Columnist Dean Juipe: Thousands vie for 80 Open spots

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, May 23, 2000 | 9:29 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

It's easy to forget the grass-roots nature of golf's U.S. Open until you see the incredible number of great players participating in the first-round qualifier of the grueling marathon.

Across the country on Monday, 8,500 players teed it up for the first stage of an elimination process that will eventually result in 80 of those players being awarded spots in the 156-man Open next month at Pebble Beach, Calif.

In Las Vegas, 99 players converged on the Legacy for a local qualifier. Seven players advanced to the 36-hole sectional qualifier, which will be held in two weeks.

It's an intimidating process, although former UNLV star and 1991 NCAA champion Warren Schutte was able to put it in a less frightening perspective.

"Look at it this way," he said. "All you need is seven rounds of 70 or better and you'll not only have qualified for the U.S. Open, you'll probably have won it."

Simple as that may seem from a distance, Schutte -- a Las Vegas resident who is hoping to play some on the Buy.com tour this summer -- was quick to add his own asterisk.

"I know I can shoot seven rounds of 70 or better," he said. "The trick is to do it on the right days."

The players may have been wearing shorts in deference to the heat and the attitude may have been outwardly casual, yet the pressure was substantial. At this particular qualifier, seemingly every player in the field was a scratch golfer with at least an outside chance of advancing.

Yet only two Las Vegas-area players have ever emerged from local and sectional qualifying to earn a spot in the U.S. Open, and those were Craig Barlow (when he was still an amateur) in 1994 and Wes Weston (then the pro at Shadow Creek) in 1998.

The qualifiers are open to pros and amateurs alike, but only one amateur, Hank Kuehne, was still playing over the weekend at last year's U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C.

"The opportunity to make it all the way to the Open may be limited," said local USGA coordinator Stu Reid, "but it sure is fun trying."

Everyone who is anyone in local golf was taking a stab at the Holy Grail.

"I only missed qualifying for the Open by two shots last year and I didn't even play my best," said current UNLV standout Jeremy Anderson. "I'm sort of getting used to these qualifiers. My approach is to play smart and not do anything dumb; I save the dumb things until I'm in the actual tournament."

He laughed, of course, and then proceeded to hit the ball a mile off the first tee.

The scores were low at the 7,233-yard Legacy, but this is a long-ball hitter's course and Anderson had to be counted among them.

"One reason the U.S. Open is so exciting is that it's so unique," he added. "Anyone can play."

But only a few have the game to advance and the competition is imposing, including, as it does, numerous club pros and ex-pros at the first level and then a host of pro tour regulars who are exempt at this first stage but will be there for the second.

All along the way are hundreds of players with tremendous talent and skill. Hundreds? Make that thousands.