Ted Purdy sounded almost apologetic as he tried to sum up his quarterfinal victory Friday in the 75th Western Junior Championship at the Chicago Golf Club.
”I didn`t necessarily win-it was more like Tiger lost,” said the 18-year-old golfer from Scottsdale, Ariz., after a 3 and 1 victory over favored Tiger Woods. ”I don`t think I won a hole except 17 and 4. The others, he bogeyed.”
Woods is the reigning U.S. Amateur junior champion and is considered the future superstar of black golf and likely the future superstar of golf in general. The 16-year-old Cypress, Calif., high school junior-to-be has won just about everything he has entered and even played in the PGA Tour`s Los Angeles Open last winter.
Woods was pushed to the limit in Thursday`s first-round match, needing 20 holes to eliminate Jason Enloe of Decatur. Friday morning, he defeated medalist Kevin Mihailoff of Naples, Fla., 3 and 2 in a rematch of USGA Junior semifinalists. The long week, which started with qualifying on Tuesday, took its toll.
”I didn`t have it,” said Woods, who had six bogeys and a birdie in the afternoon match. ”I was tired after yesterday`s match.
”Everything was off. I had two tough matches with 20 holes yesterday and a tough match in the morning. It may not have looked tough, 3 and 2, but it was. It all really got to me.”
Purdy didn`t have an easy day, either. In the morning match, he defeated Jason Gore, who will be his teammate at the University of Arizona, 5 and 4. Facing Woods was a possibility he didn`t consider until he stood on the tee in the quarterfinals.
Woods won the third hole, a severe 219-yard par-3, with a bogey but would never lead again. There wasn`t much that went right for Woods as he missed fairways, greens and even putts.
Purdy, the Arizona state high school champion and record-holder with 10 under par for 36 holes this season, was 1 up after nine holes. He increased his lead to 3 up with pars to Woods` bogeys on the 10th and 14th holes. Woods made his only birdie on the par-5 16th, but Purdy closed him out with a birdie on the 17th.
”I wasn`t going to give him anything-I didn`t,” said Purdy, who lost to Woods in the semifinals of the Rolex All-American in Tucson earlier this year. Purdy meets John Curley of Osterville, Mass., at 8 a.m. Saturday in the semifinals while Mark Hanson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will play John Bernatovicz of Akron, Ohio, at 8:08 a.m..
Curley defeated Kevin Mohr of Schaumburg 2 and 1 in the afternoon. Mohr, playing in his first match-play event, was a 1 up winner over Rantoul`s Jay Scott in the morning. The afternoon match was lost on the back nine.
Said Mohr, a Rolling Meadows graduate now at Brevard Junior College in Florida: ”I was standing on the 12th tee and made two bad swings, a bad putt and was 3 down on the 16th tee. I guess I fell asleep.”
Bernatovicz defeated North Barrington`s Alex Buecking 3 and 2 in their quarterfinal. Buecking, who will be a sophomore at Southern Methodist, defeated Sean Duffy of Danville, Pa., 3 and 2 in the morning but couldn`t handle Bernatovicz.
”I played great but he was 3 under,” said the 19-year-old Buecking. ”I was even but didn`t have a prayer.”
