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Three Illini ready for U.S. Open
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Garrett Chaussard, shown here in 2003, won the 2004 Northern Intercollegiate while competing for Illinois.
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June 9, 2008
San Diego, Calif. - One of the goals of any aspiring golfer is to compete in a major tournament and for two former Illini, D.A. Points and Garrett Chaussard, that dream will become a reality as the duo joins another University of Illinois alum, Steve Stricker, a veteran of 12 U.S. Opens, in this week's Open Field at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Chaussard and Points will be playing in their first U.S. Open after going through first local then sectional qualifying to make the 156-player field. Although the two players are at different points in their career, the thrill of making it to the U.S. Open field is the same.
"The feeling is more than I could have imagined," Chaussard said. "To be playing with some of the best players in the world and seeing my game come together in such a short time is almost unbelievable."
Points, who wrapped up his Illinois career in 1999, has reached the second stage in qualifying a dozen times and is trying to stay focused on the task at hand while soaking up the excitement.
"The first couple of days I said to myself, `Hey this is awesome,'" Points said. "Now it's like `Let's get prepared to go out there and give myself the best opportunity.'"
Points has reason for optimism. He has made the last three cuts on the Nationwide Tour, including most recently a 13th-place finish at the Bank of America Open at The Glen. His year got off to a hot start with back-to-back finishes of fifth and seventh in New Zealand and Australia, respectively. Points is 32nd on the Nationwide money list with over $81,000 in earnings. The top 25 receive their PGA Tour card for 2009.
Points shot 69 at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla., in local qualifying then tallied back-to-back rounds of 69-70 to garner one of six spots on the line at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Ill.
Having played the Conway Farms course just once, a week before the event, Points set out to make the most of the grueling 36-hole day. His round got off to a roller coaster start. He hooked his first tee shot and missed a 15-footer for par on the 10th, then sank a 50-footer for birdie on 11 only to three putt on 12 for bogey. He was +1 after his first nine holes. With so few spots on available, there is little room for error, but Points settled in and played four under on his second nine.
"I was pleased with how I hung in there," Points said. "During a regular tournament there is more time to make a comeback. Things really got better when I figured out my driver."
There was so little time between rounds that Points had to fit in eating a sandwich while heading down the first fairway of his second 18 holes. With no leaderboard and unaware of where he stood or for that matter how many spots were up for grabs, Points continued to just concentrate on making his next shot. He eagled the fourth hole and played steady for a 139 finishing in a three-way tie for second and two strokes ahead of a playoff for the sixth and final spot.
Chaussard's run is even more remarkable. A stalwart on the Illinois golf team from 2001-05, playing three years with fellow Serra High School graduate, Patrick Nagle, Chaussard competed in every tournament in his career for the Illini. In 2005, Chaussard missed the cut at qualifying school and played the 2006 season on the Canadian Tour, where he made just under half of the cuts. After having trouble landing sponsorship in 2007, he considered moving on from the game on a full-time basis.
"I was considering going back to the drawing board, but Coach Small encouraged me to keep going and gave a few pointers," Chaussard said of his conversation with the Illinois head coach. "I've been in a good rhythm over these past few weeks. It's almost like the perfect storm."
Chaussard has played six tournaments this spring on the Gateway Tour with limited success, but his game has come together in recent weeks. Kevin Weeks, PGA Director of Instruction at Cog Hill, worked with Chaussard on his game.
Chaussard, a native of Millbrae, Calif., made it through local qualifying by firing 69 at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, then played the sectional qualifier on his home course of Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, Calif. He got hot early in the tournament, shooting five-under par through his first 11 holes then withstood windy conditions to shoot 141 (68-73) to finish one stroke off the lead and land one of seven spots for the Open.
With their success, neither player has forgotten their roots. Chaussard gives a lot of credit to Small for helping develop the mental side of the game.
"He taught me that although many people feel golf is a white collar sport, to be successful it's really blue collar in terms of the work required," Chaussard said.
"I always wear my Illini orange with Pride," Points said. "Although I live in Florida now, I want to make sure when I'm introduced on the first tee of the Open that they announce my hometown as Pekin, Ill."
Points tees off with the very first group at 7 a.m. Pacific Time Thursday, while Chaussard is in the 2:42 p.m. pairing. Chaussard will be documenting his U.S. Open experiences at garrettchaussard.blogspot.com. The U.S. Open is grouping the top 12 players in the world together meaning Stricker will play with K.C. Choi and Jim Furyk during the first two rounds.
Both Points and Chaussard have similar approaches this week.
"I anticipate all the hoopla and madness so I want to get down there and get settled before all the distractions," Chaussard said. "Whatever happens, I want to make sure I enjoy it."
In two weeks Points will set his sights on a Wayne Gretsky sponsored event outside of Toronto, then to the Nationwide Tour Players Cup in West Virginia, an event Points won in 2004, with the ultimate goal of making the top 25 on the money list. For now, he just wants to focus on the biggest tournament to date of his career. Points, who is 18th in greens in regulation on the Nationwide Tour, has the kind of game that fits the challenging Torrey Pines Course.
"While I believe this will be the first of many, I want to make sure I have a good time," Points said. "My game has really been on a nice solid path as of late. Mentally and physically, I want to put all my energy into having a great week. More than anything I'm playing in Major where anything can happen and where my life could change in a week."
