Decorated amateur one to watch at Augusta

By Bill Kwon

Tiger Woods is my pick to win the Masters this week, ending a two-year "slump" in the majors. But the golfer I'm pulling for to do well at the Augusta National is Ryan Moore.

Ryan Moore, who captured the John A. Burns Intercollegiate tournament in Hawai'i in February, got in a practice round at Augusta National with defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson on Tuesday. Amy Sancetta • Associated Press

That's exactly why I'm rooting for him.

Moore, a senior at Nevada-Las Vegas, is the best collegiate player in the country and maybe the best amateur player in the world, according to Ronn Miyashiro, coach of the University of Hawai'i men's golf team.

High praise. Moore, however, has enough hardware on his trophy shelf to validate the acclaim.

He's the reigning defending champion in the U.S. Amateur, the U.S. Men's Public Links Championship, the Western Amateur, the Sahalee Players Championship and the NCAA Championship.

No one has ever won all five amateur titles in one year.

Local golf fans had a chance to watch Moore play this year.

In February, Moore set two tournament records (an 8-under 64 and a 54-hole score of 196) to win the John A. Burns Intercollegiate golf tournament at the Leilehua Golf Course.

He played in relative anonymity because another talented amateur, Michelle Wie, grabbed most of the attention that same week in the SBS Open, the LPGA's season-opener at the Turtle Bay Resort.

It wasn't the first time that fans here missed seeing an outstanding collegian win the Burns tournament because of a same-week conflict with the LPGA.

In 1996, when the LPGA's Hawaiian Ladies Open was being held at the Kapolei Golf Course, very few fans saw Woods' only O'ahu sighting when he won the Burns Intercollegiate at the Kane'ohe Klipper Course.

Then a sophomore at Stanford, Woods went on to win the U.S. Amateur for the third straight time before turning pro later that year and winning two PGA events. Woods won the first of his three Masters championships in 1997, 14 months after his victory at Kane'ohe Klipper.

Miyashiro, attending the University of Oregon at the time, didn't get to see Woods play here. But, after what he saw firsthand of Moore, Miyashiro was impressed by the UNLV star's game.

"He's not that long off the tee. But one thing for sure, he knows how to score," Miyashiro said. "We've had a some pretty good people come here and Ryan has done the best of any one of them."

Miyashiro laments, but fully understands, the lack of media attention for the UH event. Perennially in February, the Burns Intercollegiate will always play a secondary role if the pros are in town.

"It happens. Pros always get the precedence, I know that. College golf is always under the radar. But I hope people realize that these players are the next guys on the tour," Miyashiro said.

He said it's a great opportunity to see them now when they're just starting their careers and to be able to say you knew them when.

The list of Burns winners, led by Woods and Moore, is impressive: Steve Pate, Notah Begay, Andrew Magee, Bo Van Pelt and Bobby Clampett. As well as nonwinners Chris Riley, Chad Campbell and Adam Scott — all UNLV Rebels — and Hank Kuehne.

You can bet that Miyashiro, who's in California with his golf team, hopes that Woods and Moore do exceptionally well this week at the Masters.

It would provide for a good sales pitch for the Burns Intercollegiate golf tournament in the years to come.

Moore will get his own gallery to cheer him on, including his parents, friends and relatives from Puyallup, Wash., and his golf coach Dwaine Knight. His UNLV roommate, Kirk Brown, is caddying for him.

Having also won the U.S. Public Links in 2002, Moore played in the 2003 Masters and was thrilled to be paired with Arnold Palmer and then making the cut.

Today, Moore is playing with defending champion Phil Mickelson and two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen.

On Tuesday, Moore played a practice round with Mickelson, Riley and Campbell. Mickelson had little sleep after his four-hole playoff victory in the BellSouth Classic on Monday.

"It was neat, three Rebels ganging up on one Sun Devil (Mickelson, who attended Arizona State)," said Knight in a telephone interview from Augusta, Ga.

"This has been a really special week for Ryan," Knight said. "It's the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones' Grand Slam and, as the latest amateur champion, Ryan has been invited to all of the celebrations going on here."

Moore is scheduled to play two more majors — the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and the British Open where Jones completed his 1930 Grand Slam. This year's British Open will be at St. Andrews, the course other than Augusta National most significantly associated with Jones' legend.

Moore wants to play at St. Andrews as an amateur, like Jones, according to Knight. "He might turn pro after that since there's a month-and-a-half gap before the U.S. Amateur."

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.