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Inside the Ropes: Open audition

Caddying for a friend at a U.S. Open qualifier was a day to remember, even though the result wasn’t what we anticipated.

By Eli MillerPublished: July, 2008

The author and Itkin (right) found out how tough it is to make the Open.

The greatest part about last month’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines was Tiger Woods overcoming injury to pull off a major victory for the ages. Duh.

At its core, the U.S. Open is great because it’s truly the people’s championship. Anybody with a USGA handicap under 1.4 is eligible to qualify.

Eugene Itkin, one of my best friends, fits this bill, and I tagged along on his dream pursuit to make it to Torrey.

Itkin came to San Diego from Belarus with his family when he was 6 years old. We became buddies in ninth grade at La Jolla High School — naturally, through golf — but he was a lot better than me and qualified for our school’s team right off the bat.

As a high school junior, Itkin shot a 68 during CIF qualifying on Torrey Pines’ North Course. He played on the UC-San Diego golf team for three years, and missed qualifying for the U.S. Amateur by a stroke in 2003.

Shoulder surgery in 2004 postponed his competitive aspirations, but it allowed him to grow his math tutoring business — Genies Center of Educational Excellence — into one of the most successful in San Diego.

We play a round whenever we get the chance, and this year, with a clean bill of health and the U.S. Open in his backyard, Itkin thought he’d see if he could make it all the way to Torrey.

I caddied for him once in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifier in 2001, and he wanted me to do it again for this quest. I’m no professional looper, but I know how to rake bunkers, clean a ball and read a putt if called upon. I couldn’t wait to do it again.

By the time we signed up for local qualifying, all the Southern California sites were full. We settled on CordeValle, a challenging resort course in the mountains around San Jose that has hosted USGA trials in the past.

Grinding on the practice putting green and working with Scott Mahlberg, the PGA director of instruction at San Diego’s Stadium Golf Center, Itkin, 25, began to see results.

“He got my swing on a much better plane, which helped me hit more fairways and score better,” Itkin said of Mahlberg.
A 1-under 71 at The Farms in Rancho Santa Fe a week before the qualifier, and a 3-under 68 at Nipomo’s Monarch Dunes three days before the event were very, very encouraging.

We drove from Nipomo to San Jose for a practice round at CordeValle. I tagged along on a cart, making notes and starting to dread the idea of lugging his bag on a 7,169-yard course with its share of elevation changes.

Itkin’s swing looked good, and I saw no reason why he couldn’t shoot around par and have a shot at qualifying. But we didn’t anticipate the high winds that blew through on qualifying day, and Itkin bogeyed the first two holes.

“I was a little bit nervous on the first hole, but I was more nervous for the fact that I wasn’t hitting the ball well on the range,” he recalled.

The fifth hole, a 461-yard par 4, felt like it was playing more than 500 yards. I didn’t have an anemometer handy, but I’m guessing the wind was 30 mph in our faces. Itkin didn’t drive it long enough to use anything shorter than a 3-wood for his approach, and a poor shot led to another bogey.

“This was probably the windiest round of competitive golf I’ve ever played,” he said.

Being 3-over through six wasn’t dead, but the final three holes of the front nine didn’t help. On the par-3 seventh, Itkin short-sided himself in a bunker so deep that I slipped and fell on its slope trying to rake it. That bogey was followed by two more on Nos. 8 and 9, and I knew we would need a lot of magic to qualify after a 6-over 42 on the front, so I told Itkin to simply have fun and enjoy one of the most renowned layouts in the state.

He responded and hit the ball better, but couldn’t catch a break coming in — two of his drives crept into fairway bunkers and settled against rakes, leaving awkward lies and no shot at birdies. On the par-4 14th, his 7-iron shot from the fairway landed inches short of the green and rolled back into a trap for another bogey.

“That was the best struck shot I hit all day, and it was flying right at the flag,” Itkin said.

For me, the loop wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be considering the wind, elevation changes and my spotty bunker-raking reputation. Maybe that was because I had so much time to relax between holes due to long waits on every back-nine tee box. Some of the other caddies said it was one of the slowest rounds they’ve witnessed there.
It took over six hours for us to finish.

“When you’re waiting an hour to hit your shot and you’re striking it poorly, you’re just trying to figure it out within that hour, not trying to stay in a rhythm,” Itkin said. “I was hitting a little better on the back, but it still left much to be desired.”
The end of the round was positive, though. A solid tee shot on the par-5 18th led to a great lay-up position and a 15-foot try for a birdie — that didn’t fall.

The final tally was an 83: seven pars, 11 bogeys. Given Itkin’s difficulties from tee to green, I’m amazed and proud he didn’t pack it in and make any doubles or triples. Many competitors fared worse, and two didn’t break 90.

“It’s unfortunate. I haven’t shot over 80 in a while, but tournament golf is tournament golf, and that’s why I love it so much,” he said. “I believe I was 100 percent capable of shooting even par.”

Medalist honors went to Stanford sophomore Jordan Cox, who shot an incredible 6-under 66. That was followed by a 68, two 71s and four 72s, the number needed to reach a playoff for the final two sectional spots.

What I took from the experience is how much mental toughness is needed to make it as a professional tournament golfer. Diverse conditions and difficult travel scenarios enhance the challenge.

Itkin might make it one day, but for now he’s in no hurry.

“I’m going to concentrate on my work so my students finish strong and do well on the SAT, and I’m definitely going to play in more tournaments this summer,” he said. “Golf is a very rewarding game when things go well. The ball never lies.”
I’m certainly not lying when I say I had an amazing time being on the bag for one of my best buds, and I’d love to do it again, whatever the venue.

Eli Miller also writes a weekly blog at southlandgolfmagazine.com. Reach him at emiller@churmmedia.com.

Readers Feedback:

Itkin is a remarkable competitor. I wish that he could have made the open! Alas, his caddy probably cost six or seven strokes! Take off the sunglasses and read the distance book, young caddy...

Comment at 7/5/2008