rss
mobile
Feeds
Under normal circumstances, Ferguson might consider his accuracy off the tee an advantage on a course where the fairways will average 26 yards in width and be flanked by rough ranging from 1 1/2 to 4 inches tall.
These are not normal circumstances. This is the U.S. Senior Open Championship.
"I've always been told that one of my best clubs is my driver for being straight, but that's when you don't swing with your hands around your neck," Ferguson said with a laugh. "I'm just hoping and praying I can keep it in the fairway."
Indeed, the 56-year-old Hilton Head Island resident suspects nerves will play a bigger role in his golf game this week than they ordinarily do.
Although he's an accomplished veteran on the local golf scene, having won this year's Hilton Head Amateur Golf Association Match Play Championship in addition to two Hilton Head Amateur medal play titles, he has never played on a stage like this one.
"I'm very excited, but I'm very nervous. This is the big show," said Ferguson, who earned the lone spot in a one-day qualifier last month at Callawassie Island Club. "I just hope I can be calm. If I'm calm and swing like I'm capable of, I think I can play well."
Ferguson hopes his sons, Tim and Ben, will be a calming influence. A pair of accomplished golfers in their own right, the younger Ferguson men will take turns toting his bag. If all goes well, they'll each get two loops out of the deal.
"My goal is to make the cut, and my goal is to try to keep it around par," Ferguson said. "I think around par is going to be a pretty good score, considering the conditions."
To that end, Ferguson spent the past couple of weeks working hard to improve his putting stroke, which he considers the biggest weakness in his game.
As one of 29 amateurs in the field, Ferguson won't be playing for a paycheck this week, but he did receive several donations to help cover his expenses, so he hopes to stick around until Sunday and give his friends a solid return on their investment.
"Even if I don't, it will be a heck of a week," Ferguson said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
What: 31st U.S. Senior Open Championship
When: Today through Sunday
Where: Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish, Wash.
TV: Today and Friday, ESPN2, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, NBC, 4-7 p.m.
