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| John Finley, right, of Christiana Physical Therapy Plus, assists Bryan Norton after Norton's injury in the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur final. (USGA Museum) |
By Phillip Howley
Carmel, Ind. - He's not going to lie to you. Bryan Norton has had those thoughts, those “what if” thoughts, those darn-the-luck thoughts.
Those thoughts go back to the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Del. Norton was in the 36-hole final against Nathan Smith. Things weren't going his way early; he was four holes down going to the ninth hole. But there were 27 holes still to play when things went from not so good to disastrous with one swing.
Norton was trying to play his ball out of the thick rough around the lip of a steep bunker. When he swung, he fell backwards off balance. “I knew when I hit the shot I was going to fall backwards,” he said. “But the rough was so long, I didn't build that into the equation.”
The sum of the parts was not good. Norton got his feet tangled up in the soup, toppled backwards and landed awkwardly on his leg. “It just blew up my calf muscle,” he said. “I couldn't even walk.”
Just like that, his dreams of a rally and a USGA championship ended in a painful concession. Norton was on crutches for 90 days. The following April, he went to the Masters in Augusta, Ga., to watch Smith and others play. And he couldn't help but have those thoughts that he might have been in the field if not for the injury.
“I did, yeah, just a little,” said Norton with a smile Tuesday. “Golf's so tough. You never know if you'll ever get back to something that cool. So it's nice to be here.”
Norton turned 50 last December, which gave him another opening. More recent, he shot a 71 at the Lawrence, Kan., sectional qualifying to take medalist honors and earn a trip back to something so cool - i.e. the U.S. Senior Open.
It will be the fifth different USGA championship Norton has played. He has competed in four U.S. Opens (1980, 1981, 1991, 1992) alone, including one as a pro. Norton gave the play-for-pay plan a whirl from 1987-1991 before getting his amateur status back.
But Norton will be hoisting himself back on the horse this week. While he made it to the semifinals of the Trans-Mississippi Amateur earlier this year, he has not played in an event the size or scope of a Senior Open in some time. His responsibilities as an insurance broker and parent have limited his opportunities as a player. Such is the life of an amateur.
“I haven't played in front of people for a long time,” said Norton, who got in nine practice holes at Crooked Stick on Tuesday. “I have no idea what that is going to feel like. It's a different ballgame, to be certain.
“In terms of my game, it's OK, it's fine. But I just have to get out there and if it will translate from today to Thursday, I'll be OK. But if it doesn't, then I won’t be OK.”
While Norton has come back to the amateur ranks to play in his first Senior Open, Jerry Courville Jr. is traveling the opposite path. Courville has a long and distinguished amateur resume. He won the 1995 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and made it to the finals in two others, finishing runner-up in 1999 and 2002.
Courville's amateur bullet points feature a number of USGA records, including most match-play wins in the U.S. Mid-Amateur (36) and most consecutive years in match-play at the U.S. Amateur (10). He also played on two USA Walker Cup teams and represented Connecticut in five USGA Men's State Teams, leading his group to three top-10 finishes.
But a few years ago, after 24 years with Pitney Bowes, Courville elected not be part of a company downsize and restructure. Instead, he opted for a buyout package and took a stab at making golf his full-time business.
“The way I look at it, I never had a lot of money, probably never will, but if I can do the things I want to do, I won’t want to kill myself,” said Courville, who turned 50 in February.
Courville gives lessons near his home in Wesport, Conn., which he enjoys. He plays often enough in area competitions to keep the chops up. He won the Connecticut Senior Open earlier this year and finished second at the Massachusetts Senior Open. He didn't quite make it through Champions Tour Qualifying School last year, finishing 31st, but he will try again this fall.
In the meantime, he is back at Crooked Stick, where he played in the 1989 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He has his 12-year old daughter, Kellie, alongside and he has the comfortable feeling of seeing old friends and seeing USGA trappings everywhere.
“Yeah, without a doubt it's special,” he said. “'I wanted my daughter to see something like this and my caddie, Joanna, is also my trainer. She's a golfer and she has never seen anything like this.”
Courville, who was medalist at the Winchester, Mass. sectional to get in the field, wasn't thrilled with his results on the driving range, as he tried to dial in his swing. But the way he looks at it, he's playing with house money this week.
“I'm not supposed to do well here,” said Courville, whose father Jerry Courville Sr., had a standout amateur career, as well. “We're just going to go out and do our best, that's all. If you do well, it's a bonus. That's how I'm looking at it.”
At a USGA championship, just getting there is gratifying in itself.
Phillip Howley is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.ussenioropen.com.
