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 Gunner Wiebe rejoices after making birdie on the 18th hole at the South Course at Torrey Pines, giving him a one-stroke win over Tim Mickelson and a berth in the Century Club of San Diego Invitational (PHOTO: Eli Miller). SAN DIEGO—Gunner Wiebe, a junior on the University of San Diego men’s golf team, has won a spot in the PGA Tour’s Century Club of San Diego Invitational at the end of next month. His coach at USD, Tim Mickelson, is understandably excited about the accomplishment — even though Mickelson was the one whom Wiebe defeated for that spot. After playing to a draw over 22 holes — 18 in regulation, four more in sudden-death — in the initial amateur qualifying tournament on November 21, the pair returned to the South Course at Torrey Pines Saturday for an 18-hole stroke-play match that would determine the winner of the exemption. The up-and-down-tussle came down to the wire, as Wiebe drained a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to shoot a 73 and top Mickelson by one shot. “This is going to be a good start for me,” said Wiebe. “It will be interesting to see how my game stacks up against guys that do this for a living.” The largest lead of the match came after the first hole, when Wiebe chipped in for birdie and Mickelson made bogey. But Mickelson regained ground with a birdie putt on the next hole, and from there no player had an advantage of more than one stroke. With the players tied on the par-4 17th, Mickelson crushed his drive down the fairway while Wiebe pushed his tee shot into the trees about 140 yards from the pin. Wiebe used a 4-iron to hit a low punch shot, and the ball settled into a greenside sand trap. He came within inches of holing his bunker shot for birdie, holding his hands on his head in disbelief. “I was a little bummed that I missed it,” said Wiebe, whose shot enabled him to match Mickelson’s par on the hole. On the 18th tee, Mickelson quickly lost any chance he would have had of reaching the green in two when he pulled his drive into the trees left of the fairway. Wiebe, on the other hand, found the short grass, and after some deliberation with his caddie — USD teammate Ben Murray — decided to lay up from 267 yards. A depression in the fairway created an awkward stance on Mickelson’s third shot, and he could dp no better than hitting his ball about 25 feet from the hole on the front of the green. Wiebe hit a wedge from about 90 yards to seven feet and drained the putt for the win. Though the stakes were high and the situation was unique because of the competitors’ relationship, the atmosphere on the course was relaxed. Banter between Mickelson and Wiebe was minimal, but it did escalate at times — for instance, after the players hit their tee shots and walked down the ninth fairway, Mickelson turned to Wiebe and giddily asked, “Did you see what [Rickie] Fowler did yesterday,” referring to the Murrieta native’s performance at PGA Tour Qualifying School. “I felt like this was going to be the least enjoyable round I’ve ever played, because no matter what happened, I wasn’t going to feel great about it,” said Mickelson, whose older brother Phil is the second-ranked player in the world. “And at the same time, I was going to feel great about it. I’m thrilled for Gunner. This is the type of thing that can really jumpstart his career.” Mickelson can relate, since he earned an exemption to the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines in 1999 through this very format. The amateur qualifier has been an annual staple since 1985 — Poway native and current Tour member Charley Hoffman was the last exemption recipient to make the cut, doing so in 1996. The 32-year-old Mickelson has turned USD into one of the top men's collegiate programs on the West Coast. Last season, he helped the team reach the NCAA Championship for the first time in school history. “It’s going to be exciting to have one of our guys in the tournament.” said Mickelson. “Something like this can open kids’ eyes — maybe back East — that haven’t really heard of the school and what we’ve been doing.” Wiebe was one of the Toreros’ most consistent performers this fall, registering a pair of top-10 finishes. Over the summer, he put together a pair of impressive rounds in U.S. Amateur qualifying in Ft. Collins, Colo., shooting 68-63 to earn medalist honors. His father, Mark, won twice on the PGA Tour and finished tied for second at Torrey Pines in 1989 when the event was known as the Shearson Lehman Hutton Open. Now a member of the Champions Tour, Mark also serves as Gunner’s instructor and helped him fine-tune his putting over Thanksgiving break. “I worked really hard with my dad to get my stroke consistent. And that was the key today,” said Gunner. “I felt good over every putt I hit. Even the putts I missed, they were always hitting the edge or coming close.” Between now and the time the Century Club of San Diego Invitational begins on January 28, Wiebe will have to practice with irons and wedges with grooves that conform to new USGA rules that go into effect January 1, 2010 — which happens to be the day Wiebe turns 21. “It’s going to be an adjustment, but it’s going to be an adjustment for everyone, so maybe that levels the playing field,” he said. |
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