UNLV’s Oh says it’s time to go pro

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997 | 1:58 a.m.

Ted Oh played in the shadow of Tiger Woods as a junior golfer in Southern California. Now the 20-year-old Oh hopes to follow in Woods' footsteps.

Oh, who helped lead UNLV to a No. 1 ranking last season as a sophomore, will forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility and turn professional.

"It was a tough decision, especially mentally, because I didn't want to leave (UNLV)," Oh said from his home in Torrance, Calif. "My parents said it would be good for me to play and practice full time. They want me to get a degree eventually but, as of right now, they said this was best for me and my golf game."

Oh said he has an exemption to play in an Asian PGA Tour event in his native Korea in two weeks and would make his pro debut then.

He reportedly received a $3 million sponsorship deal from the Korean government to turn pro.

"In Asia, the competition is a little bit easier (than the PGA Tour), so I'm going to go there for a couple of years and practice and improve and maybe come back here in three years," Oh said.

UNLV head coach Dwaine Knight said Oh's decision did not come as a surprise.

"I've kind of known since the Palmer Cup (matches in July)," Knight said. "He was a great player and he worked his tail off for us. We're going to really miss him and he did a lot for the program in the two years he was here.

"The opportunity is great for him and his family and I know it's going to be a very large contract for him. He's a great player and I think he has got an awesome future."

Oh began playing golf at age 10, three years after his family moved to the United States from Seoul, South Korea. Oh regularly battled Woods on the junior golf circuit while the two were growing up in Southern California.

A three-time qualifier for the U.S. Amateur, Oh became the youngest player ever to compete in the PGA Tour's Los Angeles Open while he still was in high school.

At UNLV, Oh had one win and 10 top-10 finishes, including a second-place at this year's NCAA West Regional in Santee, Calif. Oh concluded his collegiate career by competing for the winning U.S. team, which was captained by Knight, in the inaugural Palmer Cup matches last month in Florida.

Oh said the most difficult part of his decision to turn pro was severing his ties with the UNLV golf team.

"Obviously, the players at UNLV became part of my family and it was very hard (to leave)," he said. "But Gilbert (Morales) left, Mike (Ruiz) left, (Chris) Riley left and (Chad) Campbell left since I've been there and eventually I knew I would have to say goodbye.

"But I'm still going to live in Las Vegas because I love the place and they have the best practice facilities, by far, anywhere."