Tal t’s Wake-Up Call a Dream Come True

Rick Talt got a wake-up call at 4:30 a.m. Monday, but he wasn’t complaining. It was an official from the U.S. Golf Assn. offering him a spot in the U.S. Senior Open this week.

Before the call, Talt, 51, a mortgage banker from Laguna Beach, had nearly given up hope of playing in the tournament at Olympia Fields Country Club in Lemont, Ill., southwest of Chicago. He was the first alternate from a sectional qualifier at Red Hill in Rancho Cucamonga, but he thought his chances of playing were slim.

Talt was spending most of his time kicking himself for shooting one-over-par 73 at the qualifier. The co-medalists shot 72 and Talt missed a 3 1/2-foot putt on the 17th hole.

“I was down in the dumps,” Talt said. “I was beating myself up. All I had to do was shoot even par or one-under on that course and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even go back to work, I just couldn’t get my head into it. I was thinking about the putt I missed and a chip I missed.”

All that was moot, however, after the call Monday morning, telling him that he would take Jim Colbert’s place in the field. Colbert had surgery for prostate cancer Monday.

Talt, who will tee off with Bob Charles and Isao Aoki at 10:50 PDT today, is making his second attempt at becoming a professional golfer. He played on the PGA Tour in 1975 and ‘76, qualifying for about nine events.

Talt gave up the game for about 12 years and returned to competition as an amateur in 1994. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur that year, making the match-play portion and losing in the first round.

He turned pro again this spring and qualified for and played in the Toshiba Senior Classic.

Talt, who plays at Pacific Golf Club in San Clemente, is realistic about his chances this week. “I’m aiming just to be competitive,” he said. “I just want to see how I can stack up when my game is on.”