GOLF / FRED ROBLEDO : Oh Is Open-Minded About Opportunity

Ted Oh is trying to live the life of a normal sophomore at Torrance High, but the 16-year-old’s world changed drastically last week.

Oh had to decide between playing in the Southern Section finals at Bakersfield, an event in which he was the defending champion, or try to qualify for the U.S. Open at a sectional meet at Valencia Country Club.

The decision was easy. The chance to qualify for the Open--although remote at best--was too much to pass up.

But Oh beat the odds with rounds of 72-72 for an even-par 144 to become the second-youngest player ever to qualify for the Open.

The youngest was Tyrell Garth Jr., who played in the 1941 Open at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Tex.

To put Oh’s accomplishment into perspective, even some of PGA Tour’s best players have trouble qualifying without an exemption. Ben Crenshaw failed to make it for the third year in a row. Phil Mickelson, one of the tour’s best young players, attempted to qualify and he failed to make the cut.

The immensity of the feat hasn’t gone undetected by the impressionable Oh, who is on such an emotional high he could probably float to Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., where the Open is scheduled to begin Thursday.

He was duly impressed when he qualified for the Los Angeles Open at Riviera in February. Although he didn’t make the cut, Oh appreciated the chance to play with professionals.

“I am very excited about having the chance to play in the U.S. Open,” Oh said. “I know it is going to be a great experience. Imagine the players I will get to see.”

Oh isn’t going to Baltusrol with great expectations. His only hope when he started his quest was to qualify.

“It was just for the experience,” said Oh, who first played in a regional qualifying event at Industry Hills.

“All I think about out there is not to lose my head, just play the course.”

Oh is on the hottest streak of his life. In recent weeks he has won a national junior tournament in Ohio and finished second in another one in Texas.

He was full of confidence going into Monday’s play at Valencia after practicing on the quick greens.

“I practiced for hours and hours trying to get the feel for the speed of those greens,” Oh said. “I am hoping they will be about the same at Baltusrol.”

Oh shot 36 on the front nine and had an idea he was in contention. After shooting 36 on the back nine, he was finally able to see the first-round scores.

“I don’t really like to know what everybody else is doing, I would rather concentrate on my own game, but I was playing so well I had to find out if I was in contention.”

Oh was one-over par on his final nine holes going to the par-five 18th, but he reached the green in two shots and two-putted for a birdie and another 36.

Then the waiting game started.

“I was nervous, but felt good about my chances,” Oh said.

As each group finished and scores were posted, it became obvious to Oh that his score was going to hold up.

Three different TV stations had been on the course following another teen sensation, Tiger Woods of Anaheim Western, but the real story was already in the clubhouse. Oh was making airline reservations for the Open.

Woods never made it. He shot 77-74-151 and missed by seven strokes.

The attention on Woods may have helped Oh.

“Tiger gets the publicity wherever he plays,” Oh said. “And that’s only right because he deserves it. Nobody pays any attention to me.”

All of that will end at Baltusrol, but Oh isn’t worried about pressure.

“My father is the one who gets nervous,” Oh said. “He can’t handle it. I know I will be nervous, but it won’t be pressure because I’m not expected to do anything.

“All I want to do is play my game. Keep the ball in the fairway because the rough is so tough. If I can do that, I can make a lot of pars.”

Par is regarded as a great score on an Open course.

Oh, who was born in Korea and raised in San Dimas, started playing golf with his father when he was 10.

“I look back and realize it took me a long time to become a decent player,” Oh said. “When I was 11, I couldn’t break 90. When I was 12, I couldn’t break 80. But I loved the game and kept playing.”

And he continued to improve.

Although he is only 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, Oh is a long hitter.

“I don’t know how long,” he says. “At Riviera they told me I was the ninth longest on the holes they measured. But I don’t worry about length. I just want to hit the ball straight.

“My biggest problem has been putting, but I am getting better at it all the time.”

Like any young golfer with tremendous ability, Oh is dreaming of someday playing professionally. That’s why he relishes the experience of playing among the pros, if only for a few days.

“That still seems like it’s a long way off,” Oh said.

He’s right. After all, he still has two years of high school.

Notes

Mike Springer and Kevin Wentworth were the top qualifiers at Valencia with scores of 141. Ted Oh and Mike Singer of North Hollywood each shot 144 for the other spots. . . . Rachel Borcherts of Long Beach Millikan shot a 78 to finish in a tie for third, three strokes behind winner Kellee Booth of Santa Margarita, in the Southern Section tournament. . . . Cal State Dominguez Hills will sponsor an invitational golf tournament at 1 p.m. June 25 at the California Country Club in Whittier. The cost is $150 for individuals or $500 for a foursome and includes green fees, cart rental and an awards dinner. The cost is $30 for the dinner only. Proceeds will go toward the school’s athletic scholarship fund. The deadline is Tuesday. Information: (310) 516-3523. . . . Many of the area’s top amateurs will compete in the 76th annual Los Angeles City men’s championship and handicap tournament that starts Saturday at Griffith and Rancho parks. The cost is $85 for the championship flight or $65 for A through D flights. The deadline is Saturday. The defending champion is Pete Wilman of Manhattan Beach. Information: (213) 660-2153.