A member of Ball State's men's golf team will be in the national spotlight today when he competes against a young, rising star -- a 15-year-old, female star.
Junior C.D. Hockersmith will be playing teen-sensation Michelle Wie in front of hundreds of people after he advanced in the 80th U.S. Golf Association's National Public Links Championship on Wednesday.
"I'm looking forward to that," Hockersmith said. "Not too many people get the opportunity. No matter what, it's going to be fun, and I'm going to enjoy it.
"I don't know if it's really hit me yet. It probably won't until I'm walking up to hit [on the first tee]."
He tees off against Wie at 8:09 a.m. Muncie time.
"It's a great opportunity," Ball State coach Mike Fleck said. "It's gonna really give C.D. a chance to go play somebody high-profile like Michelle Wie. He's been playing good golf."
Hockersmith advanced to the round of 32 by defeating Nathan Schenz-Davis of San Diego Wednesday on the 17th hole of match play. Hockersmith entered the second half of the match one stroke behind Schenz-Davis, but responded by halving the 10th and 11th holes, and he later went one-up on the 14th hole. Hockersmith increased his lead two-up with a birdie on the 16th hole that eventually clinched the win on 17.
Wie, who's been making headlines the past few years as a teen golfing sensation, defeated Auburn graduate Will Claxton to advance.
''I'm very relieved I got through today,'' Wie told The Associated Press. ''It was really tough out there. I have a lot more days to go, so hopefully I can keep that trend going."
"Tomorrow's a whole new day,'' she said to the AP about her match against Hockersmith.
Wie's participation in the tournament hasn't come without controversy. On Tuesday, she came under criticism by Danny Green, who was upset by Roger Welch on Wednesday despite being tied for second in the tournament. Green said Tuesday he believed Wie was a great player but felt she should compete only against women.
Hockersmith disagreed with Green's comments but said he wished men had the opportunity to play in women's tournaments, if women can play in men's tournaments.
"I think it's great that she's playing," Hockersmith said. "If you want to win a tournament, you want to beat the best players."
"I like his chances [against Wie]," Fleck said. "He's playing really good golf right now. I think he's going to do a good job and give her a competitive match."
Fleck said he spoke to Hockersmith and told him to "'definitely enjoy the moment and the experience, but go out there to play and win.'
"He's very driven to go out there and beat her. He's playing to win."
Hockersmith is familiar to playing while all eyes are on him. He won the 2004 Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational, and he led Richmond High School to a state championship in 2003 as a senior.
"It helps you draw back knowing you've done it before," he said. "It's really about trying to take as much pressure off as possible. Its just another shot. That's how you've got to look at it."
Hockersmith said he'll have to block out the crowd -- which was an estimated 500 to 600 spectators following Wie on Wednesday -- stay patient and focus on each shot. He also said he considers himself the underdog, despite being the higher seed.
"I don't think his mindset changes playing Michelle Wie versus anyone else," Fleck said. "His mindset will be to play as well as he can play. I feel real confident of his ability to go out there and compete with her."
The winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship has traditionally been invited to play in the Masters the following year.
The U.S. Amateur tournament was started in 1922 to give public-course players the opportunity to play in a national championship. All four major tournaments have had champions who competed in the U.S. Amateur Championship, including 1964 U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi and 1969 Masters winner George Archer.
Hockersmith advanced to the U.S. Amateur Championship by finishing second -- only one shot behind the winner -- at the sectional qualifier last month at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville.
"I feel good," Hockersmith said. "I played behind her [Wednesday], so I saw her hit some. For the first two rounds, I beat her, so I know I'm capable of it."
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