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List Gets Dose of Tigermania 6/15/2005
By ALEX PODLOGAR Editor’s note: Luke List, a rising junior at Vanderbilt, is playing in the 105th U.S. Open this week at Pinehurst No. 2. List agreed to have his championship week chronicled each day by The Sanford Herald. This article is the second in that series. PINEHURST, N.C. – Tiger Woods used to do it, too. In fact, he still does. “I enjoy going home and practicing and preparing just like I always have,” he said Tuesday. “I still to this day emulate whether it’s Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer or Lee Trevino late in the evening. ‘Trevino is on the green, Palmer hits his shot on the green. Tiger Woods has a chance to win another one.’ I still do it, even to this day. It’s how I grew up, and you never let those childhood memories go away. That’s what got you here.” Sometimes, those childhood memories turn into adolescent dreams. And, in rare cases, those adolescent dreams come true. They did for Woods. And on Wednesday, they did for Luke List. List, 20, the 2004 runner-up in the U.S. Amateur and a star at Vanderbilt, played in Woods’ group, along with 1995 U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin and Stanford golf coach Conrad Ray, during Wednesday’s final practice round on Pinehurst No. 2 in preparation for the 105th U.S. Open. Even for the accomplished List – he made the cut at the 2005 Masters and qualified to play in the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields – it was quite a moment, one he wondered about for years while practicing in the Georgia sun. “I gave myself the benefit of the doubt,” List said when asked if he ever thought his dream of playing a round with Woods would ever become reality. “As a little kid I always imagined I had putts to win the Masters or the U.S. Open, and I thought about beating Tiger. “(Today) was just an unbelievable opportunity, and it makes me feel like I can do this for a living.” A few days ago, when List saw there was a spot open in Woods’ group for the final practice round he jumped at the chance to sign on. Woods, however, has a right of refusal, but generally enjoys playing practice rounds with amateurs. Still, Woods’ playing partners must be ready to go, and ready to go early. Wednesday was no exception. Scheduled to start at the 10th tee at 7 a.m., List hit the driving range at 6:15 a.m. to warm up. Woods was on the range five minutes later, and when he went to his driver at 6:30, so did List. Five minutes after that, Woods headed for a shuttle to the 10th tee, with List, Pavin and Ray in tow. For List, who said he likes to spend an hour warming up, it wasn’t enough time to get loose. That was evident on his first tee shot, which he drove into the left rough. List continued to struggle a bit early, hitting just one of the first five fairways in regulation, a stark contrast from his hot start on the front nine during Tuesday’s round, as well as the Masters, where he was 11th overall in driving accuracy. “I don’t think (List) was nervous, I just think he was a little tight,” said List’s personal golf instructor Danny Elkins, who walked with List for the third straight day. “I don?t think he got fully stretched out, and it was his third consecutive early start.” List agreed. “I didn’t stretch well, and I had a few loose shots,” List admitted. “My driver was a little wild, but it’s OK. It just took a while to find my flow.” List did just that as the crowds got bigger and bigger. On 10 and 11, the gallery was similar in size to what List had played in front of during the first two days. By No. 12, which is near the main entrance gate, the gallery had ballooned, and by holes 14 and 15, it stretched for the length of the fairways and was eight-deep at the tees and around the greens. “It’s totally different. Incredibly different,” said List’s caddie, teammate and college roommate Dos Goldsmith. “It’s a different golf course when Tiger’s out there. There are four times as many people. You don’t notice it as much after a while, but the cameras are everywhere.” List began to find his rhythm on the 203-yard par-3 15th. His tee shot landed pin high, about 20 feet from the pin. While Woods hooked his drive into the left rough on the 492-yard par-4 16th, List split the fairway, and his approach rolled off the back edge of the green, which he got up and down for par. List’s best was yet to come. On the 190-yard par-3 17th, List beautifully shaped his tee shot to just eight feet from the pin, and though he narrowly missed the putt, his approach on 18 nestled just below a ridge above the cup, about 10 feet away for another good birdie chance. All four players then called it day after nine holes. And while Woods breezed past scores of cameramen and into the locker room, List had a chance to reflect on his big day after signing a few dozen autographs. “It was a completely different world in every way,” List said. “It was exciting to get a chance to play with Tiger, a once in a lifetime – well, you hope it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but it could be. “Not everybody gets the chance to do something like that. (Tiger) was a really nice guy, and he’s the best player in the world. It was a cool opportunity.” And it was an experience that will only further List’s growth as a golfer. “It’s important for (List) to see that, hey, they may be better than you, but they’re not that much different than you,” Elkins said. “It’s invaluable,” List said of the experience he gained in just nine quick holes. “I’ve played in front of big crowds before, but Tiger’s crowd is different. The cameras, the crowds, are everywhere. It’s a mess. I don’t know how he does it.” Still, as crazy as it was, List hopes to play in Woods’ group again very soon. “I hope to do it when we?re competing against each other,” List said. “I hope to do it on a Sunday sometime.” Dream on. Sometimes they come true. |
