After Woods, O.C. Players Are Green

Tiger Woods, of course, is Orange County’s most notable entrant in the U.S. Amateur, which starts today in Cornelius, Ore. A 20-year-old from Cypress, Woods is attempting to do what no one in the history of golf has accomplished--win three consecutive Amateur titles.

Orange County’s other four representatives are first-timers. Unlike Woods, exempt as the defending champion, they each had to survive local qualifying to make the 312-player field.

A look at how each reached this point:

* Nate Blauer will be a senior at Santa Margarita High, but he might have the shortest commute of anyone of the field this week.

Blauer has been staying this summer with his grandmother, who lives in Beaverton, about a 15-minute drive from Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.

“I could get up 20 minutes before my tee time and cruise down,” Blauer said, laughing.

So is that his plan? “No way,” he said. “I probably won’t get any sleep the night before. I’ll probably be out there three hours before my tee time.”

Blauer, 16, has had an excellent summer. He played in the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines and made match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur in Flagstaff, Ariz., losing in the second round--on the 23rd hole--to the eventual champion, Shane McMenemy of Grand Forks, N.D.

Then came the 36-hole qualifier for the Amateur. Playing in Portland, Ore., Blauer shot 73 in the first round and continued to play steadily in the second. “On 17 I drained a 45- to 50-footer for birdie to go two under and then double bogeyed the last hole. When I doubled it I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to miss the cut.’ ”

Turned out he made it with two strokes to spare. Now, Blauer is excited about playing in front of his hometown--his family moved to Orange County last year--against the nation’s best amateurs.

“I’d have to say it’s going to be a great experience,” Blauer said, “because I’m playing in the group right before Tiger Woods.”

* Jesse Lanham and Mike Lawrence, who both played for UC Irvine last season, had to survive playoffs to qualify--Lanham at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills and Lawrence in Phoenix.

Lanham, the Anteaters’ top player, has completed his eligibility and plans to turn pro soon after the Amateur. He made birdie on his final hole at Western Hills to finish one-over 145. That was enough to get him into a three-way playoff with Huntington Beach’s Scott Gibson, who played in the Amateur last year, and Naoya Takemoto. Lanham, who won the Long Beach City Championship recently, won the playoff with a par on the first hole.

It took Lawrence, who will be a sophomore at UCI, four holes in a playoff to advance in Phoenix. On the fourth hole, he made an eight-foot putt for par. Then his opponent missed a three-footer.

Lawrence believes he has a good chance to be one of the 64 who make the cut after two days and go on to match play, but said he won’t be crushed if that doesn’t happen.

“It’s a major championship,” he said. “That’s what makes it so great. Win, lose or draw, no matter what happens at least you can always say you have played in a major tournament.

“I’m just going to go experience as much as I can. It’s just going to be great.”

* Ryan Donovan was a standout golfer at Esperanza High for four years, but his senior season ended with a fizzle when he shot 81 at the 1996 Southern Section individual championship.

Figuring he should concentrate on his game to prepare for college golf--he has a partial scholarship to San Diego State--Donovan has worked hard this summer.

At the qualifying tournament at Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino, for example, he finished two-under 142, and finished second to Michael Ruiz of Nevada Las Vegas.

Donovan said he was helped by his father, Paul, who served as his caddy. With 15 holes to play, Donovan was three-under and with five he was even, then came some fatherly advice.

“I was getting kind of tired out there,” Donovan said, “so he gave me a pep talk and I birdied two of the last three holes.”

The Orange County Golf Notebook runs weekly during the summer. Readers are encouraged to suggest items. Call (714) 966-5904, fax (714) 966-5663 or e-mail Martin.Beck@latimes.com

* WOODS WATCH: After this U.S. Amateur, what will Tiger Woods do? C1