MEN'S GOLF: Hawkins, five other area players qualify for Kentucky Open (08/03)

By GREG CREWS gcrews@thenewsenterprise.com FORT KNOX — With a college degree in hand and a job at an accounting firm in Jeffersonville, Ind., Troy Hawkins thought he was ready to put his competitive golfing days behind him. The golf gods, however, seemed to have other plans. It didn’t take long for the North Hardin High School and Western Kentucky University graduate to once again get the itch for the sport, quit his job and begin pursuing a career as a professional golfer. “I thought when I graduated last May, ‘Golf isn’t for me. I’m burned out,’” Hawkins said. “But the more I was away from it, the more I missed it and I got more of an appreciation for it that I didn’t really have before. … The buzz hit me all over again.” The first step in Hawkins’ return to competitive golf came Friday in the 5/3 Bank/Callaway Golf Kentucky Open Qualifier at Lindsey Golf Course. With a two-under 69, Hawkins tied for second out of a field of 104 and easily qualified for the Kentucky Open Championship along with five other area golfers. “That’s what I was wanting the Kentucky Open to be: A way for me to get my feet wet again in competitive golf,” Hawkins said. “I double-bogeyed the last hole, so I was on pace to have a really good finish before that, but I still was pretty pleased with the way it went.” Also finishing in the top 31 and earning spots in the Kentucky Open Championship — which runs Aug. 12-14 at Audubon Country Club in Louisville — were John Hardin High School graduate Karsten Clements, who shot a one-under 70; Central Hardin graduate Brandon Young (74); John Hardin graduate Andrew Flynn (74); Elizabethtown resident Rodney Chancey (75) and LaRue County graduate Cory Cox (75). “(The Kentucky Open) is the biggest tournament that the state holds in my opinion because it is open to anyone, professional or amateur,” Hawkins said. “It’s not a tournament that you can take lightly.” Hawkins, who finished sixth in 2006, will certainly not be taking it lightly as he looks to jumpstart his golf career. He plans on playing a full season on the Hooters Golf Tour next year, and if that goes well Hawkins will go to Q-School (A PGA Tour qualifying tournament) in the hopes of earning a spot on the PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour. “It’s a big adjustment,” Hawkins said of getting back into golf. “For the last year and a half I have been a weekend golfer. It was frustrating not to keep my game sharp. Now I’m trying to get it back so I can pursue that dream.” Greg Crews can be reached at 505-1754