PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Eric Axley lost his PGA Tour card after the 2009 season and had shown little evidence that he could play well enough to get it back for next season.
He missed the cut in his three PGA Tour events and missed the cut in his five Nationwide Tour starts of 2010.
Then the native of Athens, Tenn., blistered the field in the U.S. Open sectional qualifier full of PGA Tour players who’d just finished playing at The Memorial.
Axley shot a 64 in the morning and a 63 in the afternoon to earn medalist honors by seven shots in Columbus, Ohio.
“I was just a little off,” Axley said of his previous play. “You don’t have to play terrible out here to not show results. It’s obviously the most difficult stage to play on.”
And now he’s going to play in the most difficult golf tournament to win — the U.S. Open. Axley cruised around Pebble Beach Golf Links on Monday and Tuesday for his practice rounds, enjoying the sights and cool weather and testing certain aspects of his game.
“Everything seems to be coming together at the right time, and I’m excited for this week,” said Axley, who has missed the cut in four previous U.S. Opens but tied for ninth in 2008 at Torrey Pines. “The weather is supposed to be nice, so it should be great for golf.”
A Paddy love pat
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who tied for fifth here in the 2000 U.S. Open, said Pebble Beach seems to be the home of the U.S. Open.
“It’s a little bit like St. Andrews (for the British Open), going back every five years,” Harrington said. “It’s obviously one of the venues that I think stands out in most people’s minds. Everybody remembers Tom Watson chipping in, Tiger winning by 15 shots, Tom Kite getting to 10 under par.
“For all the venues of the U.S. Open, this is more synonymous for the U.S. Open than any other one.”
Just throw it close
During practice rounds at the Masters, golfers will attempt to skim a ball off the water and onto the 16th green just for fun.
At Pebble Beach, golfers and caddies try to throw a golf ball from the tee box onto the green. That’s a 100-yard toss, downhill and into a cross wind. Most throws come up short, but defending U.S Open champion Lucas Glover tossed his ball to within 15 feet of the pin Monday.
Doesn’t Clemson, his alma mater, need a quarterback this season?
Not-so-quiet, please
South African native Ernie Els has kept an eye on the World Cup and said he was pleasantly surprised that South Africa and Mexico played to a tie.
“I’ve seen the stadiums when they were built, and every stadium so far has been really packed,” Els said. “And with all the noise going on there, I think it’s a real great atmosphere for the players down there.”
So what about the gallery at Pebble blowing a few vuvuzela horns while he’s lining up a 10-foot putt?
“I think it would be cool,” Els said.
He may be the only one.