He’s on Right Course : As the Youngest Player in the L.A. Open, Bob May, 16, Has a Bright Future

When the 74th Los Angeles Open is held in the year 2,000, if everything goes according to plan, Bob May will be a veteran on the PGA Tour.

It is possible that he will still be remembered as the youngest player ever to qualify for the prestigious tournament.

But May, a sophomore at Los Altos High School, will remember the 59th L.A. Open for a number of other reasons. No. 1, of course will be the disappointment of missing the cut.

May shot a 76 Friday in the second round at Riviera Country Club, but his 36-hole total of 149 missed the cut because the star-studded field of pros continued to destroy par on another nearly perfect day.

May, 16, was the leading qualifier among the amateurs when he shot a 67 at Hillcrest Country Club last month, becoming the youngest to make the event.

He said he would never forget the experience. For the first time in his young life, May found out what media pressure is all about. He was more sought after for television and radio appearances, and interviews by sportswriters, than most of the established tour players.

“I will always remember the disappointment of not playing well in my first time playing against professionals,” he said. “I really thought I would play well, especially after Tuesday when I shot the 29 on the front side.

“But what I’ll remember the most is those four bogeys at the start yesterday. And, the double-bogey on six today. Those are things I will remember. Maybe, I would have made the cut if I had not started so poorly. I guess I was nervous, but believe me, this has been a valuable experience.”

With all of the long-hitters in golf today, one might expect a 16-year-old sensation to be a big, strapping youth, who hits the ball a mile. Not May. He is more the size of Ben Hogan or Jerry Barber. At 5-feet 6-inches and 132 pounds, it is a chore for him to exceed 250 yards off the tee. If he’s lacking a little power, though, May already has all the shots. He has what the pros call a sweet swing.

Nor is he the product of a golf family. His father, Jerry, a Union Oil dealer who caddied for his son in the tournament, took up golf after his son had developed a proficiency.

“My sister, Barbara Purkey, and her husband were crazy about the game,” the older May said. “When Bobby was almost eight, they took him to a driving range.

“When Barbara came back raving about the way he hit the ball at the range, I thought it was just a typical aunt bragging about her nephew. But Bobby really enjoyed it. My wife (Muriel) and I have always encouraged Bobby and his sister, Kimberley, to do what they want to do.

“We decided to do everything we could to help him. Later, I took up the game, too.”

The Mays didn’t exactly pick any easy course for their son to start on. They chose Industry Hills, a course even the pros find difficult. Later, they took him to Eddie Merrins, the popular teaching pro at Bel Air. Merrins has been working with May for four years.

Despite his brief career, May already has amazing credentials. Last spring, he became the first 15-year-old to qualify for the U. S. Amateur since 1955, when a youngster named Jack Nicklaus did it. The year before, he missed qualifying for the U.S. Open by a stroke. At 14, he was the first alternate.

In 1983, he entered five National Junior tournaments and won them all. Last year, in a grueling tournament at West Palm Beach, Fla., he finished third in the National PGA Junior tournament. On the last day, rain delays made it an eight-hour round. That night, May had to fly to Oklahoma City, where the U.S. Amateur was being held at Oak Tree, a course with a 75.6 rating.

“Bobby--oops, he prefers Bob--won’t ever admit it, but he was worn out when he arrived in Oklahoma City,” his father said. “He never got to play a practice round on the course. He missed the cut by a stroke. If he had been familiar with the course, he would have made the cut.

“Although he’s young, he’s already had a lot of frustration. He’s the kind of kid who profits by experience. He went to the Doug Sanders Junior, a tournament for the top 33 juniors, most of whom were 17. He led by six strokes, then lost by a stroke. He missed out on a two-week trip to England. Instead of being down, he went right back and played his best golf of the year.”

Because of his age, there are different problems for Bob May than for many golfers. For instance, during the week he qualified for the L.A. Open, he also had to take a test for his driver’s license.

“I wanted to pass the test, so I could drive myself instead of somebody else having to take me to the golf course and the range,” May said. “But there wasn’t nearly the pressure there was for trying to qualify. There were 150 guys trying for just three spots.”

Then, too, he was probably the only player in the tournament who had to get an excuse to miss school the last two days. The principal of Los Altos High, joined him in playing hooky Friday, following him around the course.

May is convinced, though, that the lessons he learned in his first venture against the pros will turn out to be lessons well learned.