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Rancho Murieta resident qualifies for U.S. Senior Open
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| Courtesy photos - Don Thames, a resident of Rancho Murieta, qualified for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open after winning the regional qualifier in a one-hole playoff at Stevinson Ranch. |
By Jon Gudel - Sports Editor
Eighteen holes. Sixty-two entrants. One spot to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open.
Those were the obstacles blocking a childhood dream for Rancho Murieta resident Don Thames. That and also an errant tee shot on the 18th hole of his senior open regional qualifier.
Figuring he needed a birdie on the final hole at Stevinson Ranch Golf Course to win the qualifier, Thames drove his tee shot two inches out of bounds.
No worries.
Two shots later, Thames sank a 72-yard shot from the fairway for a par to force a sudden death playoff to determine the lone qualifying spot to one of the most prestigious senior tournaments on the Champions Tour.
His 62-degree sandwedge landed on the green and hopped twice before rolling into the cup to save an even-par round of 72. On the first playoff hole, he sank a three-foot birdie to win the regional qualifier.
Thames, a finance manager at Elk Grove GMC Buick Pontiac, had rallied two-fold to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open on July 31-Aug. 3 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Co.
By saving par on the final hole after a near disastrous tee shot, he also erased memories of failing to qualify two years ago when a triple bogey on Stevinson Ranch’s No. 15 dashed those dreams.
He birdied the 15th this time.
“After all of that there was no way I wasn’t going to win,” said Thames, who paid a $160 entry fee to participate in the regional qualifier. “I had too much confidence. I felt, the way that it ended it with that chip, that it was my time to win.”
Ironically, Thames said he had been consistently hitting fairways off the tee at Stevinson. Yet, it was a tee shot that darted right that nearly cost him the clubhouse lead.
That scare came after a birdie on No. 15, a three-putt 16th and a 12-footer on 17.
And, while he acknowledged struggling with his irons for most of the round, it was an iron that preserved a spot in the playoff.
Before his chip, Thames’ wife, Carole, who also caddies for him, added to the pressure of the situation with some unsettling advice.
“You probably need to chip this in to have any chance,” he recalled her saying.
He did.
Carole is still unsure if she will caddy for him at the Open. If not, she will be walking outside the ropes as a players’ wife for the first time at a Champions Tour event. She will also get to embrace the beauty of Colorado Springs, while her husband is on the course trying to ready his game for the biggest 36 holes, possibly 72, of his life.
Thames said his projected workload for the tournament week is to play practice rounds on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and a light itinerary for Wednesday with either chipping and putting or hitting a bucket of balls.
While Thames has outlined his schedule prior to Thursday’s first round, the rest of his plans depend on whether or not he qualifies for the weekend.
“If I don’t make the cut I don’t think I will be devastated,” he admitted. “I think if I stay calm and composed and take care of those things, I should be able to play my game and see what happens.”
Thames said he planned to play “mountain golf” in Lake Tahoe last week to get acclimated to the elevation of Colorado Springs. Once there, he’ll step off the plane as a member of the Champions Tour – at least for one weekend.
He’ll be picked up at the airport, where he and his wife will have full access to a Lexus for the week. Hotel accommodations have already been made at the Broadmoor Resort with inclusive food and drinks.
It’s a lifestyle that he could get used to.
But Thames also knows, after failing to qualify for the tour through Q-School, it’s a life that he’s accepted isn’t for him.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to do that again,” said Thames of the Q-School process. “The way it’s done you have to be a billionaire to go travel to play these rounds. It’s tough.”
Thames is no stranger to winning events, although nothing with equal magnitude of qualifying for an Open. He estimated winning 30 amateur tournaments in California and is the four-time Rancho Murieta club match and medal champion.
If Thames records one of the biggest upsets in modern golf history and somehow wins the U.S. Senior Open, he admits he’ll still lose money regardless of what place he finishes.
That’s because Thames is an amateur, and amateurs are refrained from earning money at PGA sanctioned events. But, a spot in the top 15, will earn him a spot in the 2009 U.S. Senior Open.
“I don’t have any delusions out there that I’m going to win or that I’m the best golfer out there,” said Thames. “My goal is just to go out there and have fun and enjoy myself.”
