Answering long-distance call
Acquaviva's US Open bid ends in England
As weekend getaways go, it was completely unexpected and totally satisfying. In fact, "It was the best time I ever had shooting high numbers," said Tim Acquaviva of Andover, whose long-shot bid to make it into the US Open failed in convincing fashion -- though it did return priceless experience and some great frequent-flyer mileage.
Acquaviva, you see, didn't just cross into New York to take on a sectional challenge in the US Open pursuit. Nor did he meander down to Maryland or jaunt out to Ohio. No, sir. Instead, he booked a last-minute flight to London and did his golf duty at a place called Walton Heath Golf Club .
"I got the call Friday night from a USGA guy saying, 'I've got good news, bad news,' " said Acquaviva, 23, a former standout at Rollins College in Florida. "The good news was: I was in. The bad news was: I had to go to England."
Having earned an alternate's spot in local qualifying at the Pinehills GC, Acquaviva was thrilled with the spot into the sectional. Booking a last-minute flight to London was another matter.
"There aren't any cheap flights and there aren't any good seats," he said.
Accompanied by his sister, Marci, Acquaviva left Boston Saturday night, arrived at Heathrow midmorning Sunday, and made the 45-minute ride up to Surrey, England. It was 11:45 and he was told the course was going to close in 15 minutes, so off in a rush he went.
"I got to play one of the golf courses, and walked the other," said Acquaviva. "Fortunately, I got a caddie [the next morning] and he was fantastic. He got me around the golf course."
Though it's nowhere near the water, Walton Heath plays very much like a links course, said Acquaviva, who had to adjust his game accordingly. There was a rough first round, his score of 84 pretty much shooting him out of contention. "I hit a wall about 10 holes in. I tried to pump some energy into me, but nothing worked," he said.
The sandwich after his 18th hole helped, but mostly, Acquaviva told himself to swallow his disappointment. He dug deep and figured he'd give it his best in the afternoon so he could head home on a brighter note. Acquaviva pulled it off, too. He was even-par through 16 holes, but in a downpour he finished bogey, bogey to shoot 74 -- 156. His standing was toward the cellar of a 52-player field, but there were no regrets.
"It was an opportunity that had to be taken," said Acquaviva. "If I hadn't gone, I would have always wondered, 'What could have happened?' "
From the start, Acquaviva was safe in the knowledge that he wasn't going on an unchartered route. Another standout golfer from Massachusetts and an acquaintance of Acquaviva's, former State Amateur winner Andy Drohen , accepted a berth into the field at Walton Heath in 2006. In fact, said Acquaviva, upon arriving at the pro shop at Walton Heath, "A guy says, 'Do you know Andy?' "
"I told them I knew Andy Drohen, and they were laughing about that. Right away they were yukking it up. I think they love to see and hear about American players flying across the pond to compete."
Glancing at the entry list, Acquaviva recognized European PGA names such as Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul McGinley, Thomas Levet, and Peter Hanson. Gazing at the hole in front of him early on his outward nine in the morning, Acquaviva also noticed two things -- Darren Clarke and Jean Van de Velde ahead of him, and thousands of patrons watching golf.
"The people were fantastic. They were very supportive," said Acquaviva. "I was shocked at how many were there."
He knew that was not going to be the case yesterday at Atkinson (N.H.) CC, where Acquaviva was tied for eighth after a first-round 1-under 71 in the first North American Pro Golf Tour tournament of the season. With the whirlwind trip to England behind him, Acquaviva was back to work in pursuit of his still-young pro career. He was going to hold on to the great experience he had, but not to the style of play that had been necessary Monday.
"I can forget about all those bump-and-runs," he said.
No berth, just blues for Faxon
Of course, the disappointment that comes with US Open sectional qualifying is in no way isolated to one site or one player. It was everywhere.Brad Faxon felt it in Rockville, Md., where he went 36 holes at Woodmont CC. Mired in perhaps the worst slump of his PGA Tour career, he wasn't making much noise until he returned from a rain delay late in his second round. He proceeded to birdie four of his final five holes, including a 70-foot cross-country roll at the last, "and all of a sudden I'm tied for first in the clubhouse."
