D.J.'s Blog: Spending time with old-school Woody
By D.J. Gregory, Special to PGATOUR.COM
Hello. My name is D.J. Gregory and I would like to welcome you to my journey. I am 30 years old and was born with cerebral palsy. Due to my disability, I walk with the aid of a cane. During the 2008 PGA TOUR season, I will be traveling for 45 weeks and attending 44 events on the schedule. Each week, I will choose one professional to follow and I will chronicle my experiences while walking the course with him during each round of competition. Along the way, I will also have the opportunity to speak with fans and volunteers.
This journey has been a life-long dream of mine and this opportunity would not be possible without the generous support of the PGA TOUR, ACCUSPLIT, Southwest Airlines, Ashworth, FootJoy and tournament staff at each venue. I am excited to share my experiences with you and I hope you will check PGATOUR.com often and share in my year-long adventure.
D.J. WEEK BY WEEK: Click on the PGA TOUR player below to read D.J.'s blog for that week
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PGA TOUR CHARITIES: Donate to United Cerebral Palsy | Send D.J. an email | D.J.'s JOURNEY: The longest walk in golf
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VERONA, N.Y. -- After THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola I made a quick trip home to Savannah for only the fourth time all year. Then I went to New York for the Turning Stone Resort Championship, and it sure did feel like the Fall Series, or maybe even early winter. Temperatures were in the mid-40s to mid-50s all week with a steady wind and even some rain the first two days.
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I spent time with Woody Austin, who as a young child growing up in Tampa, Fla., was very good at many different sports -- including basketball, baseball, tennis and bowling. In fact, Woody didn't begin playing golf until the eighth grade. When he got to high school, though, Woody's mother wanted him to focus on one sport. "I was so small -- I was only 5-foot-3 and 90 pounds soaking wet -- so everybody was growing, everybody was just getting much better and bigger," he remembered. "Golf was fresh. I had only been playing for a couple years so I picked it up and I actually started playing pretty good when I really started putting full time into it." Still, when I asked Woody the greatest challenge he faces in the game of golf, he had a one-word response: "Me."
One of my favorite questions to ask the players is the importance of the player-caddie relationship. Woody doesn't see a separation between the two. "I think we're a team," he explained. "The relationship is important because I want it to be a buddy, I want it to be a friend. I want to go to battle with a friend, I don't want to go to battle with somebody that I can blame for my problems. I think that's a cop-out, a giant cop-out." Woody said that his idol is Jack Nicklaus. "Absolutely did it all, and not only golf part, but he did it all, he did it in an era where there was no private planes, there was no easy travel, and he did it with a family from the get go," Woody said. "So, he accomplished everything, he accomplished it all in an era of tough times and he did it the right way and you never heard problems from the man, you never heard about anything bad."
Woody was 31 when he got to the PGA TOUR after stints on the mini-tours and later, after a spending time in the business world, on the Nationwide Tour. "When I got out of school it was a lot of harder then it is now," he explained. "We didn't have the Nationwide Tour when I got out of college. So all you had were the mini-tours and they were expensive and they didn't pay. ... You would have to pay $300-$500 in entry fees for a two-day tournament and if you won, you'd win $1,000- $1,200, so you couldn't make any money. The hard part was trying to work, make the money to play the mini-tours and then be successful enough to keep going."
In 2007 Woody had the opportunity to represent the United States in The Presidents Cup. "(It was an) absolute blast," he said. "I think I showed I was having a lot of fun. I think that format suits my personality. I miss that confrontation, so to speak. I miss the one-on-one match-ups. In the match-play format, I like to think that if I'm playing with you at the exact same time and I'm looking over at you, I don't think I'm going to let you beat me. I don't care who you are."
I asked Woody how he thought he would do playing golf with equipment from 20 years ago. "I wish we could play at least half of the tournaments with old equipment," Woody said. "Then, these young guys would see how easy they've got it. If you took today and put in a rule where we'd have to play with 20-year-old equipment, I'd be top five in the world."
Off of the golf course Woody likes to play sports and loves to spend time with his family. "Right now I play soccer with my boys," he said. "It's got to be active. I'm not a gym guy. Put me on a basketball court running up and down; put me on a baseball field or soccer field. It's got to stimulate me otherwise I can't work out." I asked Woody what's the first thing he thinks of when someone mentions family. "Sacrifice all of the way down. My mom sacrificed for me. I feel like every good family relationship, everything is all about sacrifice."
Yardage-wise Atunyote Golf Club is a very long walk -- one of the longest courses the PGA TOUR has played in 2008 at 7,482 yards. However, I believe the walk is fairly easy because the course is extremely flat.
