North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Clark, Pettersson share their U.S. Open dreams
6/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 13, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- Over the course of the next week, GoPack.com readers will have the opportunity to see a competitor's eye view of what it's like to play in the U.S. Open.
Throughout the week, GoPack.com will feature diaries of two former NC State All-America golfers, Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson, as they try to win the 105th US Open, which begins on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2.
Both are just arriving back in North Carolina after playing in the Booz Allen Classic in Bethesda, Md. Clark tied for 13th in the event, while Pettersson tied for 41st. They both plan to arrive in North Carolina on Monday and begin playing practice rounds on Tuesday.
They are both eager to provide an intimate look into the United States Golf Association's most important championship and just how difficult the playing conditions might be at the Donald Ross classic. They will tell GoPack readers about their practice rounds, their views on golf at Pinehurst and offer some insights into their rounds at the Open.
Both are also eager to play in the US Open so close to Raleigh, where they still have extremely close emotional ties. Pettersson still lives in Wake Forest, just North of Raleigh, with his family. Clark, though he officially resides in Scottsdale, Ariz, still considers North Carolina his second home.
 Carl Pettersson competed in the 2002 British Open  |
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And both hope that by being high profile during the Open will bring some attention to an event they are putting on this fall at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. They will co-host the NC State Golf Course Campaign Kick-Off Pro-Am, hoping to raise money for the proposed golf course on Centennial Campus by having a few of their friends over.
The pro-am will be held on Oct. 3 at Prestonwood, and will feature players from the PGA Tour, who will be on their way to play at the PGA Tour stop in Greensboro later that week, and players from the Champions Tour, who will have just completed a Champions tour event at Prestonwood the day before. Details for the event will be forthcoming, but Clark and Pettersson are the Honorary Chairmen for the drive to raise the $16 million to build the Arnold Palmer-designed golf course.
It's already been a good week for NC State golf: current team member Jerry Richardson of Burlington won the North Carolina Amateur on Sunday in Asheville.
Clark, a three-time All-America at NC State who is in his fifth year on the PGA Tour, has won three national championships in his career. He's twice won the South African Open, the national tournament for his native South Africa, both times playing on his home course, the Durban Country Club. While at N.C. State, he also won the United States' Golf Association's Public Links title, which got him in his first Masters in 1997.
This is the 29-year-old Clark's third appearance in the Open. He missed the cut in his first appearance, but finished in a tie for 13th in last year's Open at Shinnecock Hills Country Club on Long Island, N.Y.
His top 15 finish there gave him an automatic berth into this year's Open, meaning he didn't have to go through all the grueling qualifying that Pettersson did.
Clark is familiar with the Donald Ross layout, though he certainly doesn't consider it a home-away-from home. But that is how he feels about North Carolina, even though his permanent residence is Scottsdale, Ariz.
"I have probably played No. 2 about four times," Clark said. "The US Open is certainly going to be tough there. I am quite excited.
"It's always fun to come back to North Carolina. It's a second home to me."
Pettersson, 27, was exempt from local qualifying but he did have to play in a 36-hole sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio. He earned one of 20 spots available at that site by shooting an 8-under-par 136 to comfortably qualify for his first Open championship.
But this is not his first Major tournament. He played in the 2002 British Open and finished tied for 43rd.
Obviously, they aren't the only past or current people with NC State ties who will be in Pinehurst this week for the Open. We'll try to catch up with other familiar faces during the course of the week who have specific knowledge of Pinehurst No. 2 and the US Open, from former Wolfpack golfer Kelly Mitchum to current women's coach Page Marsh, who was once on the teaching staff at Pinehurst to Volunteer Coordinator Ronnie Crow, a former NC State freshman basketball player for Everett Case who was in charge of organizing the 5,400 volunteers who paid to participate in the Open.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
