Dream Come True: Tsiolkas will play in Amateur

Winston-Salem's Anthony Tsiolkas will make his debut in a USGA tournament by playing against the best amateurs in the country.

The U.S. Amateur will take place this week in Pinehurst on courses No. 2 and 4, and that's what lured Tsiolkas to even try to qualify. After struggling in the Forsyth Invitational earlier this month, he put that behind him and went out and shot 65-69 at the The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis to advance.

"I've tried qualifying before for the U.S. Junior and I think I tried qualifying for the U.S. Open before but never made it," said Tsiolkas, who is a student at Forsyth Tech. "So it was nice to get in and I'm looking forward to it."

Tsiolkas, who played golf at Mount Tabor and was No. 2 on the team when he was a sophomore, wound up getting his GED from Forsyth Tech.

He will be among the 315 players in the field today for two days of stroke play. The top 64 will advance to the match-play portion of the tournament starting on Wednesday.

Tsiolkas has never played Pinehurst No. 2 and spent the weekend practicing in hopes of learning both courses. He will play No. 2 today and then play No. 4 on Tuesday.

To help him read the tricky greens, he'll have a Pinehurst caddie.

"I'm going down there to win," he said confidently. "That's why I tried to qualify. You have to have the mentality that you can do it and that's what I have."

As part of his preparation for playing in Pinehurst, Tsiolkas has been reading books and watching tapes of old tournaments.

"I've been trying to find out about everything when it comes to No. 2," he said. "My short game has to be in good shape because those greens are very hard to play. I've tried to read about where to miss the ball on the greens because you have to miss in the right places."

Tsiolkas said that getting a chance to play in the Amateur is a dream come true.

"It's awesome," he said. "I know I can compete with these guys and I'll get the chance to do it. I want to go out there and have fun and see how I stack up."

Tsiolkas hasn't had much experience playing in big tournaments so it might be a little too much to ask to advance to match play. But he is interested to see how he can withstand the pressure.

"I want to see how I hold up," he said. "I'm feeling really good about my game and I know I'll have to be at my best."

While Tsiolkas is an unknown going into the tournament, High Point's Drew Weaver has a very good amateur record. He won last year's British Amateur, getting him spots in last year's British Open and this year's Masters. Weaver, who will be a senior at Virginia Tech, is coming off a missed cut in the Wyndham Championship.

Weaver got a sponsor's exemption into the Wyndham Championship but shot 69-69 (2 under) and missed the cut by one shot. He had so many chances on putts but just didn't get any to fall.

"I like where my game is going," Weaver said after his round on Friday.

Other amateurs who played in the Wyndham and will play in the U.S. Amateur include Danny Lee of New Zealand, who is the top-ranked amateur in the world and made the cut at the Wyndham; Jamie Lovemark, the NCAA champion; and Cameron Peck, who was the AJGA winner at Sedgefield in June. Peck will also play in the Amateur after missing the cut in Greensboro.

Tickets for the U.S. Amateur are $15 a day and a weekly pass is $50. Youths ages 17 and under are free with a paying adult.

Unlike the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open, No. 2 will not be roped off and fans can follow their favorite players pretty closely.

"You get to walk alongside or right down the fairway with competitors," said Craig Smith of the USGA. "You get to stand alongside the greens and see which way the ball is breaking. You just get a great feel for the golf."

Reynolds Park management

The city council will vote tonight on new management for Reynolds Park Golf Course. American Golf has managed the city-owned course since 1984, but has decided to not renew its contract.

Harold Kincaid and Mark Hartis, who used to own and run Grandview Golf Course, will run Reynolds Park if the vote goes well.

"We're excited to get back in the business," said Kincaid. "Nothing's official until the vote and we haven't signed anything but we are hopeful."

Kincaid and Hartis sold Grandview last November and, if the vote goes in their favor, they are hoping to take over Reynolds Park by Nov. 1.

"There is a bunch of logistics and things like that we have to work out," Kincaid said.

"But Mark and I have missed the people and have missed the game so we're glad to be getting back in the business."

Around the green

By all accounts the Wyndham Championship's move to Sedgefield Country Club was a rousing success. A better field, larger crowds (including a sellout on Saturday), plenty of birdies and the weather wasn't as hot as predicted. The tournament moved after a 31-year run at Forest Oaks Country Club. Just because the Wyndham has some momentum doesn't mean that officials are going to stand still. "I think this was the coming-out party of the turnaround for this tournament," said tournament director Mark Brazil. "We will sit down and talk about things we could have done better and then work on those and keep going.… I really haven't heard any negative comments all week."…

Somewhat lost in the hoopla of the Wyndham Championship was the outstanding shape that the course was in. Superintendent Keith Wood of Sedgefield Country Club had to have a delicate balance between the heat and the speed of the greens. Wood said that he and his staff had to watch the weather very closely. A cool front that moved through midweek really helped keep the greens in check. "We watched to see how the ball was coming into the greens and we made sure to put the proper water on the greens each night," Wood said. "Bent greens in August can be tough, but we watched them pretty closely."…

Jerry Kelly is a big fan of Donald Ross courses and he would like more tour tournaments played on them. One reason he might like them is how many birdies were made. "It's real golf," Kelly said. "You know, it's the way it was meant to be played. This is what I like to see."

■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.