Leaving No Doubt, Peters Is in Classic
7-Under 65 Ties the Course Record
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Last year, Justin Peters bogeyed the final hole in his qualifying round and missed by one stroke a playoff that might have landed him in the Booz Allen Classic. Determined to avoid a repeat yesterday, Peters shot a course record-tying 7-under-par 65 at Little Bennett in Clarksburg to win medalist honors.
Charles Hong, an All-Met at Whitman, set the record at the 2003 qualifier.
Early on, the record did not appear to be within Peters's reach. At No. 5, a 516-yard par 5, Peters pushed his tee shot to the right and behind some trees. With no opening, he punched out backward, only to have his ball land in a fairway bunker 300 yards from the green. From the sand trap, Peters hit a 9-iron to 130 yards and was able to get up and down from there by hitting to 15 feet and making his par putt to cap an adventurous but ultimately benign hole.
"Saving par on five was huge for my momentum and then I made three straight birdies," Peters, 29, said. "It was big not to put up a big score."
Birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 solidified his lead as he went into the homestretch.
"Those holes gave me a cushion," he said. "This year my goal was to get to seven or eight under so that I could feel good, and not have to wait to see [if I got in]."
Brandon Knaub finished second with a 67.
A group of nine shot 68 and had to wait as thundershowers suspended play. When the tournament resumed, Donnie Hammond and Brent Delahoussaye emerged from a playoff to claim the final two spots.
By then, Peters was already gone, on his way to TPC Avenel in search of a caddy and hoping to sneak in some practice holes. It will be his second PGA Tour appearance, the other coming in 2001 at the Honda Classic.
"I love playing in front of crowds testing my game with the best," Peters said. "Just give me a shot."
Peters, who plays on mini tours, has already achieved golf notoriety. He was the first winner of the reality television show "The Big Break," in which golfers competed in skills challenges for prizes. He won four exemptions on the Canadian Tour and a free two-year car lease.
This week, at the Booz Allen, he will be looking for something slightly different.
"Somebody asked me if I had played TPC Avenel before," Peters said. "I said, 'Yeah, a thousand times.' When I was a kid I had a golf game for my Sega Genesis and TPC Avenel was on it, so that's where my practice rounds were."
