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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 19, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 9, 2005 In his element With special treatment and stars all around, Jason Allred remains focused on job at hand Editor’s note: Sports Editor Tim Trower is following Ashland native Jason Allred at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — There are a lot of things for Jason Allred to be excited about. Lunch is only one of them. Advertisement This became evident when he and his father, Gene, were ushered into a club nestled in the Del Monte Forest, home to some of golf’s grandest landscapes, and took in the gleaming wood decor, the tablecloths, the doting service and, of course, the food. Fine sandwich fixin’s, seared pork chops, rice, steamed vegetables, a variety of salads, desserts and drinks. He leaned to his guests and grinned bigger than the helping on his plate. "This is pretty nice, huh?" he gushed. If this were the best of life on the PGA Tour, it would be pretty good. But there’s so much more. Sure, the lunch Tuesday, which came on the heels of a practice round with veteran Paul Stankowski at Poppy Hills in preparation for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, was outstanding. Even better, it was free. "They treat us pretty good out here," nodded Allred. He sat with Jeff Quinney, the former U.S. Amateur champion from Eugene, and Boyd Summerhays. The three have been friends for a dozen years or so, via junior golf. When Allred’s pals left, K.J. Choi sat down. At the adjacent table, Jose Maria Olazabal dined. When Allred departed, he was greeted warmly by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who exaggerated that Allred’s sideburns were reminiscent of Elvis Presley’s. No sooner had Allred left the club and headed to the practice range than he was broadsided by gregarious Peter Jacobsen, the popular Portland player who has taken his fellow Oregonian under his wing. Such attention from golf dignitaries might make a veteran swoon, but the 24-year-old Allred appeared to be handling it well, if not reveling in it. Stankowski spoke to that shortly after walking off the 18th green, having missed out on winning a cheesecake — or any dessert of his liking — when Allred’s two-putt birdie on the par 5 made them even for the last two holes, the life span of this particular wager. "He’s got all the tools in the world," said Stankowski, on tour for 10 years and seventh here last year. "The only thing he doesn’t have is experience, but you don’t get experience in something until you do it. "The hardest thing about being a rookie is just getting over the awe of being out here. Jason’s a super guy. I don’t think this will ever get too big for him. That gives him a leg up on a lot of people." Experience is a double-edged sword, as Allred can attest. He’s discovered he can play out here; and he’s discovered the game is fickle at this level like it has been at all others. He missed the cut once and went from near the lead to the bottom in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Allred refused to make excuses, allowing he played a poor final round in the latter. He’s had them before, he’ll have them again. "Whether it’s a good round or a bad round, you want to learn from it," he said. He realized after the Bob Hope that he didn’t have the energy later in the tournament he did at the start, when he got to 13 under the first two days and was in second place for a time in the third round. "It was a long tournament at the end of three weeks on the road," said Allred. "One thing I learned is that I need to travel better and be more fresh. I need to catch myself when I am tired and maybe take it a little easier." He spent a couple of days in Las Vegas, Nev., last week with his coach, Butch Harmon. They worked almost exclusively on Allred’s full swing, as opposed to his short game, and spent a fair amount of time talking things over. "He’s really good about talking to guys about learning how to win," said Allred. "He’s been around the best in the world for a long time. He’s quite a resource." Harmon encouraged him to take a day off, which Allred did, and the latter said he’s refreshed and ready to go this week. That seemed to be the case Tuesday, as he and Stankowski played a relaxed 18 holes, then Allred made his way to the driving range after lunch. Gene Allred, who has worked with his son "since he was this tall," said Gene, waving his hand at his waist, was watchful and offered advice. Mostly, the two were working on fundamentals, keeping the legs quiet and making sure the arms and shoulders were in sync with the rest of his body. Jason would hit a smattering of high, arcing iron shots, then turn around and slow it all down, using an umbrella stuck in the ground as a guide. Then he’d hit some more. Over lunch, Allred said his swing is a little off — something the casual observer couldn’t detect — but it’s close to where he wants it and he’s not worried. He noted that Phil Mickelson won by five shots last week even though he had directional issues. "You don’t need to hit beautiful shots to get the job done," said Allred. He took a break from hitting when Olazabal set up a few stalls away. "Whenever people see Jose Maria chipping, they just stop and watch," said Allred. "It’s the same with (Paul) Azinger out of bunkers and when (Brad) Faxon putts." Moments later, Allred fielded a cell-phone call. "The only call I take at work," he says, after hanging up, "is from my wife." More swings. More high-arcing shots. Soon, Jacobsen was at it again. He called Allred over. Then he called Gene Allred over. He had an idea to take advantage of the Allred name and create a business card with a ball on it. Jacobsen demonstrated, holding a ball against a small card. The ball should be red, he said. Jacobsen’s brainstorming hit another level when, still standing at his driving range stall, the founder of Peter Jacobsen Productions dialed his daughter, a graphic designer for his company. He ran the idea by her. He was still on the phone when Allred went back to work. More swings. More high-arching shots. He seemed to be handling his surroundings just fine. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s