Sowards shakes off U.S. Open qualifier collapse

Bob Sowards salved some of his U.S. Open qualifier wounds with a solid 68 Friday at Longaberger Golf Club to share the clubhouse lead with Robert Thompson of Trinity, Texas, at the PGA Club Professional Championship.

By John L. Byrwa, Managing Editor

NASHPORT, Ohio (PGA.com) -- You would think blowing a three-shot lead with two holes to play before losing in a playoff to miss out on a spot in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club would be enough to shatter the confidence of the best of players. But Bob Sowards simply hitched up his trousers and went back to work.

"Watching the Open on TV, it's probably good that I didn't play in it or else I would have come here and had no confidence," Sowards said Friday after a second-round 68 at the PGA Club Professional Championship. "So it's probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn't like it at the time, but you learn from it."

They say that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. To wit, Sowards survived his U.S. Open qualifier collapse and has been some kind of strong after two trips around a tough Longaberger Golf Club. He bogeyed his first hole Friday, the 538-yard, par-5 10th, but rebounded with an eagle and four birdies to sit on 7-under par, tied with Robert Thompson for the clubhouse lead.

Thompson, a teaching professional at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, shot a bogey-free 69 to go with his opening 68.

"I think this golf course was built for youth," said the 47-year-old Thompson, who is playing in his eighth CPC. "I've got to stay focused and stay with my game plan. I'm pretty consistent. I have to drive it in the fairway and play smart from there in."

Along with the experience gained by missing his chance to play in the U.S. Open, Sowards enjoys a huge course-knowledge advantage here over his rivals. An assistant professional at Wedgewood Golf and Country Club in Powell, Ohio, which is about an hour's drive from Nashport, Sowards has played Longaberger GC "about 20 times."

That familiarity has helped Sowards this week, as he seeks to repeat as the PGA of America Club Professional of the Year, an honor he won last year.

"I'm very comfortable on this golf course," Sowards said. "I've played it quite a bit and I'm able to sleep in my own bed, which most of these guys aren't able to do. So, I'm very comfortable here. I feel very comfortable on all the tees and I feel like I can read the greens pretty well.

"I was watching (playing partners) Ken (Schall) and Bill (Harvey) miss some putts, where I've played here enough and I've missed that same putt; I know it looks like it breaks right and it breaks left. It's a good feeling knowing I feel like I have some course knowledge."

It paid off in a big way on No. 16, a 527-yard par-5 that Sowards eagled after a solid drive and a 3-wood approach.

"It was into the wind and I hit a good drive," Sowards said. "Then I hit a good 3-wood right to the crest of the hill and it rolled back to about 6 feet, so I hit three perfect shots."

First-round leader Mike Small, the golf coach at the University of Illinois, was cruising along in the lead at 8-under par before stumbling at the devilish par-3 ninth hole, his last of the day, when he hit his tee shot into the pond and settled for a double-bogey 5.

"Just a bad, bad shot," Small said. "A little dose of reality there."

Still, Small's confidence remains high.

"I don't have any expectations, because expectations, I think, limit you," Small said. "I believe I can play good, and I believe I can play well this weekend, but to expect it puts pressure on you if it doesn't happen. So, I'm gonna go out and play well and hopefully make up for some of these mistakes I made today."

Quinn Griffing, the head professional at Sycamore Golf Course in North Manchester, Ind., also suffered a late lapse that cost him dearly. Cruising along at 7-under after playing his first 11 holes in 4-under par, Griffing lost valuable ground with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 to fall to 5-under for the tournament.

"Overall, I played real solid,"Griffing said. "So two holes out of 36 are not indicative of how I've been playing."

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