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Longhorn hooked on golf David Gossett makes it official: He's going pro
By Gary Van Sickle, Sports Illustrated ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- David Gossett didn't make the cut in his first British Open but it was an eventful week, nonetheless. He got to see St. Andrews and its legendary Old Course and was paired with Tiger Woods as Woods opened a three-shot lead over the first two rounds. And, oh, yes. Saturday afternoon, about an hour before Woods was due to tee off in the third round, Gossett made official what everyone had suspected -- he will turn pro after two seasons at the University of Texas. "This is the home of golf, it's a great place to turn professional," Gossett said. "It's been a great year for me. I just have a gut feeling it's time. Seeing what Tiger has done the last few years and what other players my age have done, like Sergio Garcia and even Aaron Baddeley , who hasn't turned pro, encouraged me. I played in junior and amateur golf and beat them my fair share. Now I can focus on my game." Gossett, who is from Memphis, Tenn., won the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. He played in the Walker Cup, was a two-time All-American at Texas and is a former American Junior Golf Association player of the year. He'll make his professional debut at The International next month at Castle Pines. He also has three other PGA Tour invitations -- the Air Canada Open, the Reno-Tahoe Open and the Texas Open. He can receive a maximum of seven sponsor exemptions to play in Tour events. If he doesn't finish among the Tour's top 125, he said, he'll play in the qualifying tournament this fall.
"Playing with Nicklaus was special," Gossett said. "It was his last time playing in four majors and I'm just starting out. That was pretty cool. If Tiger goes on to win, I got to see him up close and personal for two days." One highlight of St. Andrews for Gossett was the 150-foot putt he faced on the fifth green during Friday's second round. "That's a little links-style golf action," Gossett said, laughing about his subsequent three-putt. As for his new career, he said, "The game is changing with Tiger and Sergio. You Don't have to be 30 anymore to go and play some great golf." Gossett was going to go play some golf of his own after meeting with reporters Saturday outside the press center. He and his father, Larry, planned to visit the much-heralded new Kingsbarns golf course, a few miles down the road, and see if they could get a round in. Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle is filing daily from the British Open for CNNSI.com.
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