Severiano Ballesteros will compete in the L.A....
Severiano Ballesteros will compete in the L.A. Open at Riviera Feb. 19-22, thanks to amateur Rob Sullivan, a UCLA sophomore. Sullivan bowed out to make room for Ballesteros.
Because Ballesteros, of Spain, is not a member of the PGA Tour, he needed an unrestricted exemption from the tournament sponsor, the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. But the Junior Chamber had already filled the four exempt spots more than a month ago with two amateurs, Sullivan and Brandt Jobe, and Japanese pros Jets Ozaki and Masahiro Kuramoto.
Jobe, Sullivan’s roommate and teammate at UCLA, was approached first. He had qualified for the Open with a 70, while Sullivan had qualified with a 69. Jobe decided against withdrawing.
However, Sullivan agreed to forgo his spot, and, in turn, the Junior Chamber guaranteed Sullivan an exemption in any one of the next three L.A. Opens.
“I feel very comfortable with my decision,” Sullivan said. “It’s in the best interest of everyone.”
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