Mr. Nicklaus Is ‘Real Nice Guy’ : Golf: Ted Oh of Torrance sees the U.S. Open and legends of the Baltusrol Golf Club through 16-year-old eyes.

When Ted Oh went to the Baltusrol Golf Club on Saturday, the players’ locker room was empty.

But the pictures on the wall stirred his imagination and reminded him he was at a special place.

“I was just staring,” Oh said. “There’s Jack Nicklaus, there’s Greg Norman, there’s Jose Olazabal, there’s Gil Morgan. And my locker is next to Norman, Mark O’Meara and Nicklaus.”

Oh, a sophomore at Torrance High, is living a fantasy. He is only 16, but he has qualified to play in the U.S. Open, which begins here Thursday.

He is not the youngest to play in the Open. Tyrell Garth Jr. played in the Open at 14 at the Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth in 1941. Garth shot an 80 in the first round and withdrew.

Oh’s participation has attracted the attention of the galleries.

In his three practice rounds, Oh said he has heard people say frequently: “There’s the 16-year-old, there’s the 16-year-old.”

Oh played a practice round on Tuesday with Seve Ballesteros and Olazabal.

“Seve gave me some tips about the wind and how to play out of the rough,” Oh said.

“I’ve also met Mr. Nicklaus, and he said: ‘So you’re the 16-year-old, huh?’ I took a picture with him. He’s a real nice guy.”

That’s heady stuff for any teen-ager.

When Oh finished his practice round on Tuesday, he ran a gantlet of autograph seekers on his way to the clubhouse.

And, when he was on the course, he gave balls away to the crowd.

“I was giving a lot of balls away to kids,” Oh said. “When I was 12, a caddie threw me a ball, and it made me feel so good. Now I know how those kids feel. Later, my coach told me that I had only three balls left.”

Oh is coached by Brad Sherfy, who teaches at the Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert.

This is an exciting experience for Oh, but he said he’s not nervous or worried about his score or making the cut.

“I’m 16. I’ve got a lot more to go,” he said.

Simply qualifying for the Open was an adventure.

He had to survive local qualifying at Industry Hills. He moved on to sectional qualifying with three birdies on the finishing holes.

Sectional qualifying took place June 7 at Valencia Golf Club, a 36-hole test on another long course.

“When I got to my last hole, an official at Valencia said that I was on the borderline to qualify,” Oh said. “It was the most nervous situation I’ve been in.”

Only four players from a field of 59 qualified for the Open at Valencia.

Oh birdied the last hole, then had to wait a few hours before it was confirmed that he had made it with a 36-hole score of 144, even par.

But a problem was presented. Final exams at Torrance High are scheduled this week. So Oh had to take his exams earlier than he anticipated.

“It was quick notice,” he said. “I wasn’t ready, but I took them anyway.”

While Oh was surviving sectional qualifying, another prominent teen-ager, 17-year-old Tiger Woods, failed to advance.

Oh said that people try to stir up a rivalry between himself and Woods.

“We get along fine,” Oh said. “We joke around. He’s a great guy.

Oh was born in Korea and came to the United States when he was 7. His father, Yong Ho, got his son interested in golf.

“I’d follow my dad to the course,” Oh said. “My big kick was driving the cart. But one day I just picked up his wedge and hit a few shots.”

Oh, who is 5 feet 9 and 145 pounds, said that he broke 80 for the first time when he was 11. He broke 70 at 14.

He qualified to play in the Los Angeles Open last February but missed the cut by three shots.

“That was great,” Oh said. “It gave me a lot of confidence. I thought the L.A. Open was big, but you can’t compare it to this.”

Oh is aware that he is playing on a historic course, the site of six previous U.S. Opens.

“I’m stepping on the same grass as Hogan, Snead and Trevino,” Oh said. “It’s a beautiful course, and I admire the history here.”

As for Baltusrol’s difficulty, Oh said:

“It’s one of the toughest I’ve ever played on, but I’m getting used to it.”

So he is on his way to becoming a veteran at 16.