A PGA Tour opportunity comes knocking again this week for John
Ellis and Erick Justesen. The Live Oak High graduates — Ellis
class of 1998, Justesen class of 2003 — tee off Thursday at San
Juan Oaks Golf Club of Hollister in the first round of a local
qualifier for the Oct. 6-9 Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club.
The second round is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Bayonet Course in
Carmel
HOLLISTER
A PGA Tour opportunity comes knocking again this week for John Ellis and Erick Justesen.
The Live Oak High graduates — Ellis class of 1998, Justesen class of 2003 — tee off Thursday at San Juan Oaks Golf Club of Hollister in the first round of a local qualifier for the Oct. 6-9 Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club.
The second round is scheduled for Monday at Bayonet Course in Carmel. To get there, Ellis, 31, and Justesen, 26, have to place in the top 50 out of about 90 players Thursday, a modest feat for both locals.
“I’ve played there a bunch of times going back to high school and had good success there,” Ellis said by telephone Friday. “It’s a good layout. If I play good I’ll make it, and if I don’t I won’t.”
This will mark the first major competition Justesen has played at San Juan Oaks, a 7,133-yard par 72.
“I played the course in high school of course, won some tournaments there,” he said. “I feel pretty confident.”
Frys.com Open aside, Ellis and Justesen want to be in top form this week with PGA Tour Qualifying tournaments (“Q-School”) just around the corner. Both have played well this year in various lower-tier circuits.
Ellis placed second in two National Pro Golf Tour events and seventh in the NPGT’s Land of Enchantment Open on Sept. 21. He tied for 10th in the Aug. 25 Canadian Tour Championship, among three top-25 tour finishes. Of course Ellis’ highlight of 2011 was qualifying for the U.S. Open at Congressional, where he missed the cut by one stroke.
“It was definitely difficult the way I missed it, bogeying those last holes,” the San Jose native said. “I was more disappointed I wasn’t up there higher; I played better than people who made the cut. That’s disappointing, but you learn from those experiences. I put that in the back of my mind and have been playing nice since. Hopefully this leads to some good playing (this) week.”
Justesen has needed a travel log to remember where he has been this year. He has traveled an estimated 30 of the last 40 weeks, following a 2010 season that peaked with him playing in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach but tailed off in fall. Justesen bowed out early at the 2010 Frys.com Open then missed the cut for the second stage of Q-School by one stroke at Bayonet.
“After that I needed to re-evaluate myself and my game,” he said.
Justesen moved from Sacramento to Pensacola, Fla., and made a brief but fruitful stop on the Canadian Tour. He held a one-stroke lead entering the final round at the Tour Championship only to wind up sixth.
Justesen currently plays on the National Golf Association Hooters Tour and is 34th on the money list.
“I’ve been able to kind of live the tour life week to week,” he said. “I played some good golf, got to see more of the country. It’s been a fun year.”
With the Frys.com Open comes a multitude of opportunities.
“It’s the PGA. It’s the pinnacle,” Justesen said. “It’s extremely big. You can get in one PGA event and play solid golf. A lot of guys … make more money there than in one mini tour. The recognition is just incredible.”
Justesen and Ellis were grateful to have earned sponsors’ exemptions to last year’s Frys.com Open, a smaller event in comparison to this year’s edition. Ellis tied for 24th.
“It was great to have had a chance to win a PGA Tour event in my home area,” he said. “I came up a little short on Sunday, but I got my name out there.”
Should they advance Thursday and place in the top four Monday at Bayonet, the locals can weigh their talent against the likes of Tiger Woods and Ernie Els before family and friends.
“It’s a chance to play against the best in the world,” Justesen said. “When an opportunity like that knocks, you have to take it.”
