Harvie spends a day with the pros

Local Golf, By Todd Mordhorst, Assistant Sports EditorLINCOLN ? Allyson Harvie got a taste of the LPGA Tour on Monday and it left her thirsting for more.The Bear River senior competed with 19 other players at Twelve Bridges Golf Club for a shot at playing in the Longs Drug Challenge, which begins Thursday. Though her score of seven-over par 79 was not good enough to secure one of the two tournament berths, Harvie was grateful for the experience.?I?ve been trying for about five years to get in and it was great to get a chance,? said Harvie, who was invited to play in the qualifier by the tournament director. ?Just being there and hitting golf balls with some pros was a great experience. It was a learning experience, being inside the ropes instead of outside the ropes.?Harvie played with Jean Zedlitz who joined the LPGA in 1992 after earning all-American honors twice at UCLA. The two were comfortable with one another and why not? After all, Harvie?s caddie Jeff Chleboun had taught Zedlitz when she was young just as he taught Harvie for seven years in her youth at Alta Sierra Golf & Country Club.?I learned a lot from playing with (Zedlitz),? said Harvie. ?She?s out there playing and she would talk about things other than golf. Her demeanor was pretty laid back.?Zedlitz, who won the 1985 Junior National Championship shot 75 on Monday and just missed qualifying for the prestigious Longs Drugs Challenge. The tournament at Twelve Bridges will feature defending champion Se Ri Pak and the top ranked player in the world Annika Sorenstam, among others.Harvie said her nerves got the best of her on the front nine on Monday. She put a nice back nine together, including a birdie on No. 17, but she couldn?t recover from the poor start.?It was a rough day, but I?ve never been in an LPGA qualifier,? she said.Harvie said she has played Twelve Bridges about eight times and has shot even par on the course. She had over 20 people in the gallery supporting her and was definitely the local favorite, but the Ohio State-bound Harvie came up a bit short in her first tournament against professionals.?I made the day a little harder than I would have liked,? she said. ?Today was something that juniors always dream about and that was something I couldn?t set aside. I didn?t really get over it until the back nine.?The valuable experience could pay off this summer as Harvie prepares for some major tournaments beginning with a qualifier for the U.S. Open in three weeks.Harvie would prefer to be inside the ropes on the tee boxes, fairways and greens, but the 17-year-old will settle for watching this weekend?s action in the gallery and perhaps meeting and greeting some of her heroes.?I?ll probably go watch on Friday and hopefully meet some of the pros,? Harvie said. ?I?ll be there hopefully one day.?