THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Making the transition from star amateur to money-earning pro

WORLEY — Kaleigh Telfer gets it.

The game is different with money on the line.

But let me back up a bit, just to show you some pretty dramatic proof.

For instance …

The most amazing golf I’ve ever seen up close was in high school.

My best friend was a prodigy.

Jim Wiechers left course records scattered all over northern California, many of which even survived the Stanford college career of Tiger Woods.

Wiechers won the U.S. Junior Amateur, the Western Junior, the Western Amateur, and then — during a Hall of Fame career at Santa Clara University — he finished second by a single shot at the NCAA Division I Championship.

Golf Digest trumpeted Jim as the nation’s best amateur.

On the eve of his debut on the PGA Tour, we joked about celebrating when he won his first Masters.

But it didn’t work out that way.

Oh, Jim had a terrific 12-year run on Tour, complete with 32 top-10s.

However, his playoff loss to Bob Goalby in the Robinson Open Golf Classic was his best PGA Tour finish in 277 tournaments.

Wiechers did win the West End Classic in the Bahamas, but that was an unofficial event.

MY PAL, though, had the perfect temperament for what must have been a somewhat disappointing career on Tour.

Jim was still a heck of a player when he stepped away from the sport’s most ruthless cauldron.

He eventually spent two decades in California’s Napa Valley as a teaching pro and college coach, and enjoyed it all.

So …

Why am I telling this story today, as the Circling Raven Championship gets underway with 132 talented young women competing for cash on this Epson Tour — and beyond that, a coveted spot on the LPGA Tour?

The top 10 season money winners from Epson competition (this is the 16th of 21 tournaments) get automatic LPGA cards for the 2023 season.

Well, Jim Wiechers came to mind because many — perhaps most — of the players at Circling Raven this weekend have been dynamite amateurs at one time.

Some, quite recently.

The question now is whether they can convert their skills and nerve into winning as professionals.

It’s a little tougher to enjoy the scenery with your livelihood at stake.

Jimmy Wiechers told me once that the moment you turn pro, it adds four strokes to each round you play.

“I don’t know exactly if there’s a number like that, because I haven’t been a professional long enough,” said the Epson Tour rookie Telfer, “but I understand your friend’s story completely.

“I’ve already had an experience like that.”

Now 24, Kaleigh came from South Africa to play college golf at Auburn and learn about courses in North America.

Kaleigh already has developed a reputation as a pressure player, too.

When her Auburn team needed a birdie on the final hole for a shot at advancing to the NCAA finals, she hit driver and 5-iron to a 503-yard par-5 — and drained an 18-foot putt for eagle as her teammates and coaches jumped, screamed and carried on.

“I’ve had a great time in college and really improved my game,” Telfer said, “but as we were saying, it’s completely different when you become a professional.

“I started doing things that took me out of my game, like watching other players and the scoreboard.”

TO BE fair, Kaleigh only turned pro on June 1, and has played just six tournaments on the Epson Tour.

She’s currently sitting at No. 142 on the money list with $3,594.

For comparison, No. 1 Lucy Li (who has already locked in her LPGA card) has pocketed $110,111 through 11 events.

In Telfer’s case, however, please don’t equate that humble ranking with lack of talent.

For instance, because she’s sitting outside the Epson top 125, she had to play in Phase 1 of the LPGA Qualifying School.

Kaleigh calmly shot 12-under for fourth place at Mission Hills Country Club in the Palm Springs area, breezing into Phase 2 of the Q-school — which occurs after the Epson season concludes.

“It was nice to be back up on the top of a leaderboard again,” she said. “I’ve been playing well the last six weeks or so, and I feel pretty good about my game coming to Idaho.

“I just have to stick with my own plan.

“In my first pro tournament in North Carolina, I made the cut at 3-under, but then I got caught up in where I was (on the board) and what others were doing.

“I think I went 6-over from there, and it was a shock to my system.

“I had started thinking about scores and where I stood, instead of remembering just to play my game — and that I’m out here because it’s a game I love.

“As long as I keep that thought process, I’m going to be fine.”

And make some money along the way, to boot, because …

This lady can play.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season, beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”