PEBBLE BEACH
–– About 10 of John Ellis’ closest family and friends stormed
unto the final hole of the young golfer’s first professional
tournament Thursday.
PEBBLE BEACH –– About 10 of John Ellis’ closest family and friends stormed unto the final hole of the young golfer’s first professional tournament Thursday.
No one wanted to see Ellis lose a ball after posting such good numbers all day during the first round of the AT&T Pro-Am at Poppy Hills Golf Course.
“If they can do if for Phil Mickelson, why can’t we do it,” called one fan.
They scoured the Valley of Death on hole No. 9 and finally found the wayward golf ball. It was partially buried with a downhill lie, and there was a hill between Ellis and the pin.
But that didn’t stop the rookie golfer, who made several great reads on the day, from hitting the pin. The ball dropped straight down, just inches away from the hole for an easy birdie.
With the strong finish, Ellis finished 1-over par at 73. He was tied for 96th place with 24 other golfers. The leaders after the first day are Matt Kuchar and J.J. Henry at 7-under.
“I am really pleased with him,” said his dad, Dave, who was one of about 30 supporters. “It isn’t easy playing in a tournament like this, but he did a good job dealing with the arena he was given.”
“I didn’t sleep too well last night,” said his mom, Peggy. “We’re so proud of him being able to fulfill his dream.”
Ellis said he was especially nervous on the first hole. And, having a big water trap in the middle didn’t help either.
“I have to admit, I was pretty nervous waiting for my first tee shot,” Ellis said. “It kind of surprised me at first, but then I realized it was just another game of golf like I have played thousands of times before. It was everything I have dreamed of. But even though I finished at 1-over, I am not too disappointed with how I played.”
He couldn’t have been more pleased with the format of the Pro-Am. The hardest course for him was Poppy Hills because he had only played it two others times, including the practice round the day before.
He played his second round at Spyglass beginning at 8:40 a.m. this morning and will play on Saturday at Pebble Beach beginning at 10:20 a.m.
“He should do well on Friday and Saturday because he is used to playing those fields,” said caddie Steve Hanson, who has known Ellis since he was real young.
Ellis consistently went up and down the field hitting par after par. He could have easily been 3-under or 4-under after the first five holes. But he left a couple putts just inches short.
After hitting his drive long on the doglegging par-5 third hole (No. 12) like two of the other golfers he was with did, Ellis had to chip out from the woods. He played the ball onto the fairway.
He almost had a birdie on the hole, but it again fell inches short on a chip from the rough.
“I knew I couldn’t miss that putt, because he was watching out for me,” Ellis said.
On No. 17, Ellis’ eighth hole, he ran into a little trouble and recorded his first bogey of the day. He had to chip through trees after his drive went right. His wedge shot from just off the green came within a foot of the par.
But Ellis made up for it on the next hole with the noisy, cheering crowd watching. On the par-5, Ellis hit the green with his second shot.
But the ball landed on the opposite side of the hole. He putted his third shot perfectly over the hills and just missed the hole for the birdie.
A couple tough holes in the back nine cost a chance to finish under par. Ellis scored a bogey on the par-3 No. 6 after leaving a chip from the side of the hill short.
“That was the easiest one, too,” Ellis said.
And on the next hole, after Ellis chipped the ball out from some trees, he got a bad roll on a ball that hit the green and kicked back down. That put him at 2-under par before his dramatic finish.
“I wasn’t surprised to see him here,” said Kevin Dooley, who grew up playing youth baseball with Ellis. “He has always has a love for the game and has been one of the best golfers in the area.”
