Q&A: LaBelle II on playing golf naked and a question for Hogan
 
Dec. 29, 2006

Editor's note: This is the eighth in a series of Q&As with the 22 Nationwide Tour graduates. In this edition, PGATOUR.com's Dave Lagarde spoke with Doug Labelle II, winner of the 2006 Price Cutter Charity Championship, who will be a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2007 thanks to his 15th-place finish on the 2006 Nationwide Tour money list.

PGATOUR.com: Tell me three things not related to golf that you consider must-dos before you're on the wrong side of the divot?

LABELLE II: Giving back to the Mount Pleasant, Mich., junior golf program. That's where I got my start. Having some kids and raising them as well as I was raised. Traveling in Europe with my soon-to-be wife.

PGATOUR.com: What is your wildest golf dream?

LABELLE II: I know this is going to sound strange but I have this dream sometimes. I dream that I'm playing golf naked. I don't know what that means and I'm not sure if I want to know.

PGATOUR.com: What aspect of the Nationwide Tour will you miss most next season?

LABELLE II: The closeness of the players out here. There are no egos, just a bunch of guys playing passionate golf.

PGATOUR.com: What was your welcome-to-professional-golf moment?

LABELLE II: Shooting even par in my first mini-tour event and missing the cut. I always thought even was pretty good.

LaBelle
WireImage
Inside the Numbers
Doug LaBelle II in the
2006 Nationwide Tour
Events Played 21
Wins 1*
Cuts made 14
Top-10 finishes 3
Top-25 finishes 3
Scoring Avg. 70.67
Earnings $198,686.50
* -- LaBelle won the Price Cutter Charity Championship at Highland Springs C.C. in Springfield, Mo. in July.

PGATOUR.com: You've been granted a 60-minute sit-down with any figure in the world of golf, living or dead. What's your first question -- and to whom would you address it?

LABELLE II: Ben Hogan. And I would want to know his secret, what he took from the ground.

PGATOUR.com: Describe the menu, from soup to nuts, of your next title celebration dinner. And name the wine pairings.

LABELLE II: I'd start off with a Caesar salad. Then I'd have an eight-ounce filet cooked medium rare and an eight-ounce piece of grilled Chilean sea bass. I have a bottle of 2000 Cakebread cabernet sauvignon with the meal. I'd end with a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk.

PGATOUR.com: Name five songs in your iPod.

LABELLE II: I don't own an iPod, but it's on my fiancé's Christmas list.

PGATOUR.com: Other than winning a tournament, what would make next year a success?

LABELLE II: Playing the game to the best of my ability and seeing where I stack up against the best players in the world.

PGATOUR.com: The first time you're paired with Tiger, what would you say to break the ice?

LABELLE II: Hey, remember when we were paired together in the 1996 Western Amateur? Looks like your game has come a long way since then.

PGATOUR.com: Who would you most like to hit balls next to, and why?

LABELLE II: Mario Tiziani. He and I traveled together some this year and he is absolutely one of the funniest people I know. It would be an absolute blast.