This week, the 118th U.S. Open Championship will be played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. John Mazza, the director of golf at Connoquenessing Country Club, can't wait to watch it. It's his favorite tournament, and he has had the honor of playing in it twice. He qualified for the first time in 1987 as a 33-year assistant pro at Fox Run Golf Course. He qualified again in 1997 at 41 when he was head pro at Montour Heights Country Club.
In the ’87 Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., Mazza shot rounds of 80 and 71 and missed the cut by six strokes. In the ’97 Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., he shot rounds of 73 and 76 and missed the cut by only two strokes.
Mazza spoke to Times sports reporter Mike Bires about his U.S. Open experiences. Following are excerpts of the interview:
Q: After everything you’ve accomplished in golf — ranging from four years on the PGA Tour to the six times you earned Player of the Year honors in the Tri-State Section PGA — what does it mean to you to have played twice in the U.S. Open?
A: “It’s our Super Bowl ... the most exciting tournament I’ve ever been part of. It’s our national championship. So it’s pretty special. Everybody who’s a good player would want to play in it. They were both very special ... especially the first one because I always wanted to play in the national open. I had been trying since I was 16. I was just overwhelmed with excitement. The second one, it was ‘I can’t wait to go back.’ ”
Q: You played in the U.S. Open twice and also the PGA Championship twice. Were those experiences equally as meaningful?
A: "No. There is no comparison between the two. Without a doubt, the U.S. Open meant more. It's something I dreamed about as a little kid growing up. I was going to win the U.S. Open some day. Maybe it's just me. Don't get me wrong. The PGA was great. It's your organization. You're proud to be there. But it's not like the Open. The first time I played in the Open, I was so excited that the hairs on my arms stood up."
Q: Do you recall your scores in those two Opens?
A: “No, not really. When you play as much golf as I have over the years, it’s hard to remember your exact scores. Obviously, I didn’t play as well as I wanted to. When you miss the cut in an event, I don't care what the event is, the score is immaterial. At the U.S. Open, you want to play for four days not two. I had a chance to make the cut both times but just didn’t play well enough to do it. But it was fun. I had a great time.”
Q: As a member of the PGA Tour from 1979-1982, what was it like renewing some of your old acquaintances, especially in your first Open?
A: “That was nice. I got to see a lot of my old buddies. I had lunch with Larry Mize and a few of the guys. Larry and I used to room together when I was on tour, and I hadn’t seen him in a few years. It was the first time I saw him since he won the Masters (in 1987). And I played a practice round with (the late) Payne Stewart.”
Q: At Congressional in ’97, you got the chance to meet Tiger Woods, who was just 21 at the time and quite the rage in pro golf after coming off his first win at The Masters. What was that like?
A: “We were on the putting green and happened to be next to one and another. I went over and introduced myself to him and told him I was a club pro from Pittsburgh and that it was a pleasure meeting you. He said the same thing. He couldn’t have been nicer to me.”