It’s a signed cap that’s grown dusty over the years, but it remains clean.
“Oh, I’ve still got it,” Perry Cohen said. “I just wish it just had his signature on it instead of it being with 30 other guys.”
Cohen, a golfer participating in the final U.S. Open qualifying event, snagged Tiger Woods’ John Hancock at the Torrey Pines Golf Course as a teenager.
It was the amazing Woods’ jaw-dropping performances that drew in Cohen back then and that pushes him today.
“The way he was just dominating the game it helped my fascination with the game grow,” Cohen, 27, said.
So, when Woods departed No. 18 on that eventful day at the then-Buick Invitational, Cohen was waiting — along with a boatload of other autograph-seekers.
“I just stuck my hat out with everyone else and he grabbed it,” Cohen said, still proud of securing a scribble that produced a memory that never fades.
Cohen was front-and-center at the area’s first step toward gaining entrance into this year’s U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club, June 15-18. On a blustery day recently in Carmel Valley, Cohen took medalist honors with a 7-under-par 65 at the Grand Golf Club.
That pushed Cohen into the sectional round, which will be held Monday at L.A.’s Hillcrest Country Club. Others moving on from the Grand included three amateurs in Escondido’s Connor Williams, an Arizona State commit, Japan’s Leo Oyo and San Diego’s Kevin Jiang. Former San Diego State standout Steve Sugimoto also finished among the top five.
Among those advancing among the record 10,187 entrants from other sites included Carlsbad’s Alexander Yang and Rancho Santa Fe’s Anthony Paolucci.
For Cohen, who’s in his second season on the PGA Tour Canada, it was his chance to shine on his home course. He’s a regular at the Grand, and among those beating on the door to make their mark in golf.
“There is such a good group of pros and college kids out there, many of which I’ve been playing with since coming up in San Diego Junior Golf,” said La Jolla’s Cohen. “When you’re out there training with your friends, it makes a long day that much easier.”
Shawn Cox, the longtime director of golf at the Grand, noted that Cohen isn’t allergic to the grind required to excel at golf’s highest levels.
“Perry has a passion for the game,” Cox said. “He’s determined to improve, and he works diligently on all aspects, including his fitness off the course.”
If Cohen stays the course with his stellar play, just maybe he’s teeing it up in golf’s third major of the season.
“Just to be out there playing with the best players in the world, and with it being so close to home so friends and family could watch me, that would be incredible,’’ Cohen said. “I imagine it would be the greatest week of my life.”
Cohen’s dream had some wind put under its wings with the recently showing of Orange County club pro Michael Block. He qualified for the recent PGA Championship and stunned everyone with a top-15 finish over four rounds, a performance that included a hole-in-one.
In a blink of an eye, Block went from being anonymous to among the biggest stories the event produced.
“You can see how fast someone’s life can change,” Cohen said. “It’s weird because with other sports there is a draft, and you get on a team and everything is set out for you. But with golf, there’s a chance that your life can really change in a week’s time.”
After Cohen advanced this far on two other occasions in the U.S. Open qualifying, maybe the third time comes with charm, and more importantly, low scores.
That’s something Cohen would quickly sign off on. Just maybe, he’ll also jot down his name on a youngster’s cap when exiting No. 18.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