I want to thank Woody for his kindness last week. I would also like to thank my dad for joining me in upstate New York. See you next week in warmer San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open.
ATLANTA -- Welcome to the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, THE TOUR Championship. However, last week was a busy one even before I arrived in Georgia. Normally I travel to the TOUR venue on Tuesday but last week was a little different. On Wednesday I flew from Orlando, Fla., to New York where I spoke to the GolfWorld National Sales Meeting. Immediately following my talk, I flew to Washington, D.C., where I attended the United Cerebral Palsy's annual gala that night. I was honored to be the first recipient of UCP's Expanding Horizons Award. I want to take a moment and thank the TOUR staff and players and Jim Nantz at CBS Sports for all of the kind words that were said in the video tribute that was shown at the gala, I truly appreciate it.
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I arrived in Atlanta on Thursday morning and spent the week with TOUR veteran Dudley Hart. Dudley's father was a club pro in the Rochester, N.Y., and Buffalo, N.Y., area. "So I kind of grew up on a golf course -- at least in the summer time," he said. "I would go to the golf course with my dad pretty much every morning at 6 o'clock and play golf, play tennis and swim. It was kind of like unsupervised day care." Dudley's earliest memory of the game is going to the 10th tee at Brookly, a golf course Rochester, trying to hit balls about 30 yards in the air and over a creek. "I used to take my dad's practice balls out there and hit them and he used to be pretty upset at me," said Dudley, who was 4 at the time.
Dudley began the 2008 season playing on a major medical exemption due to a family crisis last year. For the last half of 2007, Dudley put away his golf clubs to care for his wife, who was had been diagnosed with a nonsmoking tumor in her lung, and their triplets. I asked Dudley the first thing he thinks of when someone says the word: family. "The first thing to come to my mind is my three kids," he told me. "They're almost seven now and life hasn't been the same since they were born and it's all been for the better." Given his extended layoff in 2007, I asked Dudley what type of goals and expectations he had coming into this year. "You're a little more nervous than you probably would be starting the year because you haven't competed for seven-eight months by the time that January rolls around," he said. "I was fresh and I was probably more excited to be there." He played the Monday pro-am at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and he doubted anyone was as happy as he was to be there. "I was out of the house and I was back out with the guys and so that was exciting," he said.
The 2008 season has been a great year for Dudley, who made the 30-man field for THE TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. He doesn't have to think too far back to remember his best experience of the year. "I made a long putt on the last hole at (the) BMW (Championship) and at the time I thought I needed that to get into this event, so it was kind of looking at it as a pretty important putt," Dudley said. "t turned out I didn't necessarily need it, but at the time I did so to make that putt when I felt like I needed (it) to get here was pretty gratifying."
Off the course Dudley loves to spend tine with his family and admits he is a sports junkie. He has season tickets to both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. "My kids are getting older now," Dudley said. "My son's into hockey -- he's addicted to it -- so taking him to practices and games is a blast when I'm home. That's kind of my relaxing time." Dudley said his hero is his dad. "He's taught me everything I know not only about golf, but about life and he was an incredible influence on me," Dudley said. "He gave me so much and sacrificed so much for me when I was young so I could play golf. I owe him everything I have now." Dudley and his father are co-owners, along with TOUR veteran Jeff Sluman, of a course in Rochester, N.Y., called Lake Shore Golf Club. "I think being in golf, playing for a living and basically growing up in the game, it's nice to have something that's basically yours," Dudley said. "It's one of those golf courses where people that are playing there, their fathers and mothers have played there, their grandparents have played there. It's a community type golf course and it's fun to be involved with that."
Charity is also very important to Dudley, "Being in sports we are so pampered and so spoiled and we're in a position to be able to help so many other people that just donating some of your time can really raise a lot of money and it doesn't take a lot of work," Dudley said. "I do a lot of things at home with charity outings and I love to do as much as I can."
Dudley said the best part of playing golf professionally is being your own boss and living a dream. "We all kind of grew up dreaming about this (but) you never really know if it's going to come true or not until you get out here and you stay out here and have some success," he said. The hardest thing is the travel. "A lot of people think traveling it's so great," Dudley said. "You get to go see a new city and new places (but) pretty much when we're in a city, we see the golf course, a restaurant, and a hotel and that's about it, so it's not as glamorous as people think and being away from home is tough."
