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Tredway travels the path to the PGA Tour By Tim Trower Andrew Tredway studied the human condition in college. Now, he�s learning a lot about himself. The former Ashland High and University of Oregon standout is in the midst of a fledgling professional golf career that took an impressive turn last week when he finished among the leaders in the BUY.COM Oregon Classic at Shadow Hills Country Club in Eugene. The BUY.COM, formerly the Nike Tour, is the sport�s most major minor league: Those at the top of the class go directly to the PGA Tour. By placing in the top 25 on Sunday � he tied for 17th � Tredway earned a spot in this week�s tournament, the Monterey Peninsula Classic at Seaside, Calif., and cemented the belief that he�s on the right career path. After all, his field of study presented limited options. "I majored in anthropology," says Tredway, "and there aren�t a lot of things you can do with that unless you go back to school to do research or teach. I can�t see myself doing that." He chose that major knowing it would keep his attention in school and also knowing he might not pursue it upon graduation. Now, his interest is solely in golf and in discovering how far he can go in that discipline. "I love practicing and playing in tournaments, and I can�t see myself not doing that," says Tredway. "I love the feel of it. I love being nervous. I love just getting out there. I feel like I have to move at different levels, play where I can play and try to gain confidence. That�s what I�m doing now." After graduation, Tredway headed straight for Boston to live and play on the North Atlantic minitour. He learned he could win on a minitour, capturing three of the 20 events he played, placing second in a couple and winding up "third or fourth" on the money list. There were anywhere from 20 to 50 players per tournament, and each event was only a one- or two-day affair. The courses weren�t the best and some didn�t even have driving ranges on which to warm up. "It�s not a fun place to play," says Tredway. "You�re not playing for very much money, you travel a lot and you�re driving to all of the tournaments. It�s not really the way you want to live, but it�s something you�ve got to do." Grateful for the experience, Tredway is nevertheless "ready to move on." To that end, he came home. The Oregon Classic had been on Tredway�s mind for some time. Last year, while a senior at Oregon, he hoped to gain an exemption into the tournament. That didn�t materialize, so he waited until this year. When an exemption still wasn�t proferred, he flew across the country and joined nearly 200 others in trying to qualify for 14 spots. "It was a big risk," he admits, "to spend all that money to come here just for one day of qualifying. But I made it through, and it�s been a blessing." Tredway shot a 4-under-par 68 in qualifying at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis. (Qualifying is often done at a course other than where the tournament is played.) It took at least a 69 to get in. Over the four days of the tournament, he played three rounds under par, with a best of 68 on Day 3. He finished at 6-under 282 and earned $6,000 � more than half the $10,000 he earned on the North Atlantic Tour. The winner, Keoke Cotner, won $72,000. "I didn�t realize it until after the tournament," says Tredway, "but I really didn�t think about the money at all. That�s one of the best things I gained from the whole week. I wasn�t worried about this shot or that shot being worth $3,000 or $4,000. I was just trying to get in the top 25, keep my name on the leaderboard and move up if I could. "The money thing never came up, which is good. I think a lot of guys struggle with that." His goals this week are higher. A top-10 finish isn�t out of the question. A victory isn�t far-fetched. "I know I have a legitimate shot competing with these guys," he says. A win would be monumental, bringing with it not only $81,000, but also exemption for the rest of this BUY.COM season and next year. Another top-25 placing lands him a spot in the following week�s tourney in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. The tour plays through October. "I�d love to play out here," says Tredway. "You�re playing for a lot of money, you play wonderful courses and you�re treated really well." Barring the unforeseen, Tredway plans to go to Australia and attend qualifying school for the Australasian Tour. The purses are sizable, ranging from $1 to $2 million, he says, and most of the tournaments are televised on The Golf Channel. "I�ve talked to others who have gone down there," says Tredway. "Obviously, it�s not as tough as the U.S. Q-school. I�ve heard that if you play sort of good, you can get through pretty easily." Should that happen, he�ll embark on yet another learning experience. 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