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RICHLAND -- Y.E. Yang and Martin Laird.
Jack Kelly and Blake Snyder.
Tomato. To-mah-to.
The first group were Cameron Peck's partners at last August's PGA Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., after he won the U.S. Junior Amateur along with three other top junior golf tournaments.
The second are Peck's partners today -- Kelly from Mount Si, Snyder from Seattle Prep -- when the Timberline senior tees off in the first round of the 3A boys state championship at Meadow Springs Country Club.
For some, that would be quite a letdown. But for the happy-go-lucky Lacey native, his last junior event before embarking for the big-time amateur circuit and a career at Texas A&M is par for the course.
"I just like to go out and have fun," Peck said. "That's what high school golf is about for me, to go out and play with my teammates. I like playing in the team atmosphere. It's a lot different than the usual golf tournament."
Peck's golf adventure began last April at the Wellstone Communities Junior tournament in Texas. He finished the three-day tournament with three straight birdies for his first win at a major junior tournament.
From there, Peck began turning the potential that had been evident since he first picked up a club with his grandfather, Richard Yi, at age 4 into big-time results.
"To be honest, I could see it happening," said Hanford senior Josh Harvey, who played with Peck at the '06 state tournament in Spokane. "He didn't even play that well, and he got fifth. I played great and got third. He was just a special talent."
Peck won the FootJoy Invitational in June, the HP Boys Junior Championship and finally the U.S. Junior Am in record fashion, beating Evan Beck of Virginia Beach, Va., 10 and 8.
"I just played great that whole entire week," Peck said. "I had worked real hard on my game all that winter, and I think going into (the Wellstone) tournament, I felt real confident in my game. And once I won, my confidence got better, and as I kept winning, it improved even more."
Peck's fantastic summer culminated in his being named the Rolex Junior Player of the Year, the first golfer from the Northwest to be honored with the likes of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
In fact, the only thing probably missing from Peck's résumé is a state high school title. After finishing fifth while paired with Harvey as a freshman, Peck tied for fifth as a sophomore and tied for fourth last year.
One would think the pressure would be enormous. As one rival teased Peck earlier this season, "How are you the national champion and not the state champion?"
"I get a lot of attention now, but I don't know if things have changed for me," he said. "I just play golf. I don't feel any pressure. There are plenty of other tournaments to play.
"But it would be nice to win state."
