Mayorkas Seems to Have a Future

It has been a busy couple of weeks for Charlotte Mayorkas, who turned pro, made it through the first round of local qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open, mapped out plans for playing the Futures Tour and celebrated being the only three-time, first-team All-American in UCLA women’s golf.

Mayorkas, 21, is a history major from San Diego, so she knows a role model when she sees one.

“Always trying to be like Tiger,” she said.

Coach Carrie Forsyth’s Bruins were second in the NCAA tournament this year after winning it in 2004, and Mayorkas led the way, ending her career with five tournament victories -- second to Kay Cockerill’s school record of six.

“She’s definitely got the game to go out there,” Forsyth said. “It’s nothing that she can’t accomplish. She’s a great player and so motivated, now that it’s about making a living.”

Mayorkas’ road to what she hopes is the LPGA Tour may be a long one. If she winds up among the top five money winners on the Futures Tour, she will earn LPGA playing privileges for 2006. If not, she will try the LPGA Qualifying School in the fall, when she’ll also be juggling schoolwork. Mayorkas has two quarters left to finish her degree at UCLA.

“I’ve done it, playing golf and going to school, for four years now with college golf, so I’ve got my time management figured out,” she said. “I just think I’ve made a great decision and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Mayorkas, coached by Shawn Cox of La Jolla Country Club, said her game isn’t that complicated.

“But I do think everybody’s game is very personal,” she said. “It’s a reflex. Fairways and greens. In my freshman year, it was said that it was not the best ball-striker, but I knew how to get the ball in the hole.

“When I’m working on my swing on the range or watching a video of it, Tiger [Woods] is always a model.”

The sectional Women’s U.S. Open qualifying is June 13 at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, where Forsyth said Mayorkas’ skills will be on display again.

“She’s got an excellent short game, feel around the greens, putting and chipping,” she said. “Mentally, she’s a really big-time player, a very willful player. When you need someone to make a putt to win a tournament, she’s the one.”

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Ben Hogan (a 23-year-old from San Marcos) will be at regional U.S. Open qualifying Monday at El Caballero Country Club, where 68 players are trying for four spots.

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Is there a cut on his mind? The last time Woods played, he missed the cut at the Byron Nelson, ending his streak of 142 tournaments in which he made the cut. But he is back after a three-week break and playing the Memorial, which begins today.

Woods went seven years, three months and seven days between missing cuts, so it’s not as if he can’t remember what it takes to get it done.

The longest cut streak on the PGA Tour belongs to Ernie Els with 20. Annika Sorenstam has the LPGA’s longest with 49.

Els one-putted 11 of his last 14 holes a year ago and is the defending champion at Muirfield Village, where top-ranked Vijay Singh is also in the field. The rest of the so-called Big Five -- Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen -- aren’t playing this week.

There is speculation that Jack Nicklaus, who is playing in his 30th Memorial and is the tournament host, may use the occasion to formally announce his impending retirement.

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It has been a long road back for Justin Leonard, who began last year ranked 18th, fell to 47th in July and is now No. 20 after his victory at Memphis.

Leonard, who also won the Bob Hope in January, made a four-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole Sunday to win by one shot after beginning the day with an eight-stroke lead. Leonard said he might have been aided by the words of sports psychologist Gio Valiante, whose book is titled “Fearless Golf.”

Said Leonard: “I probably got a title for my own book -- ‘Winning Ugly.’ ”

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From Joe Inman, after hitting five balls into the water and making a 15 on the 18th hole at the Senior PGA Championship, but still having nine holes to play because he started at the 10th: “I was in shock, absolute shock. I just don’t think I ever made a double figure. I’m not John Daly.”

Inman, who came close to asking his caddie to retrieve the balls from the water, played the last nine holes with one ball. He shot an 88.

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When Kim Hae-dong was playing the 15th hole of the Asian Tour’s Maekyung Open in Korea at Namseoul Country Club last week, a dog ran into the bunker and carried off his golf ball. Obviously, the 15th is a dogleg left.

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After failing to get into the top 50 in the world rankings to qualify for the Masters, Colin Montgomerie tied for 11th last week at the European Tour’s BMW Championship and hit 50 on the button to qualify for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

But Montgomerie wouldn’t have had enough points if he hadn’t been fourth at the Indonesian Open in March -- which is now the source of controversy. A video has surfaced that seems to show Montgomerie replacing his ball in the wrong place after a rain delay during which the ball was lost.

Even though the tournament director had ruled Montgomerie hadn’t deliberately improved the position of his ball and despite the fact that Monty couldn’t be disqualified once the tournament was over, this controversy might have some legs, even at Pinehurst.

By the way, Montgomerie donated his Indonesian Open winnings, about $45,000, to charity.