Jamerson seeking top-10 finish in first major, PGA Championship

APPOMATTOX — The members at Falling River Country Club have the best of intentions. As they walk into the pro shop or linger around the clubhouse, they offer Faber Jamerson encouragement. Go get ’em, they say. Go down and make the cut.

The words "make the cut" make Jamerson cringe, just a little bit. He’s a little too competitive to go to a four-round tournament hoping to stick around for the weekend, whether it’s the State Open of Virginia or the PGA Championship. Today, Jamerson will make the walk to the first tee at the Atlanta Athletic Club at 7:50 a.m., surely a bundle of nerves. That comes with the territory of playing in a major championship for the first time, representing the fulfillment of a lifetime of hard work.

But he won’t be trying to just make the cut.

"I’m playing pretty good," Jamerson said with a sly smile. "I went to Kinloch in Richmond (last week) because I wanted to play a longer golf course and get a feel for where my game stood. I struck the ball extremely well there. … What a lot of people don’t realize is that I’ve played against a lot of these guys before. I’ve played a lot of golf with some of them. I know I can play with them. I know I can beat them. I know they can beat me.

"Realistically, if I go there and play the way I know I can play, I don’t see why I can’t finish in the Top 10."

A top-four finish in Atlanta would allow Jamerson the opportunity to play across the state at Augusta National in next year’s Masters. Jamerson has been before as a spectator, but he vowed that he wouldn’t return to Magnolia Lane unless he was a competitor.

Is finishing that high too far fetched? Maybe. But consider this. This year marked the first time he was eligible to compete in the PGA Professionals National Championship, a tournament that features the top PGA pros from across the country. There were no jitters in Hershey, Pa., in July. He led the tournament after 70 holes, finished tied for the lead after 72 and lost on the second hole of a playoff, clinching not only his spot in the field in Atlanta but also a place on the U.S. PGA Cup team.

"If I can get in a couple of practice rounds and get used to the setting, I’ll be fine," Jamerson said. "Since then, I’ve kind of been in the mindset of, ‘Why not me? Why not now?’"

Jamerson will have experience on his bag this week in Rick Schuller, the PGA pro at Swaders Sports Park in Prince George. Schuller has competed in four PGA Championships and just missed qualifying for this year’s event. When Jamerson asked Schuller to caddie for him in Atlanta, he was worred that Schuller would think the job was beneath him. Schuller quieted those concerns quickly.

"Faber has been like a little brother to me in the section (the Middle Atlantic PGA)," Schuller said. "I’ve helped him with his golf swing over the years. We’re always competing against each other and knocking our heads against the wall and having fun that way. We respect each others’ games.

"I wanted to make him feel comfortable and confident, so I offered my services to him. … We’ve been meeting along the way, just talking and getting his mind right. We’re setting some nice goals of what we want to accomplish. My job is just to keep him confident and calm. I’ll be his swing coach, too, if he needs anything. I think we’ll be a good team."

Schuller helped Jamerson set up some practice rounds in Atlanta with several PGA players, including Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Steve Marino and Lucas Glover. Jamerson also played a practice round with David Hutsell, the Baltimore pro who beat him in the playoff at Hershey.

Jamerson has experience playing high-level golf within the state and the Middle Atlantic PGA. He’s a three-time State Open champion who has rebounded nicely from reconstructive knee surgery. There’s still some lingering pain, especially when walking 18 holes on hilly terrain, but it’s nothing he can’t manage with over-the-counter pain medicine.

He had the surgery in December 2008 and won the 2009 State Open in dominating fashion, finishing five strokes ahead of the nearest competitor at the Independence Club in Midlothian. He averaged better than 300 yards off the tee in Hershey, including a 377-yard drive on a downhill par-5. That length will serve him well in Atlanta, as long as he hits it straight. The AAC features springy Bermuda rough that makes any shot that strays from the fairway an adventure.

"His game is very similar to mine, as far as how far he hits it and what he can do with his short game," Schuller said. "I think it sets up great for him. It’s pretty much right in front of you. The collection of par-3s there is very difficult, so we’ll put an emphasis on playing smart around the par-3s, because there’s trouble lurking. I think he’ll do very well on that golf course, because he has the length to play that golf course well."

Jamerson may not have to face large crowds during the first two days. He’s grouped with Charlie Wi and Kevin Streelman, who are ranked 66th and 67th in the most recent FedExCup standings. Neither are the sort of household names that draw big galleries.

If he does make it to the weekend, the crowds will change. But by then, Jamerson will no doubt be adjusted to his environs, and he’ll have an ally on the bag who has gone through all of it before. Schuller was the low club pro at the 2001 PGA Championship at AAC, finishing 43rd.

"You’re still the same person," Schuller said. "It’s neat doing all of the interviews and all of the media requests and signing autographs and all that kind of stuff. I was paired with Thomas Bjorn on Saturday. I walked up to the first tee and Byron Nelson was still alive then. He was sitting in a wingback chair, and there’s a huge gallery of people sitting in the grandstand around the first tee. You’re shaking like a leaf and you’re nervous. But you’ve got to let him know that everyone’s feeling that and thinking that.

"But if you’re prepared for the event and you can get over that, whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people, it really starts to disappear and you get into your own game. … He’s done this enough. He’s won enough golf tournaments. He’s experienced the heart-rate changes enough. He knows how to deal with it. He’s performed under the pressure. He has aspirations of playing really well there. He’s not going there just to participate. That’s great and encouraging to hear. I’m looking for great things from him."