Pioneering Han could make waves -- of Q-school amateurs

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Matt Every was inhaling a sandwich and some French fries on a clubhouse barstool when, speak of the devil, a certain smiling kid walked through the door.

The latter's ears must have been ringing.

Seung-su Han is currently the best player on his college team by about three shots a round. (UNLV Athletics)

"There's your boy right there," Every said, laughing. "That guy's not even here without me."

True enough, though the succession of events is somewhat complicated. Less absolute is the long-term influence of the player in question's presence this week at Orange County National Golf Center.

As ever, the legion in the field at PGA Tour Qualifying School finals represents a pro potpourri of established players, rising prospects, fading veterans and head-scratching who-dats. But for the first time, there's an interloper in their midst whose impact could prove far more meaningful that anything achieved this week by one the 165 professionals.

South Korean native Seung-su Han, a junior from UNLV, is hard to miss. While the professionals are awash in corporate logos, Han is festooned solely in the trademark red and white of the Runnin' Rebels, from his college golf bag to his team golf cap. For good reason.

He's the first amateur to advance to Q-school finals, though his appearance has been broadly pre-ordained two years earlier by Every, who in 2005 opened the door for NCAA players to compete in the infamous pro qualifying series as long as they agreed not to accept a paycheck.

Finally on the same ground as other college sports that allowed players to enter professional drafts without losing eligibility, Han navigated his way through a mind-boggling three stages of Q-school to reach the finals, because he was forced to play in a pre-qualifier before entering the first stage.

"I want to see how I measure up against these guys," Han said.

Interesting turn of a phrase, since Han's become a yardstick by which many others will be measured.

After moving to the United States while in elementary school with the intent of maximizing a potential golf career, Han quickly picked up the Americanized nickname of Steve. Depending upon what happens next, college coaches across the land might fast settle on "Pandora" instead.

In mid-2005, when Every was preparing for his senior year at the University of Florida, he petitioned the NCAA to allow him to enter Q-school as an amateur. Because Every had made the cut at the 2005 U.S. Open earlier that summer, he was exempt into the second stage of tour Q-school. Nobody had ever before pressed the point. "So, it was worth looking into," Every said this week.

While the tour earlier had opened the door to amateurs competing in Q-school with no loss of eligibility, the NCAA strictures were far less clear. Facing opposition from college golf coaches, it took weeks for Every's clearance to be granted by NCAA bureaucrats, by which time, he said, the second stage of Q-school already had begun. "So it was 'thanks for nothing,'" said Every, a second-year pro who is making his first appearance in the finals this week.