Wednesday, July 7, 1999 | 10:46 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand's golf notebook appears Wednesday. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4089.
During his three-year stint as an All-American on the UNLV golf team, Edward Fryatt became known for his ability to come up with a big round when he needed it most.
The Chaparral High product put the lessons he learned at UNLV to use last weekend in winning the Nike Tour's Hershey Open in Pennsylvania, his first victory on the PGA Tour feeder circuit.
Fryatt entered the final round tied for the lead with Brent Wayment and shot an even-par 70 on the East Course at the Country Club of Hershey to beat Wayment by three strokes. Fryatt was one of only three golfers to shoot under par for the four days.
"It was a difficult day -- it was a difficult week all week," Fryatt said of the win, which was worth $40,500. "There were only three guys under par all week. It was a good golf course for me because you've got to grind it out and don't have to make a ton of birdies to stay up near the lead and par is a pretty decent score.
"It was nice to win on a golf course like that. You had to drive it well, you had to hit some good iron shots and be mentally strong with your putter, too."
Fryatt made one birdie and one bogey on the front side and took a one-shot advantage over Wayment going into the final nine holes.
After Wayment birdied the 10th hole to pull even with Fryatt, the two players traded bogeys on the next two holes before Wayment again took the lead when Fryatt made bogey at No. 13.
Fryatt turned the match around with an eagle at the par-5 14th, which Wayment bogeyed. The 1994 UNLV graduate padded his lead with a birdie at the 15th hole and held on for the three-shot win.
Fryatt, who has won four tournaments in Asia, said the victory on the Nike Tour was more important than his international wins.
"This is obviously very important," Fryatt said from Greensboro, N.C., where he will play in the Nike Greensboro Open this weekend. "Not to take anything away from those (wins in Asia), but this one helps toward my ultimate goal of getting on the PGA Tour.
"The money is not as big as some of those events I won, but the significance of it and the meaning behind it means a lot more. It also validates what I've been doing over there. It's not like, 'Well, the kid can win over there where the competition is not as stiff, but I don't know if he can win on the Nike Tour.' "
Fryatt said the depth of talent on the Nike Tour is what distinguishes that tour from the Asian Tour, which he has played from 1996 to 1998.
"I think the Nike Tour is a lot better than the Asian tours I've been playing," Fryatt said. "I think the high level of play is the same, but the depth is a lot better on the Nike Tour than it is in Asia."
Fryatt won the China Open and the Malaysian Open last year, the India Open in 1997 and the Indonesian Open in 1996. He said he plans to continue playing in the States, hopefully becoming exempt for the PGA Tour next season.
Fryatt, who moved into fifth place on the Nike Tour money list with $94,401, can earn his PGA Tour card for 2000 by finishing among the top 15 money winners on the Nike Tour.
"That was a nice jump from what we were, but there's a lot of work to do," Fryatt said of his climb on the money list. "It's going to take probably $140,000 to $150,000 to earn your (PGA Tour) card."
* WOODS REIGNS: With his win Sunday in the Western Open, Tiger Woods overtook David Duval to become the world's No. 1 golfer for the first time since March.
Woods, who has won three of his past four events, tops the world rankings with an average of 14.19 points per tournament. Duval is second at 13.92 and Davis Love III is third at 10.96.
* PACIFIC AMATEUR: Entries still are being accepted for the Northwest Dodge Dealers Pacific Amateur Golf Classic, to be held Oct. 3-7 in Central Oregon.
The event is open to any amateur golfer with an established USGA handicap and will include competition in four divisions: Men, Women, Men's Senior (ages 55 and older) and Men's Super Senior (65 and older).
The tournament entry fee of $175 includes three days of golf (four for the top three finishers in each flight) and admission to all 19th hole festivities of food, drink, entertainment and golf skills contests.
Information on the Pacific Amateur can be obtained by calling (888) 425-3976 or visiting the tournament website at www.pacamgolf.com.
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