MIKE PURKEY
I don’t mind in the least admitting
that it’s pretty cool to see your name on
a scorecard and a scoreboard with the
USGA logo printed on it. That is, until
they write your score beside your name,
and that’s what the rest of this story is all
about.
I entered qualifying for the U.S. Senior
Amateur at Old Tabby Links on Spring
Island near Hilton Head Island, S.C. We’ll
jump to the end and tell you that I didn’t
make it, and now we’ll fill in the blanks
without taking you hole-by-hole, for which
you’d need a cart or caddie fees.
I walked into my friend and club repair
guru John Gamble’s shop one afternoon
and said, “You might think I’m crazy, but
I’ve entered U.S. Senior Am qualifying.”
“Not crazy at all,” he replied, even
though he’s seen me play. “It’s the purest
examination of you as a player and as a
person.”
And I knew that he was absolutely
right. I didn’t enter because I thought I
could get in the tournament. I did it be-
cause I wanted to stretch and test my-
self. My USGA Handicap Index is 1. 5 and,
believe it or not, that’s not good enough
to compete at a national level. I’ve deter-
mined that you need to be a plus-handi-
cap to qualify for national events.
Even at that, I finished in about the
middle third of the pack so I didn’t com-
pletely embarrass myself. But I did find
out some of what I needed to know about
me. I don’t mind saying that I had difficul-
ty controlling my 56-year-old nerves.
Even though I was in a twosome with
my new friend Al and no one else was
watching, I was as nervous as I’ve ever
been. That cost me a stretch of four holes
late in the front nine with two doubles and
two bogeys, which took me right out of the
running.
I also discovered why they’re referred
to as elite amateurs. It’s because of their
ability but, in addition, it’s because they
can afford it. Playing in this qualifier was
not cheap. Entry fee is $125 and I stayed
in a Bluffton hotel the night before be-
cause Hilton Head is not in driving dis-
tance to make a 9: 30 a.m. starting time.
That cost another $100. Mandatory cart
fees for the practice round and the com-
petition round was $25 per day. And the
500-mile round trip cost me a little more
than a tank of gas, which runs about $65.
So, all told my qualifying experience
totaled just under $350. That’s some
expensive golf and I can’t afford to do that
very often. I did get two rounds at a really
good golf course and an experience that I
can’t duplicate anywhere else.
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