Manhasset's Can shoots 65 at brutal Bethpage Black

There really is no explaining how anyone can shoot 65 on Bethpage Black, as Tarik Can of Manhasset did Wednesday. But if he had to guess why he shot 6 under par, only one off the course record, he'd start by saying he appreciates golf more than he ever did.

Can, who also shot 65 to get into a Nationwide Tour event last week, said he took six months off from competing because he couldn't afford to play. He ended the winter shoveling snow at an art gallery in Pennsylvania, then worked catering jobs in Great Neck and the Hamptons and finally caddied for fellow Nationwide pro Major Manning.

"I learned a lot," he said after finishing the second round of the 54-hole New York State Open at 1 under par, three shots behind Greg Bisconti, the former St. John's star. Can is tied for sixth with fellow Douglaston native Casey Calmi and three others. He made seven birdies and a bogey on a sultry day when scoring generally wasn't as low as it was Tuesday.

Having had a caddie's perspective gave him a deeper view of the game, but mostly what Can learned over the past year was how much golf means to him. "Before, I kind of took it for granted, but now I love every second of it," he said. "It's awesome. I think that's why I started playing better."

He has been a solid player since he was a freshman at Cardozo High School, through his career at Augusta (Ga.) State. He has played in the U.S. Amateur, has finished high in the Met Open. In 2003, he won the boys division of a national junior tournament in Shirley. His then-girlfriend Paula Creamer (now the U.S. Women's Open champion) won the girls division.

Can knows just how he would advise himself if he were his own caddie: "One shot at a time. Do the best you can on the shot in front of you and do better on the next one."