Agostini: Bettencourt is proving he belongs

PEBBLE BEACH -- Matt Bettencourt could have steered toward safety Thursday.

Modesto's PGA Tour rookie stood on Poppy Hills' 18th fairway 3 under par for the day and stared down two options: Steer left with his second shot away from danger, or fire for the flagstick for a potential eagle ... or a pick-your-number disaster.

A tall Monterey pine stands at No. 18 between contestants in the fairway and the brave who take dead aim. Beyond the tree spreads a forest to the right, a large bunker in front and, finally, a spine of green.

What we saw next illustrated why Bettencourt, 33, has upgraded from six years of slogging on the mini-tours to golf's top-tier stage. He cut a 3-wood straight over the tree -- "I didn't think he was going straight over" admitted caddie J.J. Jackovac -- to inside 15 feet for a two-putt birdie and a 68 (tied for 13th), a better-than-good start to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Said Bettencourt, bluntly, "I wouldn't have hit that shot if I didn't know I could pull it off."

Say this about the Beyer High graduate: He thinks he belongs out here, and who's to say he doesn't? The 2008 Nationwide Tour champion has carved his own path: No full-time swing coach, no collegiate career, no shortage of doubters and enough time in golf's minor leagues to discourage even the stoutest of hearts.

But there was Bettencourt, performing on the Tour like he always envisioned as a youngster. For him, the target always was golf, followed on the priority list by, well, more golf. He entertained about 50 supporters, including former sponsors from Modesto, with a tough-minded round that displayed how far his game has matured.

"I always enjoy playing in front of family and friends," he said. "This is the most important tournament to me other than the majors."

Bettencourt's story grows better each day. Truth be told, he probably was down to his final shots a year or two ago. He was bouncing between the Canadian and Nationwide tours like a pinball machine on tilt. He loved the game, of course, but sometimes the game didn't love him back.

"I did a lot of sweating," his father Dick Bettencourt admitted.

Then Matt, perhaps sensing the moment, embarked on the two-month run last fall that saved his career. It's been well-documented on these pages how he zoomed from 77th to the top of the Nationwide money list, from journeyman to Tour card-holder. More evidence unfolded Thursday why Bettencourt has gained ground.

The day's first shot was a pull into the trees that produced a bogey. He stressed over a 6-footer for par at the fourth and a 15-footer for par at the seventh, and canned both. He air-mailed the green at the fifth, yet deftly saved par. Bettencourt easily could have been fast-tracking toward a 75 or worse, which probably would have been his result years ago.

"Today was solid. He's still not hitting it just right, but I think he's getting comfortable," said Jackovac, the former NCAA Division II champion from Chico State. "He's starting to hit it better than the last few weeks."

Bettencourt slam-dunked his first legitimate birdie chance, a 20-footer at the eighth. At the par-5 10th, knowing a 5-wood was too much for his second shot, he striped a 3-iron over water onto the green for another two-putt birdie. Then came a 14-footer for a deuce at the 11th and a 25-footer for birdie on 12.

You get the idea: Golf-wise, Bettencourt's dramatically improved putting is the reason he's teeing it up today at Pebble Beach rather than another anonymous stop on the somewhere-else circuit. He negotiated Poppy's quick but soft greens in only 28 putts -- hands connected on the long ones, apart when he's close -- including three that stopped dead in the cup but short.

But, of course, there's more.

"He's worked very hard to be here," said Modesto's Rob Fritzemeier, Bettencourt's caddie from 1998 to 2003. "I've seen his talent. All he needed for his confidence was the putts to drop."

Bettencourt also was followed by more inspiration in fiancee Kelly Rush, the woman he'll marry March 14. She's from Greenville, S.C., (which is why the starter announces his hometown as Greenville on the first tee), and they met on the tournament trail six years ago. She was raised in Augusta, Ga., and attended the Masters as a kid.

"We've gone up and down on the mini-tours. He never gave up on his dream," Rush said. "One thing about Matt, this is his dream. I think it sends out a great message."

The message: Go for it.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.