Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Staying busy helps PGA rookie Bettencourt

Agostini On Golf

It took Matt Bettencourt a long time to reach the PGA Tour and, once he got there, he didn't waste time.

"I wanted to see as many courses as I could. Plus, you're excited to be out there," the Beyer High graduate said. "I didn't want to miss a week."

Bettencourt, 34, maxed out his rookie year in more ways than one. He retained his Tour card for 2010 simply by taking few weeks off.

And, by the way, he also got married on Masters weekend. "It's been a long year and a good one," he said.

The Tour concluded its final tournament last weekend, and it hardly matterced that Bettencourt missed the cut. He finished 111th on the money list with $740,037 in winnings and was easily inside the top 125 fully exempt for next year.

The numbers reveal Bettencourt's persistence. He entered 31 tournaments, more than anyone in the top 125 except No. 43 Brian Davis (32). Simply, he gave himself more opportunities, a strategy that proved successful.

Bettencourt, a resident of Greenville, S.C., survived 17 cuts and compiled only two top-10 finishes, but they came back-to-back with most of the golf world watching. He was tied for the lead at the Memorial, Jack Nicklaus' tournament, with 18 holes to go and tied for fifth. Then, at the U.S. Open at Bethpage, N.Y., he battled through final-round tension and tied for 10th. Those two results catapulted him into next year.

He called his performance at Bethpage the best of the year because it also qualified him to play in front of family and friends at next year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

"It was the most people I've ever played in front of. I was struggling the first day until I made a few birdies coming in. The next day, they just took me in," Bettencourt said. "They were loud and boistrous. I'm looking forward to playing in that atmosphere again."

Bettencourt received wise advice from veterans such as Rocco Mediate and Kenny Perry, who told him not to sweat the bad weeks. His year would be defined, they advised, by about three or four events.

Statistics indicate he pulled the most from his game. He was ranked 52nd in driving distance but 131st in total driving. His lofty 3.72-per-round birdie average (36th) produced a scoring average of only 71.38 (143rd). He was an OK 92nd in total putting but an ordinary 130th in the all-around, a compilation of all categories. Translation: Bettencourt made the most of his hot weeks.

"I was surprised that I got in contention a couple of times and I held by own. I held it together," he said.

Golf observers didn't expect much from Bettencourt. Though he won the Nationwide Tour title in 2008 and was its top-ranked graduate onto the Tour, he was viewed as a journeyman. Younger upstarts with more flashy pedigrees gained most of the attention.

Well, at least half of the "Class of 2008" lost their playing privileges. Bettencourt will be back, but not before he tends to some physical issues. He still plans to undergo surgery, probably some time after Thanksgiving, to repair a torn AC joint at the top of his left shoulder.

It has bothered him, enough to have taken cortizone shots, since the U.S. Open. Nevertheless, he is scheduled to play in the $300,000 Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational beginning Thursday.

"It actually seems to be getting better, which is kind of scary," Bettencourt said. "It's going to be a three-to-four week recovery, and I'll be ready for Sony (Hawaii) and the West Coast swing next year. I'm planning to play in all of them."

He doesn't believe the injury is due to playing too much. In fact, he insists his week-to-week grind opened his door to 2010.

"I wouldn't trade the experiences of competing a lot. I've learned so much this year, especially about the short game and saving strokes," he said. "I think I've matured a lot as a golfer. Next year, I'll set my goals a little higher — to win."

• HOLES-IN-ONE — Dave Christiansen, Modesto, 121-yard second at Del Rio CC (River), 8-iron. ...Todd Oleson, 90-yard fourth at Jack Tone Golf, Ripon, 9-iron. ...Kevin Brown, San Francisco, 165-yard 12th at Stevinson Ranch, 6-iron. ...Tom Ramback, Sonora, 140-yard 12th at Mountain Springs, Sonora, 8-iron.

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