Unlikely Journey Takes Tour Rookie to Playoffs
ATLANTA — At the turn of the Tour Championship’s first round Thursday, John Huh was even par, seemingly as relaxed as if he were playing with the Cal State Northridge Matadors.
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For Woods and McIlroy, the Admiration Is Mutual (September 21, 2012)
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Wait. A problem with Huh’s high school transcript foiled his enrollment, and he never attended college, unlike nearly all the PGA Tour players who attended high school in the United States.
Through his first nine holes, Huh had tamed the East Lake Golf Club course as if it were a stop on the Web.com Tour, the standard steppingstone to the PGA circuit.
Hold on. Huh never played on that level, either.
Actually, his journey to golf’s big leagues was unusually roundabout, eventually taking him to the Korean Golf Tour in his parents’ homeland.
So, in this election season, Huh could have been voted Least Likely to Be Here.
He is the lone rookie in the field — and, at 22, the youngest ever at the finale of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
On the back nine, Huh played like the young rookie he is. He went four-over par to shoot a 74, a higher score than everyone not named Nick Watney. Huh was eight strokes off the lead.
“I felt like I had fun, except for the score,” Huh said. “I felt comfortable being on the tour’s biggest stage. I didn’t feel any pressure at all.”
Huh would not be the first young adult in any profession who tried to put up a brave front. His caddie, Zeke Salas, said pressure has weighed down the golfer this week.
“John rides on emotions,” said Salas, who is also a club pro. “John can be kind of hard on himself. Sometimes I think he kicks himself too much.”
After a bogey on No. 5, Huh’s succeeding tee shot found water, leading to a double bogey. He navigated the next half-dozen holes in two under, but Salas wondered if Huh ever regained his equilibrium.
“He started relaxed but got rattled a little bit,” Salas said.
Huh had another double bogey on the 17th, when a sand shot failed to escape a greenside trap and nearly rolled back to the point of contact.
Still, setbacks on the course probably seem minor in the context of Huh’s story. After high school in Los Angeles, he went to South Korea, his childhood home for 12 years, to work on his game. At that point, no former teammate, coach or instructor envisioned him on the practice range someday alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Perhaps they failed to appreciate Huh’s off-the-charts work ethic.
“He eats, sleeps and breathes golf,” said his agent, Mike Creasy. Huh usually dozes off and awakens to the Golf Channel on his hotel room TV.
At some point, Huh, a single teetotaler, might feel an urge to broaden his existence, which leaves the world of golf only for occasional forays into the Angry Birds app or a video game. But Creasy is not encouraging a change.
“Whatever he is doing right now,” he said, “we’d like him to keep the same mind-set.”
Salas, who roomed with Huh for much of the season, said he tries to help the golfer find a low score, not inner peace. “John is kind of his own man,” he said.
Huh insists that his goal entering each tournament is playing on the weekend — golfing vernacular for making the cut.
That seems hardly ambitious for a player with one win, seven other top-25 finishes and nearly $2.5 million in earnings. He is also the owner of a five-bedroom home and a luxury sport utility vehicle that puts his freshly acquired driver’s license to use.
And he may have ambitions he does not readily share.
On Monday, Huh showed his caddie the implausible scenarios by which he could conclude an already memorable season with a FedExCup title.
“He’s definitely looking at winning,” Salas said.
While it seems highly unlikely, his modest, oft-stated aim will be easy to attain. Only injury, illness or disqualification stands in the way of Huh playing on Saturday and Sunday. There is no cut.
Related
For Woods and McIlroy, the Admiration Is Mutual (September 21, 2012)
Keep up with the latest news on The Times’s golf blog.
Go to the On Par Blog
P.G.A.
Leader Board
Schedule/Results
Stats | Earnings
L.P.G.A.
Leader Board
Schedule/Results
Stats | Earnings
Champions
Leader Board
Schedule/Results
Stats | Earnings
European
Leader Board
Schedule/Results
Stats | Earnings
Wait. A problem with Huh’s high school transcript foiled his enrollment, and he never attended college, unlike nearly all the PGA Tour players who attended high school in the United States.
Through his first nine holes, Huh had tamed the East Lake Golf Club course as if it were a stop on the Web.com Tour, the standard steppingstone to the PGA circuit.
Hold on. Huh never played on that level, either.
Actually, his journey to golf’s big leagues was unusually roundabout, eventually taking him to the Korean Golf Tour in his parents’ homeland.
So, in this election season, Huh could have been voted Least Likely to Be Here.
He is the lone rookie in the field — and, at 22, the youngest ever at the finale of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
On the back nine, Huh played like the young rookie he is. He went four-over par to shoot a 74, a higher score than everyone not named Nick Watney. Huh was eight strokes off the lead.
“I felt like I had fun, except for the score,” Huh said. “I felt comfortable being on the tour’s biggest stage. I didn’t feel any pressure at all.”
Huh would not be the first young adult in any profession who tried to put up a brave front. His caddie, Zeke Salas, said pressure has weighed down the golfer this week.
“John rides on emotions,” said Salas, who is also a club pro. “John can be kind of hard on himself. Sometimes I think he kicks himself too much.”
After a bogey on No. 5, Huh’s succeeding tee shot found water, leading to a double bogey. He navigated the next half-dozen holes in two under, but Salas wondered if Huh ever regained his equilibrium.
“He started relaxed but got rattled a little bit,” Salas said.
Huh had another double bogey on the 17th, when a sand shot failed to escape a greenside trap and nearly rolled back to the point of contact.
Still, setbacks on the course probably seem minor in the context of Huh’s story. After high school in Los Angeles, he went to South Korea, his childhood home for 12 years, to work on his game. At that point, no former teammate, coach or instructor envisioned him on the practice range someday alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Perhaps they failed to appreciate Huh’s off-the-charts work ethic.
“He eats, sleeps and breathes golf,” said his agent, Mike Creasy. Huh usually dozes off and awakens to the Golf Channel on his hotel room TV.
At some point, Huh, a single teetotaler, might feel an urge to broaden his existence, which leaves the world of golf only for occasional forays into the Angry Birds app or a video game. But Creasy is not encouraging a change.
“Whatever he is doing right now,” he said, “we’d like him to keep the same mind-set.”
Salas, who roomed with Huh for much of the season, said he tries to help the golfer find a low score, not inner peace. “John is kind of his own man,” he said.
Huh insists that his goal entering each tournament is playing on the weekend — golfing vernacular for making the cut.
That seems hardly ambitious for a player with one win, seven other top-25 finishes and nearly $2.5 million in earnings. He is also the owner of a five-bedroom home and a luxury sport utility vehicle that puts his freshly acquired driver’s license to use.
And he may have ambitions he does not readily share.
On Monday, Huh showed his caddie the implausible scenarios by which he could conclude an already memorable season with a FedExCup title.
“He’s definitely looking at winning,” Salas said.
While it seems highly unlikely, his modest, oft-stated aim will be easy to attain. Only injury, illness or disqualification stands in the way of Huh playing on Saturday and Sunday. There is no cut.
thibautlebel - 22. Sep, 07:25
