There's something about golf that fosters great father-son memories.
Mike Van Sickle has some of those, and he created another for his father, Gary, last week when he made it through the first round of qualifying for the U.S. Open.
The younger Van Sickle, a sophomore at Marquette University, won a three-man playoff for the fifth spot at North Shore Country Club in Mequon, Wis.
Gary, a senior golf writer for Sports Illustrated, made it through local qualifying when son Mike was much younger. He entered the same qualifier as his son this year, but didn't advance.
"I remember that he qualified, but I didn't see it," Mike Van Sickle told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I had school that day. I think I was still in elementary school."
The playoff involved Van Sickle, Michael Harris, a Nationwide Tour player, and Gary March, a teaching pro from Illinois.
It looked like Van Sickle was in trouble when his drive caught deep rough on the left side and his choked-down 5-iron approach landed in casual water from a nearby pond that overflowed from hours of rain.
His nearest point of relief was in a bunker, and his drop plugged. He gouged the ball out and onto the green, leaving himself a 40-foot par putt, which he made.
Van Sickle won on the next hole with a par when Harris yanked his tee shot into the left trees and had to lay up short of the green.
Van Sickle, whose family lives in Wexford, became the first Marquette golfer to compete in the NCAA regionals when he competed at Rich Harvest Golf Club in Sugar Grove, Ill. Marquette's team did not qualify for the regional, but Van Sickle competed as an individual. He finished 17th in the 141-man field. Only the top two individuals advanced to the NCAA final tournament.
Palmer at Jack's place
Arnold Palmer will be part of the Memorial Tournament May 28 in Dublin, Ohio.
The Honoree Ceremony, which includes a concert by the Ohio State University Spring Band, recognizes accomplishments in golf each year. This year's honorees are Dow Finsterwald and Louise Suggs, along with journalism honoree Frank Chirkinian.
Palmer, who was an honoree in 1993, will be on hand to introduce long-time friend Finsterwald.
CST in HOF
Sewickley's Carol Semple Thompson is one of three people to be elected to the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame for 2007.
Semple Thompson, a 1970 graduate of Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., will be joined by Arizona's Kris Johnson. Edean Ihlanfeldt of Washington goes in as a coach.
You were watching
It looks like a significant number of golf fans in the Pittsburgh television market took some time out of their Mother's Day observances to watch the final round of The Players Championship on NBC. Pittsburgh tied with Denver and St. Louis with a 5.1 rating and a 13 share.
Not surprising, the top five markets were all in Florida: Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Tampa.
Overall, the coverage averaged over 5.01 million viewers, more than a million more viewers than last year.
