Won’s First Visit to a Tour Event Will Be as a Player

When Ron Won stepped off the 18th green at Torrey Pines South in La Jolla Saturday, his card read three-under-par 69 and he felt as if he had a chance.

When he signed for and posted his score, others congratulated him and his heart began beating faster.

The final eight or 10 groups trickled in and it became official: Won, an 18-year-old from Irvine, had just qualified for the PGA Tour Buick Invitational, Feb. 10-13 at Torrey Pines.

Then it hit him.

“I’ve never even been to a PGA Tour event,” Won said.

Through 7 1/2 years of playing golf as a top-ranked junior, traveling to play the same courses the pros play at some of the most prestigious tournaments, Won never found time to attend a PGA Tour event.

So when he tees it up inside the ropes next February with the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and other boyhood idols, it will be a first for the University High graduate and current Stanford freshman.

“I’ve always watched [the PGA Tour] on TV,” Won said. “I’ve wanted to go to an event more recently, but it didn’t really fit into my schedule.”

Certainly he has Torrey Pines inked in his February calendar.

Not many are surprised after Won’s year-long run of success that included a record 66 in the CIF-SCGA championship last spring, a No. 4 national junior ranking and a junior All-American selection by the American Junior Golf Assn.

“I’m both excited and nervous,” Won said. “But I was more calm than I thought I’d be. I guess I’m just starting to get used to the higher level of competition.”

Won had four birdies and a bogey to win the qualifying tournament by a shot over El Cajon’s Russ Bloom, a San Diego State senior.

Won and Bloom join an impressive list of amateurs who have made their PGA Tour debuts by getting through amateur qualifying for the Buick Invitational, the only PGA Tour event with amateur-specific qualifying.

Many tournaments have open qualifying, for which both amateurs and professionals are eligible, but the Buick Invitational reserves two spots for amateurs.

“Next to the U.S. Amateur this could be the most important amateur tournament in the country,” tournament spokesman Rick Schloth said. “It can be a tremendous career boost just getting into a PGA Tour event.”

Mickelson, Dennis Paulson, Bob May and Chris Riley are among current professionals who qualified for and played in the Buick Invitational as amateurs.

Won had a recent breakthrough at the collegiate level. After shooting 76-74-77 in his first tournament for the No. 10-ranked Cardinal, Won did not qualify for the next two.

Playing as an individual in the Stanford tournament. Oct. 29-31, he shot 75-66-69 and finished fourth.

“[The year] started kind of shaky for me,” Won said. “I was still getting used to school in general but that tournament was a big breakthrough for me. It gave me good confidence going into the qualifier.”

TOUR QUALIFYING

Ahmad Bateman of Huntington Beach shot two-under-par 286 (72-71-73-70) last week at La Purisima in Lompoc and advanced to the finals of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.

Bateman finished third in the 75-player field and earned one of the 18 available spots in the six-round finals that start next week at Doral in Miami.

Darren Ernst of Costa Mesa shot 307 (76-78-77-76) at La Purisima and did not advance.

Steve Jurgensen of Newport Beach, Pat Burke of Coto de Caza and former Esperanza High standout Chris Berry also did not advance. Jurgensen finished 43rd at Deerwood in Kingwood, Texas, and Berry finished 32nd at Bayonet and Blackhorse in Seaside. Burke withdrew in the fourth round at Seaside.

PROFESSIONAL ROUNDUP

Only three players broke 70 on the blustery final day of the American Express Championship Sunday at Valderrama in Andalucia, Spain. The first two, Woods (68) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (69), tied for first with Woods winning in a one-hole playoff.

The third was another former Orange County resident, Bob May, who shot two-under 69 and finished tied for 20th. May grew up in La Habra and lives in Las Vegas. He completed his best year on the PGA European Tour, finishing 11th on the money list with 609,662 euros ($633,788). May will go after his PGA Tour card next week in Florida.

Paulson, a former Costa Mesa High standout, also finished 20th at Valderrama, wrapping up his finest year as a professional. Paulson, who lives in Vista, finished second twice on the PGA Tour and was 27th on the money list with $1,313,814 in earnings.

Staff writer Martin Beck contributed to this story.