Golfers hope they won’t be toast in City Amateur
Heat, tougher course anticipated in today’s first round at Ladera
Forget “Hell’s Kitchen” — today could be more like Harvey’s Hades when the 76th annual Greater Albuquerque Men’s Amateur Golf Championship begins at Ladera Golf Course.
And with temperatures slated to approach triple digits, it could very well feel like chef Gordon Ramsay’s oven — especially after a couple of course changes by Ladera director of golf Bill Harvey.
“There’s been a rumor going around,” said Connor Payne, runner-up in last year’s event. “Harvey just can’t help himself. After those pins he made last year, everyone is gearing up for whatever he throws at us.”
The 54-hole event moves to Arroyo del Oso on Saturday and concludes at Los Altos on Sunday.
A year ago, many in the City field joked — some flat-out complaining — about the tough pin placements Harvey set up
during the opening round on his course.
This year, Harvey has another surprise. He has turned a pair of relatively easy par 3s into a couple of monsters.
And he didn’t make it public. “The first the field is going to hear about it is in the Journal on Friday,” Harvey said with a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll get some feedback.
I set it up to be difficult last year and got feedback, but I think most of the players were OK with it. I’m sure I’ll hear about (the changes) this year.”
Harvey has lengthened No. 5 from about 180 yards to 218 yards and No. 16 from about 175 yards to 232.
Both remain par 3s on the par-72 course.
The longer holes would seemingly give Payne a little advantage on most of the field.
After all, Payne, who finished second by three shots to Lobo golfer Gustavo Morantes last year, is a former national long drive champion.
“I don’t know; 230 yards is 230 yards,” said the strapping Payne, 33. “That’s a long par 3.”
Which means about an 8-iron for the Brian Urlacher look-alike?
“Actually, it’s a good 6-iron for me,” he said.
Harvey said, “I’m not trying to embarrass anybody. I don’t want to do that ever. I just wanted to change it up. I hope (Los Altos pros) Chris (Moya) and Colby (Reddoch) look at their course, and (Arroyo pro) Tony (Hidalgo) looks at his, and they add a couple of different things each year.
“It’s a championship. It’s to determine the best amateur golfer in the city.”
Harvey, one of the best professional golfers in the state, said he got the idea about beefing up the holes when playing the course recently.
“It was an accident, to be honest,” Harvey said. “I was jumping around on the course, playing different holes; there was nobody on the course. I was on the 16 tee box (which is on a hill), and I turned around and was curious how far it was from (behind the hill) in front of the lake.
“I threw a ball down and hit it with a hybrid to the middle of the green. It was a blind shot over water, and I thought ‘What a great tee box this would make.’ The course really doesn’t have any defense unless I put the pins in a goofy position like last year.”
Harvey added that the tee boxes won’t be used for regular play, but today will set Ladera— which is already in great shape — apart from most.
“There aren’t a lot of blind shots in general in New Mexico golf. It’s a neat sight-hole as is,” Harvey said of 16. “Now, it’s really a challenge as well.”
The tournament’s courses haven’t been much of a challenge for the winners the past two years. Morantes, who will be a senior at UNM in August, fired an 11-under 204 last year while Sean Carlon fired a 19-under 197 in taking the 2015 title.
Morantes didn’t play in the tournament in 2015 and Carlon, a rising UNM junior, didn’t play in it last year.
“I wasn’t going to play in it this year,” Payne said. “But it’s such a fun tournament with such great players that I really wanted to be part of it.
“I haven’t played much in the past year. But, hey, it’s like riding a bike.”
While Morantes still has a goal of winning the event, he said he is hoping to use the weekend as a tune-up.
“I really didn’t have a good year in school,” he said of his recent golfing season with the Lobos. “I went through a swing change after the season, and I’m still working on a lot of things. I really want to win — it’s such a good field and good tournament — but my biggest goal is getting back on my game.”
Other top names in the field are Isaac Alderete, James Lee, Matt Van Dyke, Patrick McCarthy, James Gehrke, Jason Myers, Alejandro Armijo, Simon Miller and Bowen Davis.