Then again, what are the odds of salvaging a spot in the U.S. Senior Open field by holing a 72-yard chip. Being there is a reward that overshadows monetary earnings.
Those were the obstacles blocking a childhood dream for Rancho Murieta resident Don Thames. That and also an errant tee shot on the 18th hole of his senior open regional qualifier.
Figuring he needed a birdie on the final hole at Stevinson Ranch Golf Course to win the qualifier, Thames drove his tee shot two inches out of bounds.
No worries.
Two shots later, Thames sank a 72-yard shot from the fairway for a par to force a sudden death playoff to determine the lone qualifying spot to one of the most prestigious senior tournaments on the Champions Tour.
His 62-degree sandwedge landed on the green and hopped twice before rolling into the cup to save an even-par round of 72. On the first playoff hole, he sank a three-foot birdie to win the regional qualifier.
Thames, a finance manager at Elk Grove GMC Buick Pontiac, had rallied two-fold to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open on July 31-Aug. 3 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Co.
By saving par on the final hole after a near disastrous tee shot, he also erased memories of failing to qualify two years ago when a triple bogey on Stevinson Ranch’s No. 15 dashed those dreams.
He birdied the 15th this time.
“After all of that there was no way I wasn’t going to win,” said Thames, who paid a $160 entry fee to participate in the regional qualifier. “I had too much confidence. I felt, the way that it ended it with that chip, that it was my time to win.”
Ironically, Thames said he had been consistently hitting fairways off the tee at Stevinson. Yet, it was a tee shot that darted right that nearly cost him the clubhouse lead.
That scare came after a birdie on No. 15, a three-putt 16th and a 12-footer on 17.
And, while he acknowledged struggling with his irons for most of the round, it was an iron that preserved a spot in the playoff.
Before his chip, Thames’ wife, Carole, who also caddies for him, added to the pressure of the situation with some unsettling advice.
“You probably need to chip this in to have any chance,” he recalled her saying.
He did.
Carole is still unsure if she will caddy for him at the Open. If not, she will be walking outside the ropes as a players’ wife for the first time at a Champions Tour event. She will also get to embrace the beauty of Colorado Springs, while her husband is on the course trying to ready his game for the biggest 36 holes, possibly 72, of his life.
Thames said his projected workload for the tournament week is to play practice rounds on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and a light itinerary for Wednesday with either chipping and putting or hitting a bucket of balls.
While Thames has outlined his schedule prior to Thursday’s first round, the rest of his plans depend on whether or not he qualifies for the weekend.
“If I don’t make the cut I don’t think I will be devastated,” he admitted. “I think if I stay calm and composed and take care of those things, I should be able to play my game and see what happens.”
Thames said he planned to play “mountain golf” in Lake Tahoe last week to get acclimated to the elevation of Colorado Springs. Once there, he’ll step off the plane as a member of the Champions Tour – at least for one weekend.
He’ll be picked up at the airport, where he and his wife will have full access to a Lexus for the week. Hotel accommodations have already been made at the Broadmoor Resort with inclusive food and drinks.
It’s a lifestyle that he could get used to.
But Thames also knows, after failing to qualify for the tour through Q-School, it’s a life that he’s accepted isn’t for him.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to do that again,” said Thames of the Q-School process. “The way it’s done you have to be a billionaire to go travel to play these rounds. It’s tough.”
Thames is no stranger to winning events, although nothing with equal magnitude of qualifying for an Open. He estimated winning 30 amateur tournaments in California and is the four-time Rancho Murieta club match and medal champion.
If Thames records one of the biggest upsets in modern golf history and somehow wins the U.S. Senior Open, he admits he’ll still lose money regardless of what place he finishes.
That’s because Thames is an amateur, and amateurs are refrained from earning money at PGA sanctioned events. But, a spot in the top 15, will earn him a spot in the 2009 U.S. Senior Open.
“I don’t have any delusions out there that I’m going to win or that I’m the best golfer out there,” said Thames. “My goal is just to go out there and have fun and enjoy myself.”
Then again, what are the odds of salvaging a spot in the U.S. Senior Open field by holing a 72-yard chip. Being there is a reward that overshadows monetary earnings.
