Of the celebrities I've played with, Bob Hope also had the ability to play his normal game regardless of whom he played with, or where. If the amateur can adopt the same sort of detached demeanor Ueberroth had, he'll do just fine.
Challenge No. 4
A rough proposition
The amateur heading for San Diego has no idea how penal U.S. Open rough can be. Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, insists that because of the length and firmness of the course the rough at Torrey Pines won't be as penal as we've come to expect, but it'll certainly be more difficult than most average amateurs are accustomed to.
When the amateur strays into the primary rough, he might reflexively reach for anything from a 5-iron to a hybrid and try to reach the green. In that case, he will either fail to escape the rough or will hit the ball into even worse trouble, resulting in a big number. He needs to resolve from the outset to take an iron with plenty of loft (nothing more than an 8-iron) and try to get the ball back onto short grass.
Challenge No. 5
Brush up on "rattle bottom"
On greens as fast as they'll be at Torrey Pines, there's no such thing as a gimme. After the 10-handicapper sends a breaking 2½-footer six feet past the hole, he might become so terrified of the next ones that he'll become tentative as opposed to simply careful.
If I were the amateur preparing for the contest, I'd get used to holing every putt in every round. And I'd spend time practicing even the tap-ins.
Challenge No. 6
Embrace the bogey
To break 100 on Torrey Pines' U.S. Open setup, a par 71, all the guy needs to do is make eight bogeys and 10 double bogeys. There isn't a lot of nasty trouble at Torrey Pines -- very little out-of-bounds, water and forced carries. So all he needs to do is avoid trying to do something heroic.
He needs to realize that, unlike at his home course, bogeys are a good thing, and double bogeys are not only fairly inevitable, but acceptable. For the most part, the only thing that introduces the possibility of "others" -- triple-bogeys, quads and the like -- is greed.
PRESSURE GAUGE
Johnny ranks, in order of difficulty, the nerve-racking moments our contest winner will face:
1. NBC cameras in your face on every shot. Even pros freeze when confronted with this for the first time. An average amateur? Gulp.
2. Knowing that your score will be seen by everyone after "count-every-shot" stroke play. For better or worse, the player's entire worth as a golfer will be judged by this single round. That's pressure, folks.
3. Playing in front of a gallery. It's hard for amateurs to play to their full potential when their swing thought for the day is, Whatever you do, don't whiff it.
4. Playing with famous people. Amateurs tend to stay out of the way and let the celebrities have the attention. No such luck here.
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