East Lake is an extremely fair walk. The first four holes are relatively easy and close together while the fifth hole has a decent hill. The ninth hole is a pretty good walk being a 600-yard par 5. On the back nine, there are a lot of back and forth holes so you are real close to the next fairway. Overall, it was a fair walk that did not make me overly tired. A crew from ESPN followed me around the course during the first two rounds as part of a feature they are working on about my journey that will air on the show E:60 on Tuesday Nov. 11.
I would like thank Dudley, his caddy David Nelson and his childhood friend, Rich Kreiger, for their kindness last week. Special thanks to my dad and my cousin Randy and his wife Jenn for joining me last week, too. Last week was the final event in the FedExCup and I would like to send a special thank you to the entire staff at FedEx for their support throughout the entire season. Last week was a truly memorable week on and off of the golf course.
See you next week from the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
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MADISON, Miss. - Welcome back to the PGA TOUR at the Viking Classic. After an off week, I decided I needed a little more exercise, so I walked nine holes of the pro-am with my friend Robert Gamez. That brought my total for the week to 81 holes.
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The rest of the week, I got to spend time with PGA TOUR and Champions Tour veteran Fred Funk. Fred first got interested in the game of golf at age 10 when he caddied for his dad and decided that it would be more fun to play than carry the bag. Prior to turning pro, Fred was the golf coach at University of Maryland. He actually thinks he would be a better coach now "because of the experiences I have had out here."
When choosing a caddie, Fred has always looked for someone he can relate to and someone who will say the right things at the right time. "It's kind of a personality match, it's very important to have a caddie that matches," he said. His wife Sharon was on the bag last week, which was neat. "I love when Sharon is on the bag," Fred told me. "She has a lot of fun, very energetic, very visual, tries to make me really focus in on what I'm doing, something I don't always do."
Off the course, Fred enjoys the time he spends with Sharon and their two children. He also likes snow skiing and water skiing, but he can't do either right now because of his knee. His idol is Jack Nicklaus. "I looked up to (him) as a golfer as a kid," Fred said. "Then I would have to say my parents and my brother I looked up to the most."
Fred is playing the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour this year, so I asked him some of the differences between the two. Strength and depth of field are two of the main ones he cited. "Out there, you have 15-20 guys you have to beat week in and week out, and out here you 144 or 156 guys you have to beat other than yourself," Fred said. He's also learned that splitting time between the two Tours can be counterproductive.
"To try and play both Tours, you've got to have no ego, no goals, nothing," Fred said. "You're just playing for fun. If you have any goals and high aspirations I don't think you can play both Tours, it dilutes your potential of doing anything in the FedExCup or doing anything in the (Charles) Schwab Cup. You've got to decide one or the other."
The Funks have added their name to a charity named Challenge America. The organization started as Challenge Aspen and was designed to take military personnel skiing. Challenge America has been expanded to focus in on all disabled people. "Not only the disabled themselves, but the family and what they have to do to deal with," Funk said. "The troops that come home and they're half of what they were, they don't have legs, or people with CP or people with MS, people with brain problems, autism.
"(We want to) give awareness more to the general public and grow awareness that these people are able-bodied; they're not disabled people. We've got to get rid of the label and if takes a generation or two generations, however long it takes, we've got to turn this whole thing around." Funk said the campaign is being launched at the Kennedy Center next June. "This is a big deal for us," Funk told me. "I mean, look at you, you're totally able bodied, strong mind, you can do anything and some people just don't look at it that way."
No matter how Fred is playing, he always seems to be having a good time, and he is a crowd favorite. "When I'm playing my best, I will interact with the crowd as far as acknowledging them," Fred said. "It's not so much talking to them and everything, but acknowledge them when they acknowledge you. They like that. They are not just out there like billboards being painted." Fred said that if he only had one round of golf left, he would play at Cypress Point with some of golf's legends: Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.
Annandale Golf Club was a fairly easy walk and fairly flat. I did notice that the walk for spectators from the 17th green to the 18th tee is a lengthy journey. This was the first time all year that I had over 20,000 Accusplit Steps each of the four days. Unfortunately, Fred missed the cut by one shot, so over the weekend, I walked with my good friend Robert, as I had in the pro-am. Special thanks to both Fred and Sharon for their kindness last week.
See you next week from Atlanta and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
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ST. LOUIS -- I spent last week at Bellerive Country Club for the BMW Championship, which is the third event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. I walked with Ben Crane this week, and it was a special week.
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As I have learned throughout my journey, charity is very important to all of the PGA TOUR players. Ben and his wife Heather host a golf tournament each year to raise money for two charities. "One is for young boys who don't have fathers, who grew up in the ghetto of Fort Worth, and the other is for children who have been trafficked into the sex trade in Southeast Asia," he said. "With every dollar we make, the first part of that goes to what we feel like is a good charitable cause. We feel pretty passionate about giving."
