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Thursday, June 26, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Perhaps Joe Boros should try playing with no sleep more often.

Boros had committed to play in the Tri-State PGA's Tam O'Shanter Open Monday, but he was in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., a day earlier, playing in the final round of the National Club Pro Championship.

	More golf coverage: U.S. Senior Open: Inverness beguiles, bewilders Golf Report 6/26/03

Boros did not finish in the top 25 in the national CPC, which carries an automatic berth in the PGA Championship. But he did make the cut and finished tied for 54th at 11-over 299.

"The course was that hard," Boros said of Twin Warriors Golf Club, site of the national championship for America's club professionals. "Shooting those scores and I was still in the middle of the pack. I was only five shots from going to the PGA."

Boros, the head pro at Treesdale Golf Club, had an 8:20 p.m. flight Sunday from New Mexico to Phoenix. From there, he would take the red-eye to Pittsburgh. But Boros finished in enough time to catch an earlier flight and had a four-hour layover in Phoenix.

By the time he arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport, it was 7 a.m.

"I drove home and showered," said Boros, who lives in Saxonburg. "My caddie came and picked me up at the house so I didn't fall asleep driving out to Tam O'Shanter. We did OK."

Tam O'Shanter is in West Middlesex, near Sharon. Typically, Boros would tee off between 9- 9:30 a.m., the prime spots reserved for the top point and money leaders in the TSPGA. But because of his travel schedule, he had requested, and was granted, a later tee time -- 11:30 a.m.

Here's the best part: Boros could have elected to use a cart in the 18-hole event. But he declined because he wanted to walk with his caddie.

"I think that helped," Boros said. "If I had been on a cart, I might have been falling asleep. Plus, the pace of play was decent."

Nonetheless, with no sleep, Boros shot 68 (35-33) and won the $2,000 first prize, edging Tri-State Open champion Harry Toscano by a shot.

"I needed that 68 on Sunday," Boros said. "Not on Monday."

Trivia

At 13, Michele Wie became the youngest player to win an adult USGA event when she won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. Who was the previous player to hold that distinction? Answer at end.

Teeing up for a cure

David Rocco was like a lot of youngsters who start playing golf -- he became addicted to the game, especially after recording a hole in one in only his second season.

But Rocco, 14, who attends Seneca Valley Intermediate School, was diagnosed in August with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, a rare illness with no known cure. The disease, which causes high blood pressure in the lungs, has all but eliminated any kind of physical activity for Rocco, including golf.

But the Rocco family is hoping a cure can be found, and it has enlisted the help of Pittsburgh's most famous athlete to raise money for research.

Mario Lemieux has agreed to be part of a fund-raising opportunity in which people can purchase a $25 ticket for a chance to join him for a round of golf. The drawing will be based on the July 31 Daily Number drawing at night and will allow the winner, plus two friends, to play in a foursome with Lemieux.

The raffle is limited to 1,000 tickets. All the proceeds will be donated to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

"We're all trying to help out any way we can," said Tom Meinert, Rocco's uncle and one of the organizers of the fund-raising raffle.

The date and site for the outing has not been determined, but the course is likely to be Oakmont, Nevillewood or Allegheny.

Persons interested in buying tickets can call 412-366-2223 or send an e-mail to tmein@sgi.net.

"My dad originally thought of the idea," Meinert said. "He was thinking Mario could play with David. David has been an avid golfer since he started two years ago. He just had it all going. But he's limited to [no] physical activity whatsoever. He tried to play golf once this year, but even trying to get in and out of the cart was difficult."

On an amateur streak

Last year, Sean Knapp surpassed Arnold Palmer. This year, he's trying to catch William Fownes -- or, at least, narrow the gap.

Knapp, an amateur from St. Jude and Longue Vue, will try to extend his record streak of consecutive West Penn Amateur championships when the two-day, 54-hole event begins Monday at Westmoreland Country Club. Knapp won his fifth in a row last year in Erie, breaking the record shared by Palmer (1949-52) and former South Hills amateur Robert Reilly ('60-62).

Knapp, who also won the event in 1988, needs two more victories to tie Fownes, a former Oakmont amateur who won eight West Penn amateur titles between 1904 and '16. Knapp, though, has 24 victories in West Penn events, more than any player in history.

"Let's hope I can make it six," Knapp said. "I never thought I could make it five."

It has not been a good year so far for Knapp. He finished tied for 30th at the Sunnehanna Amateur and tied for 20th at the Tri-State Open at New Castle, the only local events in which he has played.

Knapp has lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the year as part of a conditioning program designed to improve his game. Knapp, a former basketball player, has always worked out. But he changed his program this year to concentrate more on weight loss and strength after working with Scott Lephart at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex.

"I had talked a lot with Trip and Hank Kuehne, who I know, and I followed their lead," Knapp said. "And look what's going on with them. I ran through the UPMC program with Scotty and came to the conclusion I can improve. I talked to Hank the other day for 45 minutes about this and he said for me to be patient. When you lose that kind of weight and you're not overweight to begin with, it's going to take three to five months for your timing to get there. "

Quotable

Sean Knapp, after watching amateur Trip Kuehne hit a 377-yard drive on No. 15 at Oakmont: "It's like watching a missile take off, not a golf ball."

Dissa and data

The 3rd annual Public Links Championship is July 25 at Tom's Run GC in Blairsville. Entrants must have a current USGA handicap index not exceeding 9.4. The event will be 36 holes of stroke play. The field is limited to 78 contestants.

The 4th NF Mixed Scramble, which benefits the Neurofibromatosis Clinics Association, is July 11 at Cedarbrook GC. Entry is $95 and includes lunch and dinner. Call 412-795-3029.

The 12th Golf Marathon, which benefits YoungLife, will be Monday at Green Oak CC. Instead of playing as many holes as possible, this year's event will feature a modified Ryder Cup-style event from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Scott Hoch, who beat Jim Furyk in a playoff to win the Ford Championship at Doral in March, has fallen apart. He had missed six cuts in a row, including the U.S. Open, then withdrew after opening with a 75 last week at the Buick Classic.

Did you know Furyk and Masters champion Mike Weir were born on the same day (May 12, 1970)?

Trivia answer

Laura Baugh was 16 when she won the 1971 U.S. Women's Amateur.