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Not so Green
Oldest amateur holding his own
Posted: Thursday April 06, 2000 10:17 PM
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The U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Hunter Haas shot an 8-over 80. Craig Jones/Allsport |
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Danny Green was a college All-American, as
good a fit as any to shoot the best round Thursday among the
amateurs at the Masters.
One minor hangup: he was an All-American in tennis, not golf.
He's also 43 years old, has a paunch that would embarrass Craig
Stadler and a swing that looks better suited for a municipal course
on a Tuesday than Augusta on a Sunday.
But with all due respect to 19-year-old Aaron Baddeley,
20-year-old David Gossett and all the other youngsters competing as
amateurs this week, Green seems to fit the definition the best.
"I never played golf growing up, so I never did get good enough
to consider going pro," said Green, who shot 1-over-par 73 to lead
the six amateurs. "My game was always marginal. The last few
years, I've gotten better."
The Senior Tour could beckon in a few more years, but to hear
Green talk, that might take some of the fun out of it.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur champion got into the sport 20 years ago
because he "didn't mind betting money on things and didn't know
anyone who gambled while they played tennis."
So, off to the driving range he went. He learned the game on his
own and has never taken a lesson, a rarity in this era of
entourages and swing gurus.
"I just squatted over it and hit it," he said of his first
experience hitting golf balls. "Until 15 years ago, I thought I
stood over it and hit it like anyone else. It's too late to change
now."
He stands farther away from the ball than most players, but that
didn't seem to hurt him as he moved his way up the ranks, winning
local tournaments at first, then state events and coming in second
in 1989 at the U.S. Amateur tournament.
That runner-up finish earned him a bid to the 1990 Masters,
although the trip wasn't memorable. He shot 79-83 and missed the
cut.
Back for the first time in a decade, Green finished the first
round not just in contention for the top amateur score, but ahead
of a handful of notable names, including Tiger Woods.
"I've played a lot of golf, a lot of tournaments and I've been
through a lot of battles and wars in 10 years," said Green, a star
tennis player at Tennessee-Martin back in the 1970s. "I'm a lot
better player than I was 10 years ago. I wasn't really ready for
this 10 years ago."
While Green played in relative peace Thursday, Baddeley was in
the same group as Woods for his first Masters appearance. Hyped as
Australia's possible answer for Woods, Baddeley overcame some early
jitters to finish the front nine at 2 over.
But on No. 11, he looked every bit the amateur. He hit his ball
in the water, then had to call for an official to get instructions
on where to drop. Once he figured it out, he ended up with his
second straight double bogey.
He finished at 5-over-par 77.
"Tiger and I were talking," Baddeley said. "We said this is
just one of the days where you have to stand out there and grind it
out. That's what I learned today."
Hunter Haas, the U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, said the
aura of Augusta overwhelmed him as he took the first tee.
"I was shaking like a leaf," Haas said. "I could barely get
the tee in the ground. I just told myself I had to be able to
focus. I gritted it out. I figured the worst I could do was shank
it into the media center."
Haas finished the day at 8 over.
Other amateurs in the field were U.S. Amateur runner-up Sung
Yoon Kim (3 over), British Amateur champion Graeme Storm (11 over)
and Gossett, the U.S. Amateur champion (3 over).
None of the amateurs besides Green has celebrated his 25th
birthday. And almost all of them, at some point, have attracted
more attention than Green ever has - until this week.
"That's well-deserved. They're all good players," Green said.
"You can leave me out of that if you like. I'll just stay in the
background and play."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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