Ex-pitcher Hanson qualifies for Mid-Am match play

As a pitcher, Erik Hanson was a pro's pro, good enough to make the All-Star Game and throw a two-hitter for the Mariners at Yankee Stadium. At 30, he took up golf. He started playing tournaments when he retired from the big leagues and now he proudly calls himself "a career amateur."

"It's the closest thing to pitching - not that pitching was my first love, basketball was. But I like the competition, the camaraderie, the beauty," the 45-year-old said Sunday after he finished a successful second round of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton. "I can't play soccer. Obviously I couldn't play baseball, nor would I want to at this age. Golf is a sport you can play for a lifetime and still be competitive."

This golf lifer was competitive enough to finish 36 holes at 9-over par, qualifying for match play Monday. He is one of 64 with a shot at winning the national championship for golfers 25 and older, and earning an invitation to the Masters.

Other qualifiers include Locust Valley native R.J. Nakashian (4 over), Joe Saladino of Huntington (5 over), Deepdale Golf Club member George Zahringer III (7 over), Jamey Friedman of Water Mill and Tim Mickelson, Phil's brother, (9 over). Scott Osler of Cutchogue (10 over) will be one of 12 golfers in a 7 a.m. playoff for the final four spots.

No one was under par through two rounds on the brutally tough Atlantic and The Bridge. "Now you add USGA pins, you add four-inch rough, you add 13s on the Stimpmeter and you add nice little 25-mile an hour winds, and par is 78," said the former pitcher who played amateur golf against Dustin Johnson, Ryan Moore and other current pros.

Hanson always has liked a challenge. He never will forget Sept. 15, 1989, when he pitched the two-hitter against the Yankees. The Kinnelon, N.J., native was pumped because it was his father's birthday.

Friedman had a vigorous gallery, including his wife, two daughters, Southampton Golf Club pro emeritus Bob Joyce and fellow club members. He also cited support from the staff of his Riverhead-based produce distributorship. "I was in the office Friday morning," he said, "and they all said, 'Why are you here? Go practice.' "