As you can see, Ben is truly a great man, and last week at the BMW Championship, he proved it even more. On Thursday, Ben told me he wanted to do something extra special for me -- he wanted to donate 10 percent of his earnings last week to my favorite charity. I will be honest and tell you I didn't know how to respond.
Ben was introduced to the game by his grandfather when he was around 5 years old. "I got to hang out with him and go play a little bit, so that was kind of the beginning," he said. Now he has a family of his own, his favorite memory of this year is traveling with his wife and their 2-year-old daughter Cassidy. Their second child is due in about six weeks, so that's a big source of excitement. Not to mention, Ben has been completely healthy for the first time in about eight years.
Ben told me having perspective is the greatest challenge he faces in the game of golf. "Sometimes you get too focused on if you're having a great year or bad year, whatever, you just need sometimes a little perspective on it, and I think sometimes that's a little harder to see as a player."
His faith has helped him deal with his chronic back problems. "I just kind of turned it over to Him and just said: Whatever you want to do with me and with this golf gift thing, I'm OK with," Ben said. "When I finally got to that place was when I started to get better. So, that taught me a lot. I think I've really carried a theme of thankfulness through this year just to be out here and to be playing."
Ben said religion has had a huge impact in his life. "I definitely feel because I know the Lord, I've got a sense of who I am and that's something outside of this game," he said. "I think that's the most important thing, is that I know what God says about me, and it's pretty awesome." Not surprisingly, if he wasn't a professional golfer Ben told me he would probably be in the ministry. "I think I'd either be serving somewhere or ... trying to be involved in a cause greater than myself."
Ben said his biggest fear is failure. "Failure, I think, is something along the lines of not trying," he told me. "I don't think failure is not succeeding, I think it's not giving it all you got. So I think that's something I always remind myself is that my job is to give it all I got and then it's up to God to do whatever he is going to do with it."
Ben had a long road to reach the PGA TOUR. He didn't get his TOUR card the first time he went to qualifying school. He considered playing mini-tours, but then he decided to try to Monday qualify on the Nationwide Tour. He won the seventh event he qualified for, so suddenly he had stability and status. "That was probably the biggest step," Ben said. He played two years on the Nationwide Tour before earning his TOUR card, and he's already won two PGA TOUR events.
Last week got off to an interesting start with Thursday's first round being washed out due to over 3 inches of rain. Bellerive is a decent walk without many hills, and, in some cases, the holes intersect each other. The most challenging part last week was walking through the mud and wet terrain. We had to play catch-up after the rainout and had to walk 36 holes on Saturday. I will admit I was very tired. That said, I am proud to say that I completed all 36 holes on Saturday with no falls.
I was extremely excited to spend the week with Ben Crane, because he has always said hi and asked how I am doing whenever I've seen him this year. Special thanks to Ben and his wife Heather for a truly memorable week, I feel like I made some new friends last week. Ben's caddie Brett was great, too.
I would also like to thank my Dad for joining me in St. Louis, as well as the participants of the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation for joining me on my walk on the weekend. Next week is an off week on the PGA TOUR, so I will see you in two weeks from the Viking Classic in Jackson, Miss.
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NORTON, Mass. -- The Deutsche Bank Championship, the second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, is no ordinary week. This is the only tournament that has a scheduled Friday start and Monday finish due to the Labor Day holiday.
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Last week I spent some time with PGA TOUR rookie Martin Laird. Martin and I actually met in Memphis where we were in the same group that experienced the FedEx flight simulator during the week of the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Martin qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship by virtue of his top-10 finishes in his three previous events.
Martin's earliest memory of golf is going to the golf course with his father. "As soon as I could walk, I was addicted, I guess," he said. Martin is originally from Scotland and came to the United States to play golf at Colorado State University. "It was a great experience," he said. "I had never been to the States before. I came over on a golf scholarship and loved it. Four years there, loved the state and it was a great college town."
Martin's favorite club in his bag right now is his putter. "I've been putting great the last month and that's the reason I'm here," he explained. Martin has played some great golf over the past month just to qualify for the Playoffs and while he doesn't admit to being superstitious, Martin says he and his caddy aren't tempting fate. "There's little things that me and my caddy haven't changed over the last month and we've been playing well, like the same yardage book holder, things like that," he said. With three top-10 finishes to qualify and advance in the Playoffs, I wondered what Martin's confidence level was. "Obviously my confidence is as high as it could be right now," Martin said. "The first couple of weeks when I was playing well I was pretty nervous, but last week that was kind of a big breakthrough for me that I felt comfortable the last round when I was playing well and I was in the top 10. I think that's something I can take forward to this week. Hopefully I'm there again and can handle the pressure."
