Golf pros offer pointers

A few hundred children showed up at the Newport Beach Country Club to practice their golf swing with pros such as Andy Bean and Fuzzy Zoeller as part of the Wells Fargo Junior Golf Clinic on Saturday.

Hosted annually in conjunction with the Toshiba Classic, the clinic gives children a chance to learn golf basics and get tips from some of the PGA Champions Tour’s greatest players.

Alma Mendoza, 9, of Santa Ana says she wants to be a professional golfer after getting some help with her swing from Zoeller, 1979 Masters and 1984 U.S. Open champion,

“Anybody got a broom? This girl needs a broom,” Zoeller said after Alma’s numerous attempts a hitting the ball yield nothing but a torn up green.

Alma just laughed.

After some more guidance from Zoeller, Alma manages to hit the ball a few times.

“I feel lucky to be here,” she said. “Golf is a good sport. It lets you show you have talent in you.”

Eduardo Moctezuma, 11, of Santa Ana, said he got some good tips from Zoeller.

“He told me how to hold the club and how to send the ball up into the air,” Eduardo said. “It’s fun.”

Zoeller didn’t have to give 5-year-old Jaden Huggins, of Murrieta, any pointers.

Three-foot-tall Jaden sends the ball sailing down the fairway several times to Zoeller’s amazement.

“I’ve been golfing since I was 1,” Jaden said, adding that his favorite golfers are Camilo Villegas and Tiger Woods.

Jaden started playing golf when he was about 17 months old, his mother, Sara Huggins said. He took up an interest in the sport after seeing it on television.

“He watches golf on TV instead of cartoons,” Huggins said. “He begged me to bring him here today.”