Northpinellas: Palm Harbor pro vows to overcome setback

Heintz, after earning his 2000 tour card by finishing sixth on the 1999 Nike Tour -- including two wins -- finished 184th on the PGA Tour with $127,412 in earnings in 34 events. His best performance was a tie for 10th in the B.C. Open in Endicott, N.Y., where he was 12-under par.

"I'm not going to let one bad year discourage me or make me let go of the dream I had as a kid growing up," said Heintz, 30, a 1988 graduate of Countryside High School and Yale ('92).

"I know I have other options in life, but I'm still pursuing this one because I'm confident it's attainable," he said.

Looking back on last season, Heintz discovered two problems.

One, he was troubled by fatigue the last half of the season. He attributes that, in part, to the rigors of flying everywhere. For some reason, that bothered his back.

And overall, he thinks the condition of his body needed improvement.

Toward that end, Heintz exercises regularly on a treadmill, including interval training, has a new diet in place and has lost 10 pounds.

Analyzing his performance, Heintz said his second problem was the accuracy of his long game ranging from off the tee to mid irons shots.

"That always put a lot of pressure on me around the green where I was always scrambling," he said. "Toward correcting that, I've made some minor adjustments in my swing, working with Val D'Souza, the TPC at Cheval, and I'm now hitting the ball straighter. I hope my game stats prove that out."

One of those small adjustments is to keep his left foot planted throughout the swing whereas before he was lifting it.

"Jack Nicklaus made this same change during his career, and it helped him," Heintz said. "It makes things more solid."

Aside from physical and mechanical modifications, Heintz puts a lot of stock in mental toughness.

"I don't consider myself at the crossroads of my career," Heintz said. "With the support of my wife and family, I'm committed to seeing this through. This setback has given me an opportunity to re-evaluate to see what I can do to get on the right course.

"I'm not going to be complacent or going looking for a desk job somewhere. I admire (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Trent Dilfer after his experience here with the Bucs. He didn't sulk or blame others. Mine is a very similar situation.

"I'm not going to let one bad year discourage me from the dreams I had playing driveway basketball with my brother, Chris, (a catcher in the Chicago White Sox organization) and dad (Bob Sr.)," Heintz said.

"I still have playing privileges on the Buy.comtour this year and will start my 2001 season with the best possible preparation in a Hooters Tour event next month in Jacksonville."

NOTES: Heintz was a Times all-Pinellas basketball player at Countryside High School, then went on to win the Ivy League golf title three consecutive years at Yale.

After missing the top 125 on the tour's money list last year to retain his PGA card, he competed in the finals of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in La Quinta, Calif. With a 1-over 429 for six rounds, Heintz failed to reach the primary goal of a top-35 finish. The next 50 finishers earned exempt status on the Buy.com Tour. Heintz missed that cut by six shots.

However, he expects to be invited to the first five matches this season. The opening tournament is March 8-11 at Gainesville Country Club. ... His father is the athletic director at Palm Harbor University High School.

NORTH FLORIDA PGA: At Grenelefe Resort in Haines City last week, director of golf Randy Mosley of the Renaissance Vinoy teamed with Phil Taylor of Dunwoody, Ga., shooting 69-66 in a Four-Ball Invitational.

It was scored better ball of the pairs. Their 135 total was three off the lead.

Teaching pros Reggie Ridlon and Matt Mitchell of the Countryside Learning Center were a stroke behind Mosely-Taylor, followed by Jay Overton and Lew Smither of Innisbrook, another stroke back at 137.

COLLEGE: Jenny Gleason, a Clearwater High School graduate at UNC Greensboro, can't wait for practice to start next week -- even if it's going to be cold.

The sophomore is coming off a successful 2000 season in which she finished second for the individual titlein the Southern Conference Championship. She carded rounds of 71-72-75 for a 2-over 218, earning all-conference first-team honors.

In 28 rounds last year, Gleason averaged 78.5.

"I'm looking forward to coming back to Florida this spring, playing at Mission Inn," said Gleason, who owns the women's course record (68) at Clearwater Country Club. "I love that course.

"I'll also be playing at Pinehurst (N.C.) in the season opener in the Carolina Collegiate Classic on February 26 and 27," she said. "My goal this year is to improve my approach shots -- start hitting the greens with more consistency."

Gleason said she's glad she chose NCAA Div. I Greensboro because she thinks the program can help her become a professional golfer.

Academically,Gleason is doing well. She had a 3.45 grade point average last semester.

JUNIORS: Sam Rosati of Oldsmar won his third consecutive Florida Junior Golf Association tournament last weekend.

He shot a 75-74-149 for a five-stroke victory in a field of 19 players in the 12-14 age division at Ironwood Golf Club in Gainesville.

Clifton Williams of Seminole finished sixth with a 159.

Hochul Kim of Clearwater carded a 79-76-155 for ninth place in the boys 15-18 division, won by Matt Berzovich of Longwood, 76-72-148. Seema Sadekar of the Leadbetter Academy took the title of the girls 13-18 class with a 76-76-152. Lara Smilnak of Dunedin shot 94-93-187.

- Results of club championships should be sent to Golf News, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, Fla. 33756, faxed to 445-4119, or e-mailed to theall@sptimes.com.

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