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TAKING A SWING AT HISTORY
Ryan Moore's season nets comparisons to golf's greatest
By Paul Ramsdell, PNGA Media
Last summer, it was the United States. Now, Ryan Moore is dominating
the world.
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| Ryan Moore |
The victory at the World Amateur Championship a month ago was just
another notch in the title belt of the 21-year-old from Puyallup,
Wash., who was easily voted the player of the year by the Pacific
Northwest Golf Association.
Being a senior at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Moore is able to
spend the winter fine-tuning his game even more. For the rest of us in
the Northwest, we can warm ourselves on a cold December day by
reflecting on the hottest summer of amateur golf since 1930.
Putting it all in perspective is difficult, almost as difficult as
finding a spot in just one trophy case for the winner's spoils from the
NCAA Championship, the Sahalee Players Championship, the U.S. Public
Links, the Western Amateur, the U.S. Amateur, and now the World
Amateur.
Naturally, all that success for the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder who grew up
on public courses in Pierce County has led to comparisons to the
amateur career of Tiger Woods. In bulk, Woods' amateur accomplishments
might surpass those of Moore, but never did Woods have such a
dominating single summer as Moore just fashioned.
One area where Woods had no equal until Moore followed suit this
summer is in how completely he intimidated his opponents.
"I think he established that with how he played through the year, and
at the end of the year people were looking over their shoulder just
like all the players did with Tiger," said Bob Robinson, former golf
writer for The Oregonian who saw first-hand some of Woods' finest
amateur hours.
"I think what he's accomplished this year is very comparable,"
Robinson said of Moore.
Robinson was there in 1996 at Pumpkin Ridge when Woods rallied from
5-down to overtake Steve Scott in the classic final match of the U.S.
Amateur.
"What I'm particularly impressed with with Ryan, in addition to he's
got a great all-around game, is that he performs tremendously well in
the clutch. He's come from behind a couple of times, just like Tiger
did," Robinson said.
True fans of amateur golf will never forget Woods' 30-foot birdie putt
on the 17th hole at Pumpkin Ridge to get back in the match against
Scott in 1996. Nor should any true fan forget the 15th hole at Winged
Foot this past August.
Luke List was two holes up on Moore with four to play, and promptly
stuck his approach to within 10 feet on the 15th hole. If Moore lost
that hole, he would be three down with three to play.
Even facing those prospects, there seemed to be a quiet calm and
confidence about Moore, and those who were cheering him on.
"I've watched him play a lot of golf," said his father, Mike Moore,
"and I've been on edge or been nervous before, but I was so calm. I
just somehow believed, 'Yeah, he's going to win it.'"
Moore had no choice but to answer on that 15th hole, and he did just
that, putting his ball just inches outside of List's shot. Putting
first, Moore drained the birdie. There was a slight fist pump, and then
he told his caddie that if List missed, it would soon be over because
List's confidence would be gone.
List missed, and Moore went on to win the final four holes, and the
match 2-up.
"He's got that same aura about him that Tiger had, and I think the
other players had that same feeling too," said Robinson, who got a
first-hand look at Moore in 2000 when he was the runner-up in the U.S.
Junior Boys at Pumpkin Ridge.
"Even then, when he was obviously 17, I was extremely impressed with
his demeanor on the course and the way he handled himself," Robinson
said.
From there, it's gotten to a point where Moore now gets compared to
Woods.
"Both are very good at not getting too high or getting too low, just
sort of even keel no matter what happened," Robinson said.
Mike Moore is the general manager and part owner of The Classic Golf
Club in Spanaway that Ryan uses as his home course. In the office are
clippings, pictures and innumerable reminders of that unforgettable
week at the U.S. Amateur.
"There were so many memorable moments back there," the father said
quite proudly, "look at that, to get on the cover of national golf
publications and international publications is pretty amazing."
But all in all, pretty fitting for what Ryan Moore accomplished.
Related content:
» PNGA announces 2004 Players of the Year
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