Disappointment » Late Monday, as another good score is posted on the large board at Woodmont, Natalie Gulbis (75-71 — 146), easy to recognize despite her dark sunglasses, drops her head and walks away quietly, realizing her score is not good enough to qualify.
