Penn's Pipitone in NCAAs

It was sort of like the movie "Tin Cup." Not the end, but the qualifier. And instead of the U.S. Open Sectional, it was the NCAA West Regional, nearly 2 weeks ago at Arizona State's Karsten Golf Course.

But just like the movie's Roy McEvoy, Penn freshman Chance Pipitone faced a 40-foot putt with some movement on it. If he made it, he was moving on to the national tournament. If not, he was in a playoff. Unless, of course, he three-putted, in which case he was headed home. Only Pipitone didn't know where he stood at the time, even though his teammates did. Naturally his ball hit nothing but the bottom.

"When I drained it, I threw a little fist-pump, let out a little yell," Pipitone said. "I didn't know what it was for. But [my teammates] were going crazy on the side [of the green]. That was the really cool thing.

"My playing partners were real excited, too. They were good guys. One had a chip right in front of me, on the same line. I told him to make it. He just trickled one over the edge. As it's rolling, he comes over and grabs my shoulder and we're watching it together. I told him thanks for the read. He said the only reason I made it was because of him."

Pipitone, who had just birdied 17, closed with a 7-under 65, to go with his previous two rounds of 67 and 70. He had carded a 65 before, but never on a par 72.

Pipitone advanced by being one of the top two individuals from non-qualifying teams at the regional in Tempe.

His next stop is Williamsburg, Va., where today through Saturday he will compete over 72 holes at the Golden Horseshoe G.C. He is believed to be the second Quakers golfer to ever make it this far. Don Norbury, in 1959 and '60, qualified twice. Penn, which won the Ivy League title for the first time since 1998, had advanced to the NCAAs for the first time in 42 years, and just the fourth time ever.

For his efforts, Pipitone was named the men's college player of the week by Golfweek magazine.

"It's an unbelievable story, because it just came out of nowhere," gushed third-year Penn coach Rob Powelson. "I mean, it's a fairy tale. They wouldn't have even put odds on him in Vegas. This is our Smarty Jones.

"The first day, he was like a curiosity. By the time it was over, he was turning everybody's head. It's just not supposed to happen like that. Like the UCLA coach said, he made a statement. It had that wow factor.

"He's a rare breed. Some guys are real comfortable when they get to 2-under par. They just want to stay there. But he wants to go deeper."

Pipitone wasn't heavily recruited coming out of Strake Jesuit High in Houston. He could have walked on at Southern California, but opted for the Wharton School. His sister Alison is a diver at Harvard, which didn't hurt.

"I was talking to some other schools, but I saw what she did," Pipitone explained. "My parents have always pushed school on both of us. I'm happy. You can't turn down Wharton."

"Hey, I'm a Saint Joe guy," Powelson said. "I joke with [Hawks athletic director] Don DiJulia about it. I'm all for a Jesuit eduction, but I think he's done pretty good for himself. And us."

Pipitone figures the odds on him will be just as long in the finals. Yet he doesn't seem that concerned about it. Not his style.

"You've got to have some confidence in yourself," he said. "I trust my game. When I go out there, I don't think anyone's any better, I don't care who they are. I was planning on making it [this far] the whole time. Our family was planning a trip during the tournament. I asked when we were leaving. I asked them to move the trip back a week. I was optimistic."

He didn't have a good fall season, after breaking his ankle last June. Not that it matters any more.

"You have to have the right mentality," Pipitone said. "I'm sure I surprised a lot of people. But I thought I could do it. I think my family did, too.

"I wanted to show them the Ivy League can play, too." *