Newly Ordained Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco Padre Alum ...

ALUMNI NEWS
32
Chaussard ‘01 & Cox ‘06
Compete on Golf’s Greatest Stage
By Randy Vogel
For several days in June, two Padre
alums found themselves performing
on what is considered one of the
elite stages in American sports, the
U.S. Open Golf Championship.
Garrett Chaussard ‘01 and Jordan
Cox ‘06 each qualified for spots
in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey
Pines Golf Course in San Diego.
The Open is considered the toughest test in golf. Chaussard and
Cox both shot rounds of 80 on the first day. On the second day,
Garrett carded an 82; Cox shot 77. Although missing the cut
was disappointing for both competitors, each took away memories
of a lifetime. No golf fan will soon forget the dramatic finish at
the Open as Tiger Woods edged Rocco Mediate on the first extra
hole, after battling to a tie on the eighteen hole playoff. They
were the only two golfers to finish regulation under par.
A series of qualifying matches took place in May and June with
Chaussard and Cox each carding 36 hole totals of three under
par 141 in the finals at Lake Merced Country Club. Their success
earned them two of the final seven spots in the field and they
headed for San Diego.
This propelled the pair into the national golf spotlight side-by-side
with the world’s greatest golfers. Cox, one of only ten amateurs
in the tourney, had “a really awesome experience” when he was
matched with Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson for a pair of practice
rounds early in the week.
“I met Tiger once before at a team dinner earlier in the year,” the
Stanford junior said. “Both he and Watson treated me just like
one of the guys.” And, about the huge galleries that followed
him both in his practice rounds and during the tourney, Jordan
added, “All those people made it even more fun
for me.”
Early in the first round, Cox was playing
particularly well and found his name on the
leader board.
“I thought it was cool,” he said. “It was pretty
sweet to be on the leader board. The whole
experience was surreal.”
Cox commented that the Serra connection was
forever present, as well.
“Several times during the tournament I could
hear people in the crowd yelling ‘Go Padres’ or
‘Go Serra’,” Cox said.
Summing up his Open experience Jordan enthused, “Hands down,
it was the most fun I’ve ever had in a golf tournament.”
As Garrett looked ahead to his upcoming Open experience
following his successful qualifying, he pondered.
“I could not have even pictured all of this going on leading up to
next week,” Garret said. “I’m really excited to test my game with
those that I respect. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the
course, the people, the atmosphere, and I want to remember to
stop and smell the roses along the way.”
Chaussard played a practice round with veteran PGA golfer Jim
Furyk saying, “It was very cool. It was unexpected. He was very
cordial, definitely made me feel comfortable out there.”
As the tournament approached, Garrett set up an internet blog
where he shared his Open experiences with daily postings. Any
nerves Chaussard might have had quickly disappeared after his
first shot.
“I was really pumped up after hitting my opening shot of the
tournament off the first tee and watching it go right down the
middle of the fairway.”
A highlight for Garrett was holing out a chip shot on the ninth
hole for birdie, which was also picked up by the national television
coverage on ESPN.
Garrett called his participation “An incredible experience all the
way around,” concluding “I had a great time and was sad when it
was over. I will take away so much from this experience which will
help me in the future.”
At Serra, Chaussard was a four- year varsity golfer (1998-2001),
while Cox entered Serra in his sophomore year and participated at
the varsity level each of his three years (2004-2006).
As two of the greatest golfers in Serra history, the names of