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from Southern Golf Association web site

Spencer Levin’s summer of ’04 golfing odyssey continued in the Southern Amateur on Wednesday. From Shinnecock Hills to Pebble Beach, to The Honors Course, Levin has played some of the best courses in the world the last month or so, enhancing his reputation in the process.

The 1-over-par 73 Levin shot didn’t exactly follow on the heels of his 13^th-place finish at the U.S. Open, or his victory—at storied Pebble Beach—in the California Amateur. But Levin was just glad to be at The Honors Course, one of his favorite places to play.

Not that the native Californian and University of New Mexico Star comes to Ooltewah often. But after playing at The Honors in the Western Junior Amateur three years ago, Levin fell in love with the place. He couldn’t wait to get back for the Southern Amateur.

“The Honors is one of my favorite courses,” Levin said. “It’s a pretty good test of golf.”

Levin was tested on Wednesday, but thought he played better than he scored. He carded four birdies, but also made three bogeys and a double-bogey at No. 9.

“I just made a mistake there,” Levin said. “The pin was in front, and I just tried to power a lob wedge in there instead of just hit my sand wedge onto the green.”

Levin’s approach hit the rocks in front of the green and bounced into the water. Coming on the heels of a bogey at No. 8, the dub had Levin reeling for a bit, but he regrouped with a birdie at No. 11, then offset two back-nine bogeys with two more birdies, the last coming at 18. Levin wasn’t particularly pleased with his putting, especially after three-putting for par at the par-5 17^th, but all things considered, he wasn’t unhappy with the 73.

“Seventy-three is not a bad score,” Levin said. “But it’s not like I grinded to shoot that.”

The only thing that has been a grind for Levin the last month is the breakneck pace on which he’s played golf on both coasts and seemingly everywhere in between. On Tuesday night, he picked up the Southern Golf Association’s National Amateur of the Month award, given to him after his torrid June. Though he’d advanced deep into match play in the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Junior Amateur, Levin hadn’t put his game into the national spotlight until his first-round ace at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills lifted him to a 1-under-par 69. He went on to finish 13^th, the best showing by an amateur since 1971.

“It was a great feeling to perform in a big tournament,” Levin said. “The notoriety has been unbelievable. Everywhere I go, people come up to me and mention the hole-in-one.”

Levin, about to enter his junior year, hasn’t yet seriously entertained the thought of turning pro. He’ll play four more amateur events this summer, then head back to New Mexico.

“It was great to finish 13^th in the U.S. Open,” Levin said. “But it didn’t exactly change my life. I felt like I had to go back to school and continue to get better.”