Huh's sharp learning curve continues
John Huh carved out another memorable chapter in his whirlwind introduction to the PGA Tour when he surged into contention for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday.
Playing in only his second event on the US circuit, tour rookie Huh, who calls himself a Korean-American after spending about half his life in each country, fired a four-under-par 68 in the third round to end a picture postcard day of dazzling sunshine on the southern Californian coastline in a tie for second place.
Huh had never previously competed on either the PGA Tour or the second-tier Nationwide Tour before earning his playing card at qualifying school in December and he has relished his experience this week at Torrey Pines.
"I was really looking forward to playing this event, especially because they held the (2008) US Open here and I watched that on TV," Huh told reporters after finishing five shots off the lead at 13-under 203.
"So I was really trying to enjoy this course, and I have done pretty well so far."
The 21-year-old mixed seven birdies with three bogeys to climb up the leaderboard, highighted by monster putts from 45 feet at the second and 35 feet at the 16th.
Asked how he would handle the pressure of being in contention for the title during Sunday's final round, he replied: "I'm pretty sure it will give me a lot of pressure but I'm trying to learn.
"It's my first year on tour, so I'm trying to learn from it and trying not to throw anything out."
ROOKIE GOALS
The humble Huh, who was born in New York before moving to South Korea with his parents until the age of 12, did not talk about winning a title when asked to outline his PGA Tour goals for 2012.
"I'm trying to make the cut in as many events as I can to try and keep my card," said Huh, who overhauled KJ Choi to win the Korean Tour's Shinhan Donghae Open in 2010 by two shots.
"That's it. That's been my first goal ever since I went through Q school. So if I can do that, I'll be pleased."
Huh looked forward to the fans shouting out for him in Sunday's final round, though he said he had been frustrated by the mocking pronunciation of his surname during his schooldays.
"When I was in high school, it was pretty annoying," he added, referring to incessant chants by his peers of 'Huh, huh, huh'. "The bad point was people trying to make fun of me a little bit.
"But it turns out it's going to be good for me on tour. I know (American player) Boo Weekley has like a 'boo' sound from the crowd, so I'm trying to bring on that kind of trademark too."
Huh, who turned professional after spending only two weeks at University of California-Northridge, hoped to draw on his morale-boosting Korean Tour victory at Torrey Pines on Sunday.
"That tournament in Korea actually gave me a lot of confidence, because I didn't really have success over there before," said the Los Angeles-based professional.
"I had just been making the cut when I played over there. But that was pretty big, a big tournament for me. I learned a lot from that and now I'm here."