Ex-Rebels stepping up into PGA ranks

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

As he passed by the guard and entered the secured driving range Monday at the TPC at Summerlin, Jeremy Anderson had his choice of vacant teeing areas.

The only criteria that pertained to him was posted for all to see: Amateurs to the far right, pros to the left.

He chose a spot and set up shop precisely on the dividing line. However subtle or unintended, his decision was telltale in many respects.

It was, after all, the first time Anderson was eligible to stand among the professionals and, keeping with his humble ways, he had no desire to make a spectacle or draw attention to himself. But he also knew he was no longer a casual player.

"This is going to be a fun week," he said, a block of amateurs hacking away to his right and an assortment of recognizable PGA Tour players swinging smoothly to his left. "It's different and it's big for me.

"It's my PGA Tour debut."

He was bursting with pride, just as many who followed his fabulous career at UNLV will be bursting with pride this week as they see him among the 144 professionals in the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas that opens Wednesday at three local courses.

Anderson, 22, is in the Invensys field as the result of a sponsor's exemption. What he would like to do is fully capitalize and win enough money to avoid having to go through the rigors of the Tour Qualifying School.

"I've already sent in my ($4,000) check and application for Q-School," he said. "But I could do something here and change all that."

In pursuit of his 2001 Tour card, Anderson, like each of his professional counterparts, must either finish in the top 125 on the final 2000 money list or finish in the top 35 during the Q-School marathon this winter. With the Invensys purse a hefty $4.25 million and Sunday's winner entitled to $765,000, a player like Anderson can turn one excellent week into a guaranteed spot on the 2001 Tour.

Don't think he and everyone else taking part in the tournament isn't aware of what's at stake with only three full-field events remaining on the Tour schedule.

"It's time to see where I stand compared to the best players in the world," Anderson said. "Now's the time to see what I've got."

As a collegian, Anderson was brilliant. He put in four years at UNLV, was a focal point of the Rebels' 1998 national championship team and competed in four NCAA Championships.

He also was the Mountain West Conference player of the year last season and the Western Athletic Conference player of the year a season earlier. His 71.06 scoring average as a senior was, in part, the result of 11 top-10 finishes.

In addition he holds the school record with a 63 under tournament conditions.

A classmate, colleague and friend, Michael Kirk, has also been given a sponsor's exemption into the Invensys and joined Anderson on the range at the TPC.

"He and I went down and attempted to qualify for the Buy.com tournament in Albuquerque last week," Anderson said. "He got in, I didn't."

Nonetheless, he feels he's playing well. Better than ever, in fact.

"I'm actually playing very well and have been working hard on my game," he said. "I feel I've improved in the areas I needed to -- particularly my short game -- and I've worked a lot on my long irons, which needed work too.

"I've improved light years from when I started at UNLV."

A native of Louisville who grew up in California, Anderson has become a Southern Nevadan.

"I still live where I did when I was going to UNLV," the business-management major said. "I've got it pretty good in Las Vegas and I like it too much to leave.

"I've made a lot of contacts both in and out of golf. It seems like a good fit."

He'll open tournament play and hit his first ball as a professional Wednesday at Southern Highlands, a just-opened course that few of the touring pros had a chance to see prior to this week.

"They've been real nice to me out there and I've played it a few times," Anderson said of Southern Highlands, where he has a 12:10 tee time. "It's not a difficult course but I don't think there'll be too many low scores."

He admitted he'll have an uneasy moment or two before launching his initial drive, but, he added, that's nothing new.

"I'm know I'll be nervous standing on the first tee but I've been nervous on the first tee since I was a Junior," he said. "I'd say if you're not nervous, you're not human."

With that he began the methodical process of going through his bag and hitting a few range balls with each club. Figuratively, the amateurs to his right were miles away.