GOLF / SCGA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP : Berry Is Talking a Good Game Again After Struggles

Many competitive golfers struggle with their confidence. The game at its higher levels is so mentally taxing that some reach a point where they question whether they belong on the same course as their opponents.

Chris Berry never had that problem at Esperanza High or on the national junior golf circuit. He was good--and wasn’t afraid to tell people. And he backed it up with results, winning three Empire League individual titles and twice finishing among the top five in the Southern Section. He was ranked among the top junior golfers in the country.

College golf, he figured, wouldn’t be much different. Turns out, he was wrong.

After accepting a scholarship at Arizona, Berry struggled in his first collegiate golf season. The school work was difficult, he didn’t get along with some of his teammates, and his game abandoned him at the worst of times.

Berry was a solid contributor early in the season but had a couple of shaky tournaments late and was bumped from the lineup for the postseason. Without him, the Wildcats finished 13th in the NCAA Division I championships.

“It was tough,” Berry said this week from his Yorba Linda home. “I think I got a lot out of it. I may not have played as well as I could but I grew up fast.

“I’m on a mission this summer to go out and prove myself. I shouldn’t have to, but I want to do it for myself, and I want to go out and prove it to some people.”

He will have another opportunity. He’s playing in the 96th Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship today through Sunday at Santa Ana Country Club.

Berry already has had a decent summer. Early last month, he finished among the top 10 at the Southwestern Amateur in El Paso. Then he made match play at the California Golf Assn. Amateur at Pebble Beach and was runner-up by one stroke at the Long Beach City Men’s Championship.

“I’m having a lot of fun this summer,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve played bad in one tournament.”

Berry’s feeling of rejuvenation coincided with his return home and his decision to transfer to Nevada Las Vegas. He had agonized over the decision because he liked the Arizona program and Coach Rick LaRose. But he didn’t “see eye to eye” with some of the players and figured it was time for a change.

“Going back to Arizona would have been like going back to a golf course you don’t play well at,” Berry said. “I think I needed a fresh start and I think it will work out for the best.”

Now, he’s having fun again and talking like the Berry of old.

“I’ve just gotten my confidence back,” he said. “I feel like I can beat the world right now and I’m looking forward to it.”

SCGA Amateur Notes

The tournament begins with two rounds today. First tee times are at 7 a.m. on the first and 10th tees; the afternoon round starts at 12:30 p.m. After the second round the 84-player field will be cut to the low 42 and ties. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Spectators are welcome but requested to observe the club’s dress code: shirts must have collars, shorts must be tailored. Denim is not allowed. Admission is free . . . Fourteen players from the county are entered: Joey Adamo (Orange), Kevin Barclay (San Juan Capistrano), Chris Berry (Yorba Linda), Steve Collins (Santa Ana Heights), Don Dubois (Coto de Caza), Jim George (Lake Forest), Rick Herrera (Orange), Jason Hewitt (Laguna Niguel), Boyd Martin (Corona del Mar), Rik Newby (Orange), John McDonald (San Clemente), Rich Sims (Placentia), Rick Talt (Laguna Beach) and Douglas Tambara (Huntington Beach).