Putting the law down on career

As Andrew Thompson is finding out, golf isn’t so cushy after

college, especially if you’re aiming for the professional ranks and

realizing the extremely fine lines along the way.

Thompson, once an Estancia High standout under Coach Art Perry and

a June graduate at UC San Diego, where he played golf for four years,

has entered the post-collegiate world of reality, which can often

bite like a chip shot spinning back on the green.

A scratch golfer, Thompson made the cut at the San Diego City

Amateur Championship and finished in the top 30, and, with trying to

qualify for the 2003 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines on the

horizon, he continues to play “a lot” of golf and doesn’t discount

the dream of playing one day for high stakes.

Still, following a successful career at NCAA Division II UCSD -- a

Division III school when Thompson started as a freshman -- he’s

keeping his options open because he’s aware of the sometimes cruel

certainties the game can bring.

“I’m taking the (Law School Admission Test) for law school next

year,” said Thompson, who played on UCSD’s Division III national

championship team his sophomore year. “I’m still based down here (in

San Diego) for golf reasons. Two jobs I have make it beneficial for

me to stay down here and practice. I’m still living with guys on the

team.”

On the golf course, Thompson is capable of going from one extreme

to another.

This year, for example, Thompson qualified for the Long Beach

Open, after shooting 1-under-par 71 at Recreation Park Golf Course in

Long Beach and earning one of six spots -- out of 160 players -- in a

one-day qualifier July 9. But then Thompson struggled in the first

round (81) and missed the cut.

In the Costa Mesa City Championships at Costa Mesa Golf & Country

Club, Thompson blitzed the Mesa Linda course in the first round,

carding a 5-under 65 to end the day one stroke off the pace. But he

fell out of contention during the second round on the Los Lagos

course.

“I’m just working on my game and trying to get more consistent,”

Thompson said. “I have no illusions. I have expectations of myself,

but I know I need to work on things. You’ve got to be realistic.

That’s why I’m going the route with the law school next fall. I’m

applying now.”

Thompson, who grew up playing at Mesa Verde Country Club on his

grandparents’ membership, is preparing these days for the Coronado

City Championships in November at Coronado Municipal Golf Course,

where Thompson won in 2000.

Mesa Verde Country Club, which is planning a grand reopening of

its renovated clubhouse in late January or early February, will host

the Southern California Mid-Amateur Championship next August (25-26).

Just in case you missed it, Arnold Palmer shot his age (73) in the

final round of last week’s Napa Valley Championship presented by

Beringer Vineyards at Silverado Country Club in Napa.

The Costa Mesa men’s club will host its 31st annual Charity Golf

Tournament Dec. 7-8 to benefit the 850 developmental disabled

residents of Fairview Development Center, adjacent to Costa Mesa Golf

& Country Club. The tournament is open to the public. The entry fee

is $70 on Saturday and $75 on Sunday, or $135 for both days. Details:

(714) 962-1403.