How skilled golfers fared at Rustic Canyon

[Pete Lavallee]

Qualifying for the prestigious Southern California Amateur Championship, to be contested latter this summer at Torrey Pines South, was held Monday at Rustic Canyon. The low round was 66, with 69 being the next best card returned. For complete results here is the link:

http://www.scga.org/tourney/showhot.cgi?file=SCGAAmQual0609Rustic.res

[THuckaby2]

The coolest part about that is that the man who shot the 66 - Don Baker  - is a friend of mine, known also to several long-timers here who go back to the golfonline "Grillroom" days and earlier... Thanks for the alert - I gotta call and congratulate him!

Looking farther down the list we find a certain tall left-handed West coast regular.... I'm sure Lynn can tell us all about how the set up was.  If he shot the score listed (which ain't bad, it is competition after all), I gotta guess the SCGA or the course proprietors gave them some difficult pins.

I've always believed that Rustic could be set up to allow great players to shoot 62 or 82 based on where they put the pins.  There are places that would make Tiger struggle to break 80, if one was sadistic enough.  I doubt that was the case for this event... my friend Don is a great player but not THAT great... But this is interesting nevertheless.

So does my buddy Don now have the competitive course record?

Great stuff.  VERY cool that the SCGA held a qualifier there.  

TH

[DMoriarty]

Tom, I was out there yesterday and watched some of the tournament before playing 9 holes myself.  I didnt see your friend Mr. Baker play-- he must have been one of the first one's off, as his score was posted before I arrived.  
  I heard that there were about 8 Woodland Hills CC players trying to qualify, so you will probably recognize more than a few names.
  I also heard that Mr. Baker plays a very "controlled" game (read: extremely short with woods and irons.)  Is this actually the case?

[Bob_Huntley]

David.

Don Baker played with a couple of us at MPCC two or three years ago. He holed a sand wedge for his second shot on NO.1 for a two. The hole measured 420 yards.

[DMoriarty]

Bob.  

Sounds like I shouldn't believe everything I hear.  

[John_Conley]

Jerry Chang has caddied for Tiger, and I believe Tiger has even caddied for him!!  (USAPL if memory serves.)

On the Stanford team, I think he is now medschooling.

[Mike_Golden]

Somewhat off topic, but Lake Merced hosted a Ladies Open Sectional Qualifier yesterday-check out these scores (152 was the medalist):
http://www.usga.org/press/qualifying_results/2003/WomensOpenSectionalQualifying.html

this was out of a field of 60 players, with many scores in the 160's- although none were tour caliber.  On the other hand, the tees were a mixture of Red, White, Blue, and Black (only a few holes), and the long par 4's on the front were all from the Reds-pins were in normal spots, greens not overly fast.  The problem?  Well, some of it was wind, some of it lack of familiarity with the course, but, in the words of a good friend of mine who caddied for one player-'they just weren't that good-he couldn't believe how many shots they missed around the greens and how many times they hit approach shots into bunkers.'  He also had a player who was particularly surly and didn't want advice anywhere-how many of you would not want a member of the club to help you around his home course?

[THuckaby2]

Far bet it from me to ever correct Mr. Huntley, but I will.  This is likely the first and only time I shall be able to do so, so I'm going to go for it!  

Bob:  It was the infamous "DeeJay" who holed out in two on #11 MPCC Dunes oh that famous day so long ago.  I was in the group... we were playing better ball... a deuce for the team on that hole was quite well received!  He then went on to birdie #2, setting an outrageous pace.... which sadly he did not keep up.  He was staggering by the back nine.  But it was fun while it lasted!

Don Baker did play there, different times.   I don't believe he ever made a deuce on #1, but if so, then color me embarrassed!  

And David, you actually do have it correct re Don - short (for a scratch player) and straight and the most controlled game you will ever see.  He is most definitely one of my golf heroes.  He lost in the semis of the British Mid-Am last year at Troon... when in college (USC), he won what's now called the US Intercollegiate at Pasa... Were you there when I was checking out the plaque in the little room we had after the round there for the King's Putter?  It was his name I was making sure hadn't been erased.  

The cool thing about Don is as great as he is as a player, he's a better person, as nice and down to earth as can be.  Great guy.  

It's been a long time since I've been around Woodland Hills - I didn't recognize any other names.  But all hail Don Baker!

EDIT - I take this back - didn't look down far enough.  There with a sterling 83 is one Regan Bayless, high school team mate of mine.  This is going to require some shit-giving.  Thanks again for the alert, Pete!

TH

ps - Don is a humble accountant in his late 40s and looks exactly like Lanny Wadkins.  God I hope he reads this...

[JohnV]

Mike,  One of the medalists at Lake Merced was Sydney Burlison who is 13 years old.  She is well known for being a finalist along with a friend of the same age at the California State Women's Amateur a year or two ago.  Another pair of 18 year old amateurs also qualified.  The only other name I knew in the list on the USGA web site was an alternate named Riko Higashio who played on the Futures Tour when I was out there.  She was a pretty good player, but not one I'd expect to see on the LPGA anytime soon.

[THuckaby2]

Young Miss Burlison is featured, along with her best friend (who's name escapes me right now) in the July Golf Magazine... Miss Burlison lives in Salinas (I think)... so for us out here, stretching this really far... local girl makes good!

TH

[Jeff Fortson]

I played some junior golf with Jerry Chang and he is a super nice guy.  The last time I saw him was about 4 or 5 years ago and he told me that he was working for the Tiger Woods Foundation.  I think he is still doing so.  He was quite a good junior and college golfer himself.

Jeff F.

[George Pazin]

bumping

Any reports of low rounds? Any tourneys hosted?

[Garland Bayley]

I see you've been data mining again George. 

[Bob_Huntley]

Far bet it from me to ever correct Mr. Huntley, but I will.  This is likely the first and only time I shall be able to do so, so I'm going to go for it!  

Bob:  It was the infamous "DeeJay" who holed out in two on #11 MPCC Dunes oh that famous day so long ago.  I was in the group... we were playing better ball... a deuce for the team on that hole was quite well received!  He then went on to birdie #2, setting an outrageous pace.... which sadly he did not keep up.  He was staggering by the back nine.  But it was fun while it lasted!


Tom,

Was Don Baker from Fresno? Did he work for the telephone company? If so he did indeed hole out on number one of the Dunes with a wedge. I know my memory is not as good as yours but someone holed out and I thought it was Baker.

Bob

Don Baker did play there, different times.   I don't believe he ever made a deuce on #1, but if so, then color me embarrassed!  

And David, you actually do have it correct re Don - short (for a scratch player) and straight and the most controlled game you will ever see.  He is most definitely one of my golf heroes.  He lost in the semis of the British Mid-Am last year at Troon... when in college (USC), he won what's now called the US Intercollegiate at Pasa... Were you there when I was checking out the plaque in the little room we had after the round there for the King's Putter?  It was his name I was making sure hadn't been erased.  

The cool thing about Don is as great as he is as a player, he's a better person, as nice and down to earth as can be.  Great guy.  

It's been a long time since I've been around Woodland Hills - I didn't recognize any other names.  But all hail Don Baker!

EDIT - I take this back - didn't look down far enough.  There with a sterling 83 is one Regan Bayless, high school team mate of mine.  This is going to require some shit-giving.  Thanks again for the alert, Pete!

TH

ps - Don is a humble accountant in his late 40s and looks exactly like Lanny Wadkins.  God I hope he reads this...