Smithtown teen Liu just misses U.S. Open

SUMMIT, N.J. -- Jim Liu was too focused on his next shot as he walked down the 17th fairway to notice that Daniel Chopra was walking in the other direction up the 16th. Still, proximity was everything, considering that Chopra is a two-time PGA Tour champion and Liu, a 15-year-old from Smithtown, is fresh off his final exams at the Knox School.

"My French teacher said I got a 95," said the Long Island teenager, who had good scores Monday, too, in the Sectional U.S. Open qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club. Liu, the youngest player in the field, did not qualify for the Open, but he did make strides. He was in the hunt after his morning round, a 1-under-par 70 on the South Course, before he shot 5-over 77 on the tougher North Course.

What's more, his 4-over finish was only one behind Chopra. "I saw him a lot of times, as we were walking from hole to hole. I saw him hit a couple shots and it was fun to see," Liu said. "He actually warmed up right behind me on the range.

"It felt good. It was a new experience, but I hope to be able to do this more often."

Given the way Liu's golf career has begun, it would be safe to assume he stands a chance to make the Open at least once in the next 35 years or so. Of course, he has set his goals higher, having broken Tiger Woods' record for being the youngest winner (at 14) of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Liu's win at that event earned him exemption into the sectional.

The practice that he has been doing lately at Hamlet WindWatch and Smithtown Landing Country Club paid off.

Liu repeatedly hit approach shots right at the pin, which was both rewarding and frustrating. In his afternoon round, he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole and a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth.

"He asked me to read the greens, and I told him, 'You're asking the wrong person,' " said his father, Yiming, who caddies for Jim but generally does not give advice on speeds and breaks.

"My putting can use some help, but all in all, I played pretty well," the high school sophomore said.

The qualifiers here Monday were Nationwide Tour players Geoffrey Sisk and Matt Richardson, PGA Tour player Alex Rocha and amateur Cheng-sun Pan of Taiwan (soon to be at the University of Washington).

But Liu clearly was among those who are going places, and not just the amateur tournament in Johnstown, Pa., for which he and his dad left from Canoe Brook. "The composure the guys have out here, they never get angry at all and I can learn from that," Liu said. "You just have to stay in the zone and treat it like any other tournament."