Three local golfers thriving at Q-School

Victoria Sun

Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

The pressures of the PGA Tour's final stage of Qualifying School haven't seemed to bother veterans Tommy Armour III, Robert Gamez or John Riegger in the slightest.

In fact, the three PGA Tour professionals with local ties are thriving under the adverse conditions.

Armour III and Riegger were two of four golfers to shoot 8-under-par 64, the second-round low, at the Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., while Gamez turned in a 65 on Thursday.

Armour III, a Bishop Gorman High School graduate, is tied for second with a total 133, one stroke behind leader Tanaka Hidemichi, and local residents Gamez and Riegger are tied for fifth at 134.

"I played pretty solid both days," Gamez said. "I'm hitting a lot of greens and fairways."

Playing on the Links course, Gamez was 3-under through 15 holes before he finished strong with a three-foot birdie on No. 16, an eagle after he hit a 4-iron about 231 yards to the hole on No. 17 and a 15-foot birdie on No. 18.

Armour III was 5-under at the turn and added three more birdies on the back nine for his 64 on the Lakes course. Riegger's round on the Links course was highlighted by six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 11th hole.

Getting over a double-bogey on the par-4 No. 15 at the Lakes course in the first round helped Gamez's psyche. He hit his second shot to the right of the green, then missed a chip and missed a bogey putt from the fringe.

"I really haven't let anything get to me the last couple of days which has been one of my downfalls in the past, letting my emotions get the best of me," Gamez said. "Just mentally, it was one of those things that I didn't let it get to me and kept going."

Although Gamez has moved to La Quinta, Calif., for the winter to prepare for next year, he has no intentions of leaving Las Vegas for good.

"I'll be back and forth," Gamez said. "Vegas is still my home, I just wanted to spend more time in Palm Springs, that's why I've been down there.

"I love Vegas and I'm never going to leave there."

Gamez has not competed in a tournament since the Invensys Classic in October and had about a month off before the second stage of Q-School.

But not all of the time off was planned.

Gamez cut his hand two weeks before Q-School, forcing him to stay off the course.

"I am mentally refreshed," he said. "The extra week and a half off, it helped me mentally, though I was rusty physically."

Through the next four rounds, Gamez, who is staying nearby the golf course at a friend's house, intends to stay relaxed by pitching horseshoes, going off-roading and "just goofing around."

So far, the plan has worked perfectly.