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Caddy time pays in Open qualifying

John Koskinen ties for first with a UF freshman at Old Memorial.

By BOB HARIG
Published June 7, 2006

TAMPA - The big names will get the headlines next week at the U.S. Open, but the tournament is also about the little names. Just getting there is a dream come true for many golfers across the country, and there were two fine examples Tuesday at Old Memorial.

The sectional qualifier produced a couple of longshots in co-medalists John Koskinen, an Old Memorial caddie, and University of Florida freshman Billy Horschel.

Both shot 140, 4-under par, in the 36-hole qualifier, earning their first trips to next week's U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamoroneck, N.Y.

"That's why this tournament is probably the best tournament around," said Koskinen, 26, who played at Michigan State and lives in St. Petersburg. "Anybody can play ... I'm sure it won't sink in until I get up there and see thousands of people staring at me."

There were 59 players in the qualifier competing for three spots in the Open. Fort Myers' George McNeill earned the final spot with a birdie on the first playoff hole to knock out former UF golfer Josh McCumber and Duke's Ryan Blaum. The three had finished at 141.

Horschel, 19, who is from Grant, outside of Melbourne, is coming off a strong performance for the Gators at the NCAA Championships, where he shot a final-round 67 on Saturday. That earned him a tie for 10th and helped Florida to a runnerup finish behind Oklahoma State. He earned medalist honors at the West Region before that.

All of this after barely being recruited and winning no junior events of note.

"I had a lot of confidence coming in here and knew I was playing well," said Horschel, who shot 73-67. "I would say it's a good leap, from making the team at Florida to making it to the U.S. Open."

Koskinen's leap is probably larger. Though he has been competing on the Hooters Tour and will try for the first time this year to earn his PGA Tour card, Koskinen's main claim to fame at Old Memorial has been as a caddie.

He followed his wife, Jessica, to Florida two years ago when she got a job at Bayfront Medical Center. He has a degree from MSU in kinesiology but wanted to pursue a golf career, and began caddying at Old Memorial to make some money.

It gave him plenty of motivation.

"Caddying out here, watching other people play, ... it made me want to play 100 times more," he said. "I knew I'd rather have somebody carrying my bag."

Though he stopped caddying full time last fall to play, whenever Koskinen is back in town, he will call to see if he is needed. He estimated having caddied at the club 400 times and said it gave him a huge advantage on the greens while shooting 71-69.

"Everybody told me the course was so tight, but having been around it so many times, it looks wider to me," Koskinen said.

Winged Foot might be another story, but just getting there is the idea.

Justin Rose missed a longshot chance for a U.S. Open spot when he left before a playoff for the 21st and final position available in the Columbus, Ohio, qualifier.

"It's a call I made," Rose said Tuesday on the driving range at Westchester (N.Y.) Country Club as he prepared for the Barclays Classic. "I made a decision based on all the information I had."

Rose figured he didn't have a chance to qualify after shooting 70-70, but that was good enough to get into a 14-man playoff for one spot. Kirk Triplett also left too early, leaving 12 players. Duffy Waldorf won the spot with a 5-foot birdie putt on the first hole.

A teenager from Hawaii made the U.S. Open, just not Michelle Wie.

Tadd Fujikawa, a 15-year-old who just completed his freshman year at Moanalua High, beat nine other players for the lone berth out of the smallest sectional.

Fujikawa just missed becoming the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open. Tyrell Garth was 14 when he qualified to play in the 1941 U.S. Open at Colonial.

[Last modified June 7, 2006, 02:00:17]