San Francisco -- The phone call came to 14-year-old Andy Zhang at 5:20 Monday evening. It was USGA official Jeff Hall, who was on the Olympic Club putting green, telling Zhang that he had a spot in the U.S. Open field thanks to Paul Casey withdrawing.
Zhang flew to San Francisco immediately.
“It was funny, like I was on the airplane, and then I was asking Chris [Gold, his caddie], I was like, so I get to practice on the driving range and putt and chip in the U.S. Open facility,” Zhang said. “So is that OK if I go up to Tiger and those great players for autographs. And he goes, like, no, you are going to be the one who is giving out autographs. And I came here and everybody knows me for some reason.”
So there was Zhang Wednesday morning on the range, hitting balls when Woods appeared. Gold said, “Hey Andy, look behind you, it’s Tiger.’’
“I was like, ‘Wow, I just shook Tiger’s hand,’ ’’ Zhang said.
U.S. OPEN: HOLE BY HOLE
Zhang is a native of the People’s Republic of China and grew up in Beijing, but for the past four years, he’s lived in Florida where he attends the Leadbetter Golf Academy.
His English is as good as any American teen, though he did answer several questions in Mandarin. He played a practice round on Tuesday with Aaron Baddeley and reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy said he was preparing to play in the Holywood club championship when he was 14. Eight years later, of course, he was a U.S. Open champion.
“I’m not sure I could give him any words of wisdom,” McIlroy said. “It’s an unbelievable experience for someone so young. I think he should just enjoy it and you take it all in and just realize that he’s got so much more time to develop and mature. By the time he’s 18 he’ll feel like a veteran.”
Matt Kuchar, who was a Georgia Tech sophomore when he earned low amateur honors in 1998 when the U.S. Open last came to Olympic, said he was still trying to break 90 when he was 14.
When Zhang, who was 7 months old when the U.S. Open was last played at Olympic, tees off today at 11:21 a.m. (Eastern) with Mark Wilson and Hiroyuki Fujita, he will become the youngest player ever to compete in the U.S. Open.
“Somebody check his birth certificate,’’ 53-year-old Michael Allen said jokingly. “I’m baffled. I can’t imagine. I wouldn’t let my 14-year-old kid go backpacking over the weekend, besides letting him go to the U.S. Open. My God.’’
“Well, you watch some of these young kids, they’re so good and the kids that qualified with me, how far they hit it, I’m sure this little 14-year-old punk hit it past me already so . . . Oh, excuse me, kid.”
***
Alvaro Quiros of Spain Wednesday aced the 290-yard, par-4 seventh hole with a 3-wood.
“The people on the grandstand behind the green started screaming and standing, so we thought we hit the flag,” said Quiros, who is one of the longest hitters in the Open field. “Then [playing partner Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano] said, ‘I think you holed it.’ I said, ‘I’m not going to hole it. I’m just trying to find the fairway, and now you tell me it’s in the hole. Come on.’
“It’s just a practice round, but it’s still a great shot,” he said. “Sometimes the way to build up confidence is to hit a great shot.”
***
Phil Mickelson, as is his custom the day before major championships begin, played an “off-site’’ round, taking in San Francisco Golf Club along with his caddie, Jim “Bones’’ Mackay, who played as well.
Andy Zhang, San Francisco, 14.When Zhang, Zhang
No comments:
Post a Comment