Conway staying on course

Bryce Alderton

Steve Conway had only played Newport Beach Country Club a handful of

times since he took up golf at age 9.

But the seasoned 22-year-old Newport Beach resident and senior on

the UCLA men’s golf team played as if it was his home course, firing

a 4-under-par 67 in U.S. Open local qualifying May 12.

Conway, along with Santa Ana Country Club’s Justin Boatman and

Newport Beach’s Eric Vallely, a former three-sport star at Newport

Harbor High, were three of eight players from the site who advanced

to the sectional round at the Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City June

7.

The 13 sectional sites feature 36 holes of stroke play. Conway

will be one of 750 golfers competing for 92 spots into the 156-player

field for the U.S. Open, June 17-20 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in

Southampton, N.Y.

Conway, who is the older brother of Newport Harbor senior water

polo standout Carolyn Conway, birdied five holes and had only one

bogey at Newport Beach to reach the U.S. Open sectional round for the

first time in three tries. The first-team All-Pac 10 selection a year

ago competed in local qualifying when he was 15 and 16.

“I had played good in a practice round [at NBCC May 7] and then

hit it down the middle and on the greens,” said Conway, who is tied

for the UCLA lead in top 10s this season (seven) with a 71.8 stroke

average.

“I took advantage of the par 5s and made no mistakes. I hit good

shots on the par 3s, which is the strength of [NBCC]. If you can get

by those tough holes with pars and birdies, that is important.”

Conway said he wasn’t at all nervous during the round, but added

it was important for him to beat his coach, O.D. Vincent.

“[Vincent] shot 69, so I was thinking that even if I didn’t

qualify, at least I had to beat my coach,” Conway said.

The local qualifying round provided a refreshing change from team

competition, which Conway has been in the throes of for months.

“It is a different frame of mind,” Conway said.

The Bruins clinched their second straight NCAA West regional title

Saturday, defeating New Mexico by a stroke, to earn one of the top

three seeds for the NCAA championships June 1-4 at the Cascades

Course in Hot Springs, Va. Conway shot a 7-over-par 223 to tie for

46th after 54 holes of the West regional.

The occasional long plane rides and car trips while trying to keep

up with schoolwork can be a juggling act, but Conway, who plans to

graduate in March with a degree in sociology, said it’s all part of

the process.

This summer should be especially busy for Conway, who last year

was the first Bruin in 16 years to earn medalist honors in two

matches. He has one victory this season -- the Mackenzie Invitational

in October.

Conway will also attempt to qualify for August’s U.S. Amateur,

where he reached match play a year ago.

Conway is especially excited with the timing of the U.S. Open

sectional since it comes three days after the NCAA championships.

“I expect my game to be functioning well,” said Conway, who has

the PGA Tour in his sights down the road.

“I’ve invested this much time for golf, I definitely owe it to

myself to give it a shot,” he said.

The PGA Tour’s Q-School involves three stages, Conway said. If a

player makes it past the first two, through four rounds, the golfer

earns status on either the PGA or Nationwide tours.

Two of Conway’s UCLA teammates will delve into qualifying stages

this summer.

“They are the guinea pigs,” Conway said. “I know their games well

and will see how they do in relation to everyone else. I can learn a

lot from them.”

Conway plans on entering Q-School in the fall of 2005.

He knows it will take a lot of hard work to get where he wants to

go.

“The more reasonable thing would be to go on the developmental

tour and work your way up,” Conway said. “Get as much experience as

possible and be confident in your game.”

In the meantime, he will focus on leading the Bruins and making a

run toward the U.S. Open.

“I’ve played with a bunch of people in the U.S. Amateur who then

qualified [for the U.S. Open] like Ricky Barnes,” Conway said. “I

think I can do it.”