Greg Johnson / The Grand Rapids Press

Ada's Andy Matthews will play in his second Buick Open this week after winning a spot in the tournament yesterday.

The Canadian Tour player who recently played in the U.S. Open won a Monday qualifier at Fieldstone Golf Club.

Matthews' 5-under-par 67 earned him a tie for first with Stuart Dean of Arlington, Texas, and one of the four spots available to a field of 57 golfers who played Monday.

The Buick Open starts Thursday at Warwick Hills.

Matthews, a former Michigan Amateur champion, was 19 when he first qualified for the Buick Open via the Monday route. He played and missed the 36-hole cut.

Matthews will not be the only area golfer in the PGA Tour's annual visit to Michigan.

Kentwood's Matt Harmon, the former Michigan State standout who was Big Ten Golf of the Year, is in the field via a sponsor's exemption. Also in is former Sunnybrook pro Scott Hebert, who earned an exemption by winning the Michigan PGA Championship last summer.

Jeff Patterson / Golf Digest

With rounds of 79 and 81, Andy Matthews won’t win the U.S. Open this year, but he has definitely won over young Cooper Schechterle.

Schechterle, a 3-year-old born 27 weeks premature, met the Canadian Tour pro in Oakmont’s clubhouse during Wednesday’s thunderstorm. Matthews entertained the awestruck boy during the delay as the entire Schechterle family smiled.

Despite the rigors of Matthews’ first U.S. Open week, he was extremely generous with his time. “We were even e-mailing [Wednesday] night,” said Cooper's mother, Melissa, whose son is Massachusetts’ ambassador baby for the March of Dimes. “I was like, ‘You need to be preparing for the U.S. Open tomorrow.’ ”

At night, back in the hotel, all Cooper could do was think about Andy. “He kept saying, ‘Andy golf, Andy golf,’ ” said Melissa.

On Thursday, Cooper watched Matthews’ first round from a stroller. When the family arrived at the 11th hole, Cooper ran under the ropes — he did not need to duck — toward his new friend. “He saw the blue shirt [Andy was wearing], and he just ran right toward him,” said Melissa.

Cooper made it about halfway to Matthews before being called back by his parents. If his mother had not told him, “You'll see him later," he probably would have kept going.

Cooper and his parents came to the Open this week to get signatures from professionals on Oakmont flags. One flag was going to be auctioned for the March of Dimes, and the other would be for Cooper to keep. But after obtaining more than 35 signatures from the likes of Ernie Els, Chris DiMarco and Todd Hamilton, the flags were stolen.

When Todd Hamilton heard about the family's misfortune, he promised that he would get a golf bag signed for Cooper. Matthews offered to get two other flags signed.

“There are so many nice people on the PGA Tour,” said Melissa.

Greg Johnson / The Grand Rapids Press

Andy Matthews was 5 the last time a golfer from Grand Rapids played in the U.S. Open.

The 27-year-old Canadian Tour professional from Ada will end that 22-year drought next week at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA.

Matthews survived a four-golfer playoff over four holes with a par-saving 3 1/2-foot putt in a U.S. Open sectional qualifying tournament Monday at Riverside Country Club in North Riverside, IL.

He will join Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the world's top-ranked golfers in the 156-player field June 14-17.

"I knew I had a putt for a chance to play in the U.S. Open," Matthews said. "I was nervous, but I stuck with my routine and I made it.

"You know, all of the hard work in the last few years, the travel, the missed cuts, the grinding on tours, all that stuff prepared me for an opportunity like this."

Lynn Janson, head professional at Egypt Valley Country Club where the Matthews family has a membership, is the most recent local golfer to have played at the U.S. Open. The Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member competed in seven Opens between 1974-85.

"It's quite an accomplishment," Janson said of Matthews qualifying for the event. "You know, Andy has worked hard, and you never know where his future will take him in a tough racket, but he's creating memories for himself and his family.

"Some experiences you can't buy, and that's one of them."

Matthews, the son of Jerry and Terri Matthews and the 2001 Michigan Amateur champion, will play among the PGA Tour stars for the second time in his career. At age 19, he played qualifiers to earn a spot in the Buick Open at Warwick Hills. He played two rounds, missing the 36-hole cut.

"I've looked back on that experience several times if only to pump me up," Matthews said. "I know this means I will always be able to say I played in a U.S. Open. That means a lot."

Matthews, who has fallen short in PGA Tour Qualifying attempts three times, shot rounds of 73 and 70 for 143 on Monday in wind and rain at Riverside. Jeff Brehaut of Los Altos, Calif., shot a pair of 70s to earn co-medalist honors at 140 with Mike Small of Champaign, Ill. (71-69).