That was the good news. The bad? "The course was soaked and guys who had a lot of holes left were able to light it up."
For two hours he waited and when all the numbers were crunched, Faxon stood at 72-69 -- 141, which was one shot too high. PGA Tour veterans Joey Sindelar (138) and Fred Funk (139) secured two of the five spots, and Faxon was left without a US Open spot for a third straight year.
"It's a bummer," said Faxon, who was like many others -- perplexed by the way the USGA allocated the berths at the 15 sectionals. For instance, at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, there were a whopping nine spots available for a field of 53, meaning one in six players would succeed. At Woodmont, the odds were 1 in 3.4, with 67 competing for five. At Purchase, N.Y., where Marshfield's Geoff Sisk shot 73-67 to get through, the odds were even worse, 1 in every 19.3 (58 for 3).
Even Memphis, where PGA Tour names were at every turn of the head, the odds were slightly higher (one spot for every 6.5 players).
"I don't understand it," said Faxon, and while he wasn't going to dwell on the subject, it appears the USGA grossly overestimated how strong the Surrey site would be.
Expecting a lot of European PGA Tour players, they instead got a rash of withdrawals, a situation reminiscent to 2005 when American players withdrew by the truckload at a British Open final qualifier at Congressional CC in Washington.
"It really comes down to strength of field, but it's not an exact science," said Marty Parkes, the senior director of communications for the USGA.
The process gets reviewed annually and Parkes seemed to indicate that the Surrey numbers were more favorable than they should have been. They were, after all, almost identical to the numbers in Columbus, Ohio, (one spot for every 5.3 players) and that was a site so jammed-packed with talent it was virtually a 36-hole PGA Tour stop.
"It may be that we allocate fewer spots [to England]," he said.
Harmon throws tribute Castrale’s way
He was clear across the country, sitting contently in his living room in the Palm Springs area. What he saw on television made Billy Harmon very proud. His student, Nicole Castrale , was not only matching a pair of LPGA Tour heavyweights -- Lorena Ochoa and Cristie Kerr -- swing for swing, "she was hitting better shots than they were," said Harmon.And because she did that in the fourth round, Castrale, 28 , prevailed in a playoff at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika for her first LPGA Tour victory.
It was worth $390,000 to Castrale and a whole lot of satisfaction to Harmon.
"She's like family to the Harmons. She works hard and is a good kid," said the youngest of Claude Harmon's four sons. "She's a giver, not a taker."
There are many people who would use those words to describe Harmon. He has deflected praise that has come his way for what transpired Sunday in Mount Pleasant, S.C. He famously reminds people that the players make all the shots, that a good teacher offers advice, guidance, and tries not to crowd the winner's circle when things go well.
"When all was said and done," said Harmon, "this was about her. She wanted it very badly and went out and got it."
If Castrale never believed this day was coming, who could have blamed her? From 2002-2005, she spent most of her time in doctors' offices and hospitals. Years before, Castrale had had three shoulder surgeries and two torn rotator cuffs. In those four seasons, her 20 combined tournaments had yielded just $36,237. But with a relentless commitment, she worked with Harmon and had a breakthrough season in 2006 -- 22 cuts made in 26 starts, $375,106 won, and 33d on the money list.
With a victory and four other top-15 finishes, Castrale is already at $622,587 for the 2007 season -- and we're not even into summer. Indeed, things have turned around brilliantly for the former University of Southern California standout, much to Harmon's happiness, even if he won't take any of the credit.
"I don't [teach] for those reasons," said Harmon, who'll be at his summer post at the Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth, R.I., this week. "But if I can make a difference in someone's life, that's a pretty neat thing."
Clubhouse view: He did seek out another doctor for a second opinion and was told to punch out into the fairway on the 72d hole.
Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com. Material from personal interviews, wire services, and other beat writers was used in this report. 