Zakhar Takes Step Toward LPGA Tour

Heather Zakhar has an impressive new item to add to her golf resume, but apparently she won’t be sending that resume out any time soon.

Zakhar, who moved to Coto de Caza in 1998 after marrying Coto resident Jim Zakhar, won the Futures Tour Green Mountain National Classic last week in Killington, N.Y. The victory came just as she was considering applying for an open position as assistant women’s golf coach at Arizona, her alma mater.

“It was a thought,” said Zakhar, 24. “But I got the answer last week.”

The victory moved Zakhar (formerly Heather Graff) to 18th on the Futures Tour money list with three tournaments left to qualify for the LPGA Tour. The top three finishers earn an automatic exemption on the LPGA Tour next year and fourth through 10th get an exemption into the final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying school.

Zakhar, who made $7,000 for the victory, has earned $13,760 this season and is $3,535 out of the top 10. Last year she advanced to the final stage of the qualifying school and missed the cut by one shot.

“That was real difficult,” said Zakhar, a three-time collegiate All-American and winner of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championship. “I didn’t touch my clubs for a month after that, but I’m in reach of the top 10 now and that’s all I can think about.”

Her recent play indicates that she could make it. The week before her victory, she entered the final round one shot out of the lead but finished with a 73 and dropped to a tie for 12th. The week before that, she was five shots out of the lead entering a final round, but shot 79 on the last day and fell to 29th. Two weeks before that, she was four shots out of the lead entering the final round, shot 76 and finished 11th.

She cured those final-round blues last weekend after soliciting advice from Jenn Brody, a two-time Futures Tour winner.

“I was like, ‘What do I have to do?’ ” Zakhar said. “She told me to breathe and see myself making the putts and to relax and have fun. The first couple of times I got there, I thought so much about winning I forgot to play the shots one at a time.”

The fourth time was the charm. She shared the lead going into the final round and then shot four-under-par 68 to win by six shots.

“It’s a great feeling,” Zakhar said.

THREE’S COMPANY

Tournament officials for the Toshiba Senior Classic expect an improved field for 2001 after Monday’s announcement by the Senior PGA Tour that the Newport Beach event will begin a three-tournament California swing.

The Senior Classic, scheduled Feb. 26-March 4 at Newport Beach Country Club, will be followed by the SBC Senior Classic, which is moving from Wilshire Country Club to Valencia Country Club, and a new Senior Tour event to be played in San Jose.

The Toshiba traditionally has been a one-tournament stop in California on the Tour, causing difficult travel schedules for participants. This year it was wedged between events in Sarasota, Fla., and Puebla, Mexico. In 1999, the Senior Tour traveled from Naples, Fla., to Newport Beach and then back to St. Augustine, Fla.

“We’ve been successful from player field, financial and competitive standpoints, but we’ve always seemed to miss one or two marquee players,” said Toshiba Tournament Director Jeff Purser. “Hopefully this will make it easier to attract those players.”

The rescheduling should also help the SBC Senior Classic, which has been played in October, near the end of the tour schedule.

“It provides the opportunity for all the events not only to improve fields, but to develop synergy with each other,” Purser said.

HOLY TOLEDO

Esteban Toledo of Irvine posted the best finish of his eight-year PGA Tour career, shooting 17-under 271 over four rounds and finishing second in the B.C. Open Sunday in Endicott, N.Y.

Toledo, a former professional boxer from Mexico, birdied the 17th hole in the final round to pull within a shot of eventual winner Brad Faxon, then missed a birdie putt just wide left on the last hole. The 10-footer would have put Toledo in a playoff with Faxon.

“I thought I was going to win it,” said Toledo, who missed only one green Sunday and earned $216,000--the largest paycheck of his career. “When I made birdie on 17, I told my caddie if I can keep it on the fairway I’d be all right. I was hitting my irons perfectly.”

Toledo’s previous best career finish was third at the 1998 Bell South Classic. His best finish this year was a tie for 14th at the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii. He has earned $429,147 this season and ranks 73rd on the season money list.

Paul Goydos of Coto de Caza made it two county residents in the top-10 by shooting 11-under 277 and finishing in a tie for 10th.

CALIFORNIA OPEN

Bob Jacobsen of Irvine finished fourth and was the top county finisher in the California Open last week at the PGA of Southern California Club in Oak Valley.

Jacobsen shot 70-68-67-72--277 and was five shots behind winner Richard Barcelo of Tucson. Brian Ricketts of Alhambra, a former Cypress College player, finished fifth, a shot behind Jacobsen.

Barcelo, 25, shot six-under 66 in the final round to defeat third-round leader Jeff Sanday of South Pasadena by a shot. Barcelo won $10,000, Sanday took home $5,000. Jacobsen won $2,150 for fourth place and Ricketts won $1,700.

BOOTH HEATS UP

Kellee Booth of Coto de Caza posted her second top-15 finish in the last three weeks when she shot 70-78-75-70--293 and finished 15th in the U.S. Women’s Open last weekend in Libertyville, Ill.

Booth, a graduate of Santa Margarita High and Arizona State, finished 11th two weeks ago in the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Ohio. Her $47,845 paycheck Sunday is the largest of her career and moved her to 58th on the season money list, up 36 spots from the week before.