Jonathan Mills earned the third of the five spots available in the Chicago area sectional at 141 (66-75). Matthews was tied at 143 with professionals Martin Laird of Scotland, Neal Lancaster of Smithfield, NC, and Joseph Alfieri of Odessa, FL.

That foursome then battled for the two remaining spots in a playoff. Laird birdied the first hole to earn one spot, while Alfieri eliminated himself with a bogey. Matthews and Lancaster then played three more holes before Matthews saved par at No. 4 while Lancaster played to bogey.

Matthews has missed the 36-hole cut in his past four Canadian Tour events, but tied for 14th in a U.S. Pro Golf Tour event this year in Dallas.

Grand Rapids, MI native Andy Matthews began his pursuit for the 2007 U.S. Open with a 4-under par 68 and became one of six players to advance through the local qualifier today at Weston Hills C.C. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Highlighted by an eagle on the 548-yard par-5 first hole, Andy added birdies on holes 3 and 6 to turn at 4-under par, while his back-nine 36 was balanced by 2 birdies and 2 bogies as thunderstorms and high winds attacked the area. Eighty-four players in all battled the 7,069 yard layout.

Andy spent the previous two weeks in Bonita Springs, FL getting ready for this week, and it paid off. “I controlled my irons well out there today and that left me with a lot of good looks at birdie,” he said after his round. “I’m really happy with where my game is right now and excited for sectionals.”

Matthews will be making his third appearance at the sectional qualifier June 4 at Riverside G.C. in North Riverside, IL. Survivors of the 36-hole sectional earn spots in the U.S. Open June 14-17 at Oakmont C.C. near Pittsburg.

Vartan Kupelian / The Detroit News

Sometimes, the best lessons are those that are completely unexpected, the kind Andy Matthews learned in South Africa.

Matthews, 26, is a former Michigan Amateur champion who found himself looking for a place to play and wound up -- much to his surprise -- on South Africa's Sunshine PGA Tour two years ago.

"It turned out to be a lot more than just playing golf," he said.

One thing led to another, including two starts on the European Tour, and a revelation about life that Matthews is applying with success to his golf.

"The biggest thing I learned had nothing to do with golf," said Matthews, who played college golf at the University of Michigan and won the 2001 Michigan Amateur.

"I've always been an organized person. Always had my hotels, flights and everything else planned. The attitude over there is different. It's, 'We'll find a hotel when we get there. We'll find a flight when we need it.' It was a huge challenge for me to look at things that way.

"When I came back to the States, I had changed. I began to realize that things will sort themselves out."

For Matthews, the discovery was a form of serenity. He learned to let things happen of their own volition. He learned not to force the issue.

Those are things that apply to golf.

"It has helped my patience level in golf," said Matthews, who is from Ada, near Grand Rapids. "I'm content when I'm on a golf course. My golf is better."

How Matthews ended up in South Africa is a story in itself.

Matthews earned his Canadian Tour card in September 2002. Two years ago, he was contemplating where he might play to transition from fall to spring and avoid the winter months. An acquaintance, Doug McGuigan, mentioned the Sunshine Tour, whose commissioner is Johan Immelman, the father of professional golfer Trevor Immelman. McGuigan is a South African who was playing on the Canadian Tour.

The Sunshine Tour is one of the six worldwide men's tours that comprise the International Federation of PGA Tours. It had 21 official money events this season, and its list of Order of Merit winners over the years includes Gary Player, Ernie Els, Mark McNulty, David Frost and Trevor Immelman.

"It's not a place I would have thought about," Matthews said. "I was halfway through my first season on the Canadian Tour and I told my dad I wanted to play more. The next day I played a practice round with Doug, and he told me about South Africa. It was just one of those things."

Matthews decided to give it a try and spent two tours of duty playing in South Africa.

His status as a pretournament qualifier made travel and planning dicey, but he made it into 11 events and survived the cut 10 times in the 2005-06 season. He played in 15 Sunshine Tour events the past two seasons and won 29,500 South African rand, the equivalent today of about $4,050 U.S. dollars.

It's not a lot of money but it has been invaluable in feeding Matthews' golfing database with experiences and information.

Matthews made it into a pair of European Tour events -- the South African Airways Open and the Dunhill Championship. The South African Airways Open is played at Fancourt, site of the 2003 Presidents Cup.

Matthews called Fancourt the toughest golf course he's ever seen.

After his return from South Africa in March, Matthews took some time off before playing a couple events on the Canadian Tour in British Columbia.

"I was on the run-down side," Matthews said at last week's Michigan Open, where he tied for 19th and won $1,275.

"I missed both cuts, but the rest helped and things started to improve."

Matthews will try the PGA Tour Qualifying School later this year. South Africa was worthwhile but the target remains unchanged -- the PGA Tour.

"That's the goal -- to focus attention over here," he said.