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August 8, 2013
Rancho Santa Fe Review
GOLFER continued from page 1 on the pro circuit in his 2010 debut before a back injury sent his career into a free fall. A year after undergoing surgery, Lovemark is on the comeback trail. He is coming off a breakout month, placing in the top 10 in three straight July tournaments, highlighted by winning the Midwest Classic on the Web.com tour on July 21. Lovemark tied for seventh the previous week at the Utah Championship on July 14 and tied for sixth at the Albertsons Boise Open on July 28. Before the Utah Championship, Lovemark had made cuts in just five of his previous 12 tournaments on the tour – without a top10 finish. His turnaround has thrilled his Rancho Santa Fe fans who weren’t sure if their prodigy would ever pick up where he left off when he hurt his back. “His career looked like it was in a state of collapse of a few years ago,” Courtney acknowledged. “Now he’s returned and everybody is very happy about it – everybody.” Lovemark won the Mid-
west Classic in thrilling fashion, with him draining a 15foot par put on the last hole to win the tournament by one stroke. Lovemark shot a 5-under-par 66 on the final day and a 18-under 266 overall at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate. Lovemark’s title was his first since wining the Mexico Open in 2010 – his only other professional championship. The win also catapulted Lovemark from 76th to 14th on this year’s money list, earning him $108,000 to bring his total for the year to $149,983. “It feels great to be playing well again and this win is a huge relief for me,” Lovemark told reporters after winning the Midwest Classic. “It was nice to finally put four good rounds together.” Lovemark had one of the most distinguished careers at arguably the nation’s most prestigious high school programs at Torrey Pines. He averaged a 35.4 score on nine-hole courses his senior year, which worked out to 16 shots under par for the season. He shot an 8-under-par 64 on an 18-hole course at Singing Hills Golf Course, and shot a 30 (6-under-par)
on the front nine holes of the 2006 San Diego Section championships. In 2005 he became the youngest player ever to win the prestigious Western Amateur competing against an international field of elite golfers in a tournament that counts Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard and Phil Mickelson among its previous champions. He won the 2007 NCAA individual championship in 2007 as a freshman at USC where he was a two-time first-team All-American. Lovemark achieved his success with a self-taught swing his father helped him develop – a rarity at a time when individualized instruction is pervasive, and not all for the better, Courtney said. “Most of these players are far, far,far, over-analyzed, over-videoed – and overcoached,” Courtney said. “I think it’s just over the top, I don’t think it’s even good for them, frankly I think they should learn to be more independent, and Jamie is.” The result is a repeatable swing that’s silky smooth and which comes in stark contrast to the more mechanical swings ubiquitous on today’s junior circuit. “It’s refreshing to me to
see somebody that’s done it on their own,” Courtney said. “He has a magnificent game and he learned it on his own.” Lovemark hasn’t been seen much of the home course he practically grew up on since moving to Florida a few years ago. But the former amateur sensation’s resurgence has given his fans back home something to be excited about. “He’s just a nice young man and all of us at Ranch Santa Fe are thrilled and hope that he (continues) on his comeback trail,” Courtney said. “I hope he continues and I’m not alone — he’s got a lot of fans in this town. Everybody around our club — the golf people that are paying attention to him — are all abuzz.”
Lady of Fifty wins Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Lady of Fifty raced near the back of the pack for most of the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on Aug. 3 at Del Mar, but then overtook her rivals in the stretch and won by one-and-a-half lengths. She was followed by More Chocolate in second and Byrama in third. Last year’s victor, Include Me Out, was sent to the post as the favorite but finished eighth in the nine-horse field. The 4-year-old Lady of Fifty, with Corey Nakatani in the saddle, covered the 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack in 1:42.96. She is conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and is owned by Hollendorfer and George Todaro. The win has qualified Lady of Fifty for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic in November; the Hirsch was a “Win and You’re In” event in the Breeders’ Cup’s Challenge Series. Photo by Kelley Carlson