Wheels Fall Off for Sanday on Mini-Tour

Jeff Sanday heard there was a new car for anyone who made a hole-in-one during the Hooters tour championships at Point Mallard Golf Course in Decatur, Ala., last week.

So after the 1994 graduate of Cal State Northridge and 1995 California Amateur champion hit a pure six-iron that found its way into the cup at the par-three, 165-yard 11th hole in Friday’s second round, he figured he’d be driving home a new car that evening.

“I thought I had won the Camaro,” he said of the red car he found sitting next to the 13th tee. “I figured that it was the easiest 15-20 grand I ever made.”

Sanday figured wrong.

The car would only be given out if you aced the 13th hole, a 182-yard par-three. He didn’t get a hole-in-one there and since he missed the cut by one stroke, he never got another shot at it.

“That’s typical,” Sanday said about missing the cut by a stroke. “Another week in the tour life.”

Sanday, 25, is in his first year as a professional on the Hooters tour and the Golden State tour. He says the experience of tour life, especially on the Hooters tour, has been teaching him much more than which holes he needs to ace in order to win a car.

He has visited just about every state in the Southeast, often driving hundreds of miles between tournaments and staying in hotels. He’s had to learn to play on different types of grass and in different kinds of weather. He has played in 10 Hooters tour events and made the cut just twice.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world out here,” Sanday said. “You get all cocky after winning a lot as an amateur and then you find out you aren’t that good. There are a million guys as good or better than you are.

“You think you can start climbing the ladder, but you find out that the top is a lot higher than you thought. It’s almost mind-boggling.”

Sanday, born and raised in Southern California, has also been introduced to a different lifestyle as he plays on the South-based Hooters tour. He has come across many different types of food and is impressed with small-town life.

“It’s been a culture shock,” he said. “The southern hospitality is incredible. When the tour comes to town it’s a big deal in these towns. The people offer to let players stay in their houses.”

That part of tour life has been easy for Sanday to adjust to, but the weather has been a different story.

He played one tournament in Atlanta back in March that was delayed by snow. In the summer, temperatures in the South routinely climb into the 90s with humidity at 90%. It can go from hot and sunny to rain so hard that “you can’t see 100 yards.”

“You sweat so much that your clothes get soaked,” Sanday said of the hot, humid days. “And with all of the rubbing against your bag and shoulder strap it shreds them up. A $60-70 polo shirt doesn’t last too long out here.”

One of the more-interesting experiences Sanday had with the weather came last week in Mississippi when a tornado came through.

“It was a twister, just like the movie,” he said. “It was scary. I’ve never seen wind like that before. It was blowing so hard that I thought the trees were going to come out of the ground.”

But despite not winning and having to adjust to a different lifestyle, Sanday said he considers the whole experience a positive one.

“It’s a pure learning experience,” he said. “Making it in this game is just a matter of patience. It makes or breaks you real quick.”

Sanday said that he will most likely play in the PGA qualifying school this fall with hopes of advancing to the Nike tour or the PGA Tour.

For now he continues his learning experience on the mini-tour circuit.

“It will really test you,” he said. “There’s never a dull moment out here. One swing, one bounce can change everything.”

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July is a busy month for area junior golfers, with two major junior tournaments played on consecutive weeks.

The American Junior Golf Assn. Tournament of Champions takes place July 8-12 at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The invitation-only, 72-hole tournament is the AJGA’s premier event of the summer.

The field includes 36 1995 junior All-Americans, including Russell Surber of Flintridge. Other local invitees are Ross Fulgentis of Westlake, Peter Joe of La Canada and Annie Lee of Northridge.

From July 16-19, the junior circuit moves to San Diego for the Junior World Championships, to be played at various courses.

There are four age divisions for both boys and girls: 10-and-under, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17. The 15- to 17-year-olds will play 72 holes, the others 54 holes.

Local players who qualified as of Wednesday include Alex Kuyumjian of Westlake, Todd Golditch of Chatsworth, Andy Sirivicha of Westlake, Annie Lee of Northridge and Alicia Um of Newbury Park.