Conway in Open

Steve Conway, a Newport Beach native who played high school golf at Santa Margarita High and collegiately at UCLA, has stayed in 10 different places in the last 17 days.

All he hopes for now is to stay at the 2009 U.S. Open for four more days and “get out there and relax.”

After Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark pulled out of the Open due to an ear infection, the 27-year-old Conway was the first alternate to replace Kjeldsen and will play today at Bethpage Black, teeing off on the 10th hole at 10:25 a.m. He’ll be playing alongside Peter Hanson of Sweeden and Soren Hansen of Denmark and behind a group that features Phil Mickelson.

“I was eating lunch with my old teammate,” Conway said of when he found out he’ll play in the Open. “I was taking three bites of the perfect pastrami sandwich I made [when I got the call] and didn’t even finish my meal.”

Conway shot a two-under-par 140 in the sectional qualifier in Roslyn, Wash. and now becomes the 31st player in the 156-man field at the Open to have gone through 18-hole local and 36-hole sectional qualifying.

“I’ve been in and out of my suitcase,” Conway said. “I had to do laundry one day and my stuff wasn’t even dry. I had to put it in a plastic bag and dry it later. It’s been a rush.”

It’s been so hetic that Conway said he met his caddie when he took the red-eye from Long Beach Airport to make it to the Open.

“I actually sat next to him on the plane,” he said. “[My caddie] is a sales rep from TaylorMade and he’s the caddie master from a local club three miles down. He’s really a nice guy and it should be fun.”

Conway, who lives in Murrieta, was an All-American in 2003 and received honorable mention in All-American voting in 2004. He was the top money winner on the Golden State Tour in 2006 and 2007.

Conway, who currently plays on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, earned $17,419 last year in the Canadian Professional Golf Tour.

In 11 events, he made seven cuts and his best finish was tied for third at the ATB Financial Classic.

His last Canadian Tour tournament was June 8 at the City of Surrey Invitational where he was nine-under par in the last three rounds to finish tied for 24th.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit,” Conway said about his golf game. “I’ve been making a swing change with Kevin Scheller in L.A. for four months. I’m thinking about it on the course [but] I just need to play my own game and it should be fun.”

He added Bethpage Black — the course on which the Open is played — is as difficult as advertised.

“It’s the longest course I’ve ever played by far,” he said. “It’s like playing No. 4 at Mission Viejo [Country Club] over and over and over. I hit two three woods into holes and a whole bunch of three irons.”

Conway grew up playing Mission Viejo Country Club when he attended Santa Margarita. The No. 4 hole at MVCC, nicknamed “El Diablo,” is a 452-yard par 4 from the championship tees.

Conway has two sisters who are also from the Newport-Mesa area.

Lauren Conway is a sophomore at Newport Harbor High and plays on the tennis team.

Carolyn Conway, a Newport Harbor product who played water polo, graduated from USC last year.