Golf

Only in stature is Barnes an amateur

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© St. Petersburg Times
published April 12, 2003

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Someday, he may have a million tales to tell. Someday, he may have to sift through his trophies and his memories to find them.

Who knows? Someday, he may have a story better than this one.

If not, this one will do.

Twenty years or so down the line, a bunch of guys will sit around a clubhouse telling golf stories, and someone will talk about a great score, and someone else will talk about playing on a famous course and someone else will talk about playing against a famous opponent.

Then Ricky Barnes will lean forward, and grin, and say this:

"Did I ever tell you about the time I played in the Masters?

"And I played with Tiger Woods?

"And I kicked his fanny?"

Oh, that story.

The search for a new hope drew a new application Friday. Barnes, the U.S. Amateur champion, a big fish from a lesser pond, introduced himself to the Masters. From the looks of it, it's going to be a beautiful friendship.

Barnes played on golf's biggest platform, and he was paired with its star performer and neither made him blink. He played 28 holes at 1 under par, three strokes off the lead and two ahead of Woods. After 18, he was second.

And wait until his teammates back at the University of Arizona hear about it.

And they will.

Oh, about a thousand times.

It is always an interesting juxtaposition, the pairing of the reigning Masters champion with the U.S. Amateur champion, the ruler of golf and the man who would be king. Usually the results are ugly. By comparison, Bubba Dickinson threw up a 79 in his first round last year.

This time, the big blond kid in the lime green shirt kept throwing up numbers, and the champion kept struggling. By the end of the day, everyone knew Barnes' name. He walked off the course with fans cheering, and nearby his older brother Andy, also his caddy, grinned.

"That guy's probably dumb enough to think he can win this tournament," Andy Barnes said.

"He's probably right," Ricky Barnes said. "If you're here just to survive the cut, you're here for the wrong reason."

How sweet is that to hear? The golf world thirsts for a Tiger slayer. For all of Woods' greatness, a real challenger would produce more memorable moments, more entertaining tournaments. It searches desperately for someone who isn't satisfied easily or intimidated readily.

It will take a lot more than 27 holes to pronounce Barnes as that contender. After all, the last amateur to finish second after the first round was the immortal A. Downing Gray, in 1967.

But you sure had to like the way the kid handled himself.

Can you imagine the pressure? Can you imagine the butterflies? Can you imagine the feeling Barnes had when he rushed his first swing of the day and hooked his drive?

Woods came over then, told him to relax, take his time. Barnes did, and he hit a nice recovery and parred the hole.

After that, it was Woods who needed the advice. The popular school of thought was that the worse the weather became, the more Woods owned this tournament. The rain made the course longer, and that's right up Woods' alley. Playing for 12 hours straight demanded fitness, and no one is more fit than Woods. Playing in the slop tested a golfer's mental toughness, and who has more of that than Woods?

Still, Woods struggled all day. For a while, there was concern that Martha Burk might hang around this tournament longer than Tiger.

From the look of it, Barnes seemed to be blissfully unaware of it. He was concentrating on his own score, which means he's neither a regular PGA player or a Nike stockholder.

So who is this guy?

He's a big, competitive cuss with a jagged scar over his right eyebrow (6 inches from intramural basketball) to prove it. He's the roommate of Arizona basketball star Rick Anderson. He's the son of Brian Barnes, who punted for the Patriots in 1973-74.

"I was drafted the same year as Sam Cunningham, Darryl Stingley and John Hannah," Barnes said. "It was a good draft, except for me."

Ricky Barnes played a little football and a little basketball, too, but eventually chose golf.

Judging by Friday, it was a good choice. There is a little bit of flair to Barnes, a little bit of daring, a little bit of resiliency.

"He's a work in progress," said his mom Cathy. "We used to think of him as a hothead, but I think it's because he's a perfectionist. It's one reason he reminds me of Tiger Woods."

For instance, there was the 14th hole during Ricky Barnes' afternoon round. He double-bogeyed, his worst hole of the day, and the temper that makes the rest of the family talk started to rise.

"I was a little hot," Barnes said. "It's because I want to win so badly. 'Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser.' I think Vince Lombardi said that."

Barnes gathered himself, however. On his next hole, he narrowly missed eagle.

That's the best part about Barnes. He's competely unaware that he should be awed, and completely unimpressed by what he accomplished on Friday. Think of it. Most of us wish to play like Woods, but we'd settle for a day such as Barnes had. We'd brag about it forever.

For Barnes, it wasn't enough. Bully for him.

Yes, he says when you press him, he could win the tournament if he plays well. Yes, he says, the door is open for someone to rise up to challenge Tiger.

Can it be Barnes?

Now, that would be a good story.

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