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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 17, 2005 Allred hangs with the big boys By Dave Reardon For the Tidings HONOLULU - Why shouldn't Justin Allred be smiling? He had just birdied the 15th hole at Waialae Country Club in the Sony Open on Sunday, moving back to 3-under for the final round. Then, on No. 16, he launched a beautiful 288-yard blast into the wind that landed right in the middle of the fairway. As he walked toward his next shot, Allred dispensed golf balls to children in the gallery like Halloween candy. Unfortunately, Allred bogeyed 16 and the closing 18th hole. But the smile remained. He finished his first tournament as a card-carrying PGA Tour member in a tie for 17th place, with a paycheck of $72,000 to buy a lot more golf balls to give to kids. The money, though, was just a bonus for the 24-year-old from Ashland. "Thankfully, I didn't think about that too much," he said. "I just enjoyed every minute of being out here. Even taking the good with the bad. I didn't finish quite as well as I'd like, but I hit good shots. I just loved being in position (to win), and it's just so much fun to be out here." It was a wild day at Waialae, with Ernie Els and eventual winner Vijay Singh making huge moves to catch third-round leader Shigeki Maruyama. And Allred was in the thick of it for a while, after he and playing partner Stewart Cink both began hot. Allred birdied three holes to make the turn at 3-under 32, while Cink - who finished tied for fifth - did the same. Both golfers said they were helped by the other. "We had a good rhythm going on the front nine," Cink said. "I started real well and he did too. He's a good guy to play with. It's always nice to see a new young guy out here who's nervous and see him perform well under those circumstances, because it's very stressful. "I remember my first tournament after I got my card, in 1997. The last day I played with Peter Jacobsen and I wondered if I looked the same to Peter Jacobsen that round as Jason Allred did to me. I think I did," Cink added with a smile. Allred enjoyed his playing partner, too. "I think playing with Stewart helped," he said. "He was on a roll so we kind of fed off each other. He's a pleasure to play with. He's a great guy." Dick Christy, Allred's caddie, said the entire week was full of positives for the rookie. "It's been lots of fun. Nothing but fun. He's a great kid and he will do nothing but get better," said Christy, a 20-year pro caddying veteran. "It's a great start. His putter was good and his ball-striking was quite good. It all worked." Allred drew attention from spectators who had never heard of him with his long drives. He averaged 283.4 yards for the tournament, including a crushing 347-yard drive off the 14th tee on Saturday. He is currently ranked 11th on the Tour in driving distance. If the former Pepperdine star has a weakness, it's consistency; he carded 19 birdies in the 72 holes, but also failed to make par or better 14 times, including a double bogey. Christy said steadier play will come, and Allred proved his toughness last month by surviving the rigors of qualifying school and earning his Tour card. "He's already passed the test. He has the right idea out here. This is the fun part," Christy said. The smile will likely remain plastered on Allred's face as he heads to Torrey Pines in San Diego for this week's Buick Invitational. "The last couple months have been great for me. By God's grace in my life I've matured a lot, and I just enjoy myself a lot, and I think that's helped my game," he said. "Oh man, it's a dream come true. I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I love." His wife and parents were with him in Hawaii. Allred thanked them, as well as his fans in Oregon, California and Arizona (he lives in Scottsdale) for their support. "Just a big hello to everyone back home. They all cheer me on so much and I appreciate them all," he said. If his drives remain monstrous, his short game steadies and his smile keeps gleaming, that fan base is sure to grow. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange web conferencing Online Casinos Community Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams