PLAYER TO WATCH
Name: Michael Buttacavoli
Age: 17
Residence: Miami Beach, Fla.
Golfweek/Titleist ranking: 245 Michael Buttacavoli walked into an impromptu surprise party June 16 behind the 18th green at the Golden Bear Club at Keene's Pointe in Orlando, Fla. He quickly found out he was the guest of honor, and that there was more than one surprise. Minutes earlier, Buttacavoli tapped in for a routine par and his third consecutive 2-under 70, which he learned for the first time while walking to the scoring tent was good enough for a one-shot victory in the 33rd Southern Junior Golf Championship.

"Wow. This feels pretty good," said Buttacavoli, a senior-to-be at Ransom Everglades High School near his home in Miami Beach, Fla., who finished with a 5-under 210 total. Then someone told him what he'd been playing for the last three days: an exemption into the 99th Southern Amateur next month at the Dunes Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"I had no idea," said Buttacavoli, 17. "That's pretty awesome. I just hope it's not the same week as the U.S. Junior." (Close, but no. The Southern Amateur ends July 16; the U.S. Junior begins July 18.)

Schedule conflicts were the last thing from Buttacavoli's mind as he walked away from the 16th green, where he finished up a bogey-4, dropping to 5 under for the tournament. He then caught word that Portugal's Nino Henriques was 7 under through 16.

"I figured I just had to make two birdies and see what happens," said Buttacavoli, who made 18 birdies for the tournament. Buttacavoli birdied the par-5 17th then narrowly missed a 25-footer for birdie on the par-4 18th, which he didn't need thanks to simultaneous breakdowns from Henriques and Zach Sucher. While Henriques was tapping in for a triple bogey on 17 to drop to 4-under 211 for the championship, Sucher was doing the same for a double bogey on 18 to fall to 212.

"I thought I had it won," said Henriques, 18, a student at the David Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who finished tied for second with fellow Leadbetter classmate, 14-year-old Tommy Chung Mou of Taiwan. Buttacavoli just wasn't thinking, firing at every pin despite his erratic second round that included nine birdies and three triple bogies.

"I made some terrible triple bogies (Wednesday)," he said. "But the way I was playing, I knew if I got the ball off the tee to about 150-160 yards, I was going to put it within 10 feet." His 25-footer on 18, which nearly dropped in, was the longest putt he had during the final round. "Between my 7-iron and my wedge, I wasn't really hitting full shots into the greens because the wind was blowing, and with the swales I just wanted to keep it low and check right away. And if you're not comfortable with that shot, it was going to be tough." One thing was for sure: "I knew I had that shot," he said.

The Name Game: Michael Buttacavoli didn't just make his opponents stumble June 16. He had most of the fans and volunteers confused as well. For some reason, no one could prounced Buttacavoli's last name. "It's Boo-tah-kah-voh-lee," said his mother, Mayra. She also said the name, of Italian origin, either means "shoemaker" or "cabbage thrower." Either way, her son is sick of all this silly surname talk. "Every time I get to the first tee, the starter always says he has a question," Buttacavoli said. "And I say I already know what it is." Then comes the slow pronunciation. "But people have actually gotten better at it so far this year," he said. That tends to happen when you're winning golf tournaments.

NEWS AND NOTES

* According to the National Golf Foundation, the odds of making two holes-in-one in the same round are 67 million to one. Never tell 15-year-old Chase Williams of Aledo, Texas, the odds. He recorded two aces in the same round June 14 during a Westcott Junior Tour event at Hawks Creek Golf Club in Fort Worth. Williams made his first hole-in-one on his third hole of the day (it was a shotgun start), the par-3 17th. He slammed in a pitching wedge from 120 yards.

"I hit it well, it faded a little right, bounced, then rolled and hit the pin," said Williams, who finished the tournament in fifth after an 82. "We all heard it, but I was not sure if it went in until I got to the green." Eleven holes later, Williams aced the par-3 10th using his Taylor Made Rescue 4-wood from 190 yards.

"I hit my rescue club solid, and I said to the guys I was playing with that so it could go in," said Williams, whose card also included seven pars, four bogeys and five double bogeys . "They just laughed when I said that. It hit on the front of the green, rolled up, hit the pin and went in. We could not believe it." Williams' father, Greg, witnessed the second ace:

"If you can't make a hole-in-one yourself, the next best thing is to be around to see one. It was great that I was there to see my son make a hole-in-one. I will never forget it, and I am sure he won't either." Both holes-in-one were made with the same ball, but not on purpose. "I didn't even think about it," said Williams. "I tried to lose it a couple of times with some bad shots, but I kept finding it. I have it now though, it's in my pocket, I don't think I'll use it again." Fittingly, the Maxfli ball had a Pinehurst Resort 1865 logo on it, the feat happening the same week as the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

* The United States successfully defended the Toyota Junior World Golf Cup June 24, winning by 12 strokes over Columbia at the Chukyo Golf Club Ishino Course in Toyota City, Japan. The Americans placed three players in the top 10 including individual champion Erik Flores, who finished at 20-under 268. Flores finishes six shots ahead of Japan's Yuki Usami. "As repeating champions, it wasn't a very good feeling having to give that trophy back at the opening ceremony. These guys really wanted to get it back," U.S. Coach Scott Moe said after the final round. "And that's exactly what they did."

* A pair of high-profile teenagers may be ready to challenge the LPGA tour's 18-year-old age requirement. The buzz on the range at the U.S. Open was that Michelle Wie is considering joining the play-for-pay ranks when she turns 16 on Oct. 11. "It's hard to see her not turning pro in the not-too-distant future," said David Leadbetter, Wie's swing coach. "She'll know when she's ready. I think if she wins a tournament she'll definitely turn pro." Wie, who finished tied for 14th and for second in the first two LPGA majors this season and is entered in this week's U.S. Women's Open, could see her pro plans delayed if she were to win next month's U.S. Amateur Public Links, where she will be a considerable long shot. But winning the men's APL would give Wie her long-coveted exemption into the Masters, as long as she remains an amateur. Fellow teen In-Bee Park, who will be 17 this fall, also plans to petition the tour to go to Q-School. The tour waived its age limit for Aree Song in 2003. She was 17 at the time. If Park isn't able to secure her tour card, she'll forgo the Futures Tour and head to college. UNLV, UCLA and Duke top the Las Vegas resident's list. "What I intend to do over the course of the next few months is learn and listen from a lot of different people before I form any opinions on that," said Caroyln Bivens, the new LPGA commissioner, of making exceptions to the age 18 requirement.

Short shots: Wire-to-wire leader Bud Cauley of Jacksonville, Fla., posted rounds of 69-71-70--210 to clinch his first AJGA title at the Nike Golf Junior at Jacksonville June 23. Cheyenne Woods of Phoenix, also claimed her first AJGA title, shooting rounds of 73-75-72­-220...Daniel Woltman of Beaver Dam, Wis., won his first AJGA invitational in a sudden-death playoff over Roberto Galletti, Jr. of Clayton, Calif. Galletti had the tournament won, but missed a 3-footer on 18 to force the playoff. Woltman won with a par on the first playoff hole....Ryan Thomas of Almeda, Calif., shot a final-round 71 to win his first AJGA event June 16 at the Las Vegas Founders Junior Golf Championship. Melissa Mabanta of Phoenix won the girls' division with a 75....University of Virginia women's golf recruit Carly Truitt of Marysville, Ohio, won the 2005 Bubba Conlee National Junior Tournament at the Cherokee Valley Golf Club June 9. Truitt shot the best score in each round to finish at 2-under 142 for a seven-stroke victory.