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| Hot Streak |
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| CHS junior Robbie Ziegler qualifies for three junior national championships but keeps eye on college scholarship |
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 | | Photo By Steve St. Amand | | Robbie Ziegler works on his sand game at Willamette Valley Country Club following his wins to qualify for the U.S. Junior Open and the Calloway Junior World Golf Championship.
Robbie has been playing at the country club since age 3, participating the various junior golf programs. |
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By Stephen St. Amand
When it comes to golf, there are hot streaks and then there’s Robbie Ziegler.
Following his victory earlier this month to earn a spot at the PGA Junior Championships, Ziegler fired a 1-under 143 to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier June 19 at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell.
Ziegler, who just completed his sophomore season with a third-place finish at the 4A State Championships, won the event by five strokes over the Canadian Junior Champion Darren Wallace of Langley, B.C. Both qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., July 17-22.
Then on June 20, Ziegler earned a spot at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships by winning the Jacobsen Junior Challenge and Junior World Qualifier at Forest Hills Golf Club. He shot an 11-under 133 for the two rounds, including a 64.
His latest win qualifies him for the Callaway event at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
In short, June has been quite a month for Ziegler.
“I’m just playing well — I got out of the gates early this year, and my confidence on the course keeps growing,” said Ziegler, who was practicing his short game Friday at Willamette Valley Country Club, his home course. “I had a good spring and it’s still going.”
If he sounds confident, there is good reason, as he will compete in the three top junior national tournaments this summer.
He won the Westfield PGA Sectional in Port Orchard, Wash., earlier this month, earning a spot at the Westfield Junior PGA Championship in Westfield, Ohio, in August. Prior to that, he’ll compete at the Callaway Junior World Championship July 11-14 then the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship July 17-22.
“Fortunately, they’re pretty close to each other so we can stay at the same hotel,” said Robbie’s father Mitch Ziegler. “This whole thing is exciting and it really lets us know how Robbie stacks up.”
So how does he stack up?
“He’s the best I’ve ever coached and I’ve coached a lot of really good players who’ve gone on to the next level,” said Canby High School golf coach Doug Skille, who has coached golf for more than 30 years, including a long stint at Wilson High School.
Ziegler has been swinging a golf club since he was 2, and some of his earliest memories are watching his father walked down the 17th fairway at Willamette Valley CC from the family’s backyard along the course.
“I remember watching him tee off at 18, and thinking, ‘I want to be like my dad.’” he said.
Since then, Mitch and his wife Roberta have watched their son walking down that fairway. He participated in the club’s junior golf program, sometimes playing kids two and three years older.
In fact, he credits his success to his coaches at the club and high school, as well as swing coach Bruce Stewart, club pro at Arrowhead Golf Course in Mulino.
He also points to the tight fairways at his home course that have improved his accuracy. “I’m not the biggest hitter, but I keep it straight,” he said. “It’s also made me a better irons player and putter.”
National prominence
Rather than competing against other kids at the club, it’s now about competing against the best under-18 golfers in the nation, which means practice, travel and a total family commitment.
“Really, this is the first year we’ve really gotten involved in the national tournaments, but it’s been a lot of fun for all of us,” Roberta said. “We’re looking at this as a way for our son to compete against the best and get a scholarship. Right now, we look at it as our college investment.”
While he’s just 16, colleges have begun to take notice. According to Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings, one of the more recognized junior golf ranking systems, Ziegler is currently 525 out of more than 6,400 golfers.
But like most rankings, they do not tell the entire story. During his recent victory at the U.S. Junior Open qualifier, Ziegler beat the 218th-ranked golfer by five strokes.
Rankings aside
Like any sport, who’s best is settled on the field, and Ziegler will have the opportunity to compete against the best at the three upcoming national tournaments.
Skille likened the U.S. Junior Amateur Championships to a major on the PGA tour and a list of the past competitors reads like a who’s who in professional golf.
Perhaps the two greatest golfers ever, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, both competed in the championships, with Woods winning three consecutive titles. However, despite qualifying for five championships, Nicklaus never finished as champion. In fact, it is the only USGA championship he was eligible for that he never won.
“These are the best young players in the country and Robbie is certainly on a lot of radar screens,” Skille said. “It’s a real feather in the cap for Robbie, and it shows how much he continues to improve.”
Angelo Masino, administration assistant for the United States Golf Association, agreed. I think it’s recognized as the national championship for juniors,” Masino said. “There are two rounds of stroke play with 156 qualifiers, and the top 64 participate in match play.”
Match play is a head-to-head competition in which the victor is determined by whoever wins the most holes, rather than the combined score.
Ziegler said he prefers stroke play to match play, but enjoys the competition either way.
Both feet on the ground
As far as Robbie’s growing prominence in the junior golf world, the Zieglers manage to keep their son’s success in perspective. His goal is to compete, earn a scholarship and play NCAA Division I golf.
“I don’t want to get caught up in anything other than having a good time, competing and getting into a school . . . and I don’t really know where at this point,” he said.
“As far as the national tournaments, I love the competition, but I also like meeting the other golfers and hanging out with them. And I also like the trips with my family . . . we always have a lot of fun.” |
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