Live Oak grad John Ellis fell two strokes short of the
qualifying mark at the U.S. Open last week
San Diego
From his house in San Jose, John Ellis watched parts of Monday’s thrilling 19-hole playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate on TV.
It was Ellis’ third day since exiting the U.S. Open Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego, and the Live Oak High School and Gavilan College product spent most of it getting back to work.
“It was a great experience being down there and playing with that kind of competition,” Ellis said in a telephone interview. “My confidence level is up. Now, I just need to keep doing my best and improving.”
Ellis, 29, said he left for practice Monday after Woods built a three-stroke lead over Mediate. Ellis came back just in time to see Woods two-putt the 19th playoff hole and capture his 14th career major victory.
“That’s Tiger for you,” Ellis said. “Rocco did a heck of a job hanging in there. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him or Tiger, but I would have said good luck.”
Ellis, who missed the Open’s 36-hole cut by two strokes Friday, returns to the Canadian Tour this week hoping to regain his lead in the Order of Merit while making strides toward his ultimate goal of playing on the PGA Tour. The Morgan Hill native tees off at the Greater Vancouver Charity Classic this weekend before heading to Toronto for a celebrity pro-am event on the Nationwide Tour. He’s been paired to play with Janet Jones, wife of Wayne Gretzky.
“I feel like I’m on the right track,” said Ellis, who came away with back-to-way Canadian Tour victories in spring. “I wasn’t happy not making the cut last week, but I was pleased with how I played and how I handled the pressure.”
Ellis felt little of it Thursday in the opening round despite carding a 6-over-par 77. He shaved three strokes off in the second round, firing a 3-over-par 74 to finish the tournament at 9-over-par. The cut was 7-over.
“I was expecting to play better, especially that first day,” Ellis said. “After a couple holes, I got into my rhythm and it felt like a normal tournament.
“My goal Friday was to cut down on the double bogeys, make less mistakes and be less aggressive.”
Ellis saved one of his best holes for last. In front of a well-packed gallery at the 18th, Ellis landed his approach shot roughly 100 yards from the green. He wedged onto the green, then sank an eight-foot putt for birdie.
“That was a great feeling – ending with a birdie putt in front of the crowd,” Ellis said. “It’s always exciting to do that.”
It was one of two birdies on the day for Ellis, who collected his second on No. 2. Ellis offset those with five bogeys, including a three-putt finish on the third hole.
“I was eliminating bad shots, but I still had a couple,” he said. “In the end, those were the difference for me.”
Ellis looked back on his Open debut with mixed feelings. Although a rewarding experience, Ellis admitted it could easily have been better.
“It is a little frustrating,” he said. “I know I can play with the best in the world and play at this level week in and week out. I always feel like I could, but you don’t know for sure until you do it.”
