A New Perspective

When Chris Tidland’s wife, Amy, delivered their son 10 weeks premature last October, he put his career as a professional golfer on hold.

Tidland was just days away from another attempt at qualifying for the PGA Tour, a goal he had been pursuing without success since graduating from Oklahoma State in 1995 as a two-time first-team All-American. Walking away meant Tidland would be without a regular place to play in 2000, which could be disastrous for any golf career.

But the top priority, of course, was standing vigil with Amy at the intensive care unit as Jackson, who weighed less than 2 1/2 pounds at birth, slowly gained strength.

“We never even debated what I was going to do,” Tidland said, “but the whole time we were also thinking, ‘What are we going to do next year?’ ”

Eight months later, much of the uncertainly has faded.

Jackson, who spent 73 days in ICU, is healthy and strong and his father’s golf game has followed suit.

He’ll face one of golf’s ultimate tests, the U.S. Open, this week at Pebble Beach. It is the third consecutive time Tidland has qualified for the U.S. Open, a rare achievement for a non-PGA Tour player.

Tidland, a Valencia High graduate, reached this year’s Open by winning a sectional qualifier at Lake Merced in Daly City, Calif.

Jackson’s struggles have done more than add a sense of perspective to Tidland’s life. They have inspired a new sense of purpose and focus.

“He’s visited the fourth dimension,” said Tom Sargent, the head professional at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, who has worked with Tidland for 14 years. “He had one of those moments in time . . . It’s the difference between being a kid and being a man and I think he’s had that experience now. He’s definitely different. I really look for him to have a break-out year.”

That was far from a certainty last fall.

The Tidlands’ focus was on Jackson, all 2 pounds 6 ounces of him. Chris and Amy temporarily moved to Tulsa, Okla., from their home in Stillwater to be near the hospital.

Doctors had told them that even in the best cases, premature babies suffer setbacks. Jackson, who was born with a double hernia that required surgery, also suffered two infections during his hospital stay.

“He kept getting knocked down just a little bit but each time he’d come back stronger,” Tidland said. “He’s a tough guy, a lot tougher than I am. He’s gotten poked and has had probably 100 IVs in his life in his hands, head and feet.

“So now when we take him to the doctor and they give him a shot it, it doesn’t even faze him. He’s been through so much that that’s nothing.”

The difficulty of watching Jackson’s slow progress was somewhat eased because Sargent and his wife, Debbie, had a similar experience with their first child.

Luke Sargent, now a 17-year-old junior at Esperanza High, was born two months premature and weighing less than three pounds. Sargent said he remembers being scared to death. “We have a picture of him,” Sargent said, “and his arm was smaller around than my finger.”

But the Sargents were able to point to their son to give the Tidlands hope.

“You kind of wanted to say, ‘Here, have a look at Luke, you’ve got nothing to worry about,’ ” Sargent said. “Of course you never know, but it’s nice to take a look at someone who was premature and see they are doing fine.”

A week before Christmas, Jackson went home. And Tidland, who had only played golf twice in three months, both times with Jackson’s doctors, went back to work on his game.

The layoff apparently hadn’t done any harm. In 1999, he was exempt on the Nike Tour but had his worst season as a professional. He missed the cut more often than not and won only $10,100 in 20 events--tough when you’re the family breadwinner.

In 2000, without a definite place to play, he is thriving.

A former Placentia resident, Tidland, 27, recently returned to California to win two events on the Zero minitour--pocketing paychecks of $15,000 each. He bucked the longshot odds of Monday PGA Tour qualifying tournaments and qualified for two tour events, finishing tied for 36th (and earning $14,438) at the Tucson Open.

“The layoff actually helped me,” Tidland said. “I’ve never been this fresh this late in the year. Usually, I’m pretty tired by the time summer comes around.”

Tidland’s game was crisp for the sectional qualifier last week. He hit every green in regulation on the way to a three-under-par 69 in the first round. Then on his first hole of the afternoon round, he hit his drive into the fairway bunker, hit his approach short of the green. He felt a bit uncomfortable standing over the next shot. After all, when you hit every green, your short game doesn’t get much work.

“I chipped it in,” Tidland said. “That kind of got me going again.”

He finished with another 69 to win by two strokes over Jon Levitt of Alhambra.

That put him in the U.S. Open for the third year in a row. Last year, he had a good tournament, finishing tied for 51st at Pinehurst.

Tidland believes U.S. Open setups--where the USGA narrows fairways, grows longer rough, making par a good score--suit his game. Another strong performance would be great, he said, and this year he has more motivation.

“It’s given me a lot more focus when I’m on the road whether Amy and Jackson are with me or not,” he said. “I know the better I play the more time I can stay at home.”