Martin has worked very hard to get to the PGA TOUR including spending time playing on mini-tours and on the Nationwide Tour. "Experience on the Nationwide Tour was great," Martin said. "That helped me get out here on the PGA TOUR ultimately and it helped me get prepared for the PGA TOUR and it's a great learning Tour. I'm having a great year this year. Iit's been a lot of fun, even when I wasn't playing great it was fun"
As mentioned previously, last week was a different one on TOUR with the competition held Friday-Monday, I asked Martin what the change was like. "It's very different, I keep calling yesterday Thursday and today Wednesday, I don't know what day of the week it is right now," he said.
Martin's a rookie on TOUR and he told me the travel was the most difficult adjustment. "And not getting to see friends and family nearly as much," he added. "You kind of feel like you don't really have a home because you're on the road so much. The best part you know the competition and there's a great group of guys out here. I just love the competition that's why I play. You practice your whole life to try and be out here." He said maintaining confidence when you're not playing well is the biggest challenge. "That's what really killed me this year when I wasn't playing well," he said. "I had no confidence. Doing that and trying to get everything else organized to focus on your golf."
As for walking the course, the TPC Boston is an easier course to walk then I remember in my previous appearances at this event. This course plays to 7,415 yards which seems to be a long course, but I really feel like the walk around the course last week was a very comfortable one Besides the par 3s, there are two holes on the front nine, the short par-4 fourth, where you can actually see the entire hole from the middle of the fairway, and the par-4 sixth where you can see the entire hole from the tee box. On the back nine, if you walk halfway up the 12th fairway on the left, you can see all of the action on the 12th hole and then walk 30 yards right and be at the 13th fairway and green.
On Thursday afternoon I visited Massachusetts General Children's Hospital and spoke to some of the kids there. Hopefully I provide some inspiration and encouragement to them that if you have a dream, don't ever give up until you accomplish your dream. Also, on Saturday night I had the chance to visit Fenway Park and see the Boston Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox.
I would like to thank Martin and my friends Kelly Thompson and Neil Como for joining me last week. Thanks, too, to Kelly for a home-cooked meal on Thursday night. I would also like to send out one final thank you to Eric Baldwin, Brandon Roll and the entire staff at the Deutsche Championship.
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PARAMUS, N.J -- My week began with a trip from Greensboro, N.C., to South Hadley, Mass., where I played golf for only the fourth time this year at a charity event for the Holyoke Hospital at the Orchards Golf Club. My team -- Robert Gamez, Neil Como and Nelson Fujiwara -- had a for a truly memorable day of golf.
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On Tuesday I traveled to Paramus, N.J., for The Barclays, the first tournament in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, where I followed Ken Duke. Ken was 10 years old when his father introduced to the game of golf. He played many sports growing up but decided to stick to golf because it was an individual game. Ken's greatest memory from this year is finishing second in Milwaukee. "I never had a chance to win like that and I was tied with two holes to go and had some good shots coming in," Ken said. "I didn't lose, I just got beat."
Ken says the everyday routine is the toughest challenge he faces "(The) travel, hotel, laundry, come play golf, practice, everything that goes with it," he said. When I asked Ken what his biggest fear was and how he overcame it, he gave a very candid answer. He was diagnosed with scoliosis when he was in seventh grade and had to wear a body cast, which he took on and off while he practiced. "(The) end of my ninth-grade year they told me I had to have surgery, and I didn't know what that meant," Ken said. "I felt like I was done playing sports, I was done with everything." In February 1985 he had surgery where doctors inserted a 16-inch Harrington rod in his back. "That's why I think I have appreciated where I am right now because I don't know how long I'm going to keep playing," Ken said. "I don't know how long my back will stay up. It's a touchy situation. It's tough, but I'm thankful I'm here."
Ken doesn't know if he has any superstitions or whether they are just habits, but he always starts the round with three tees in his pocket and he marks his ball with the same coin. He's an extremely down-to-earth person who truly appreciates where he is and how hard he has worked to get here. He looked up to Jack Nicklaus as a golfer, but Larry Bird was his idol growing up. "I've worked hard for what I have today (and it's the) same with him," Ken said. "He didn't have anything -- he had to help his family. (I've) just done a lot of studies on Larry and just how successful he was. Same deal here, growing up with not a lot and working hard to get there and reaching your goal." Ken's goal of reaching the PGA TOUR took a little longer than most. "It took me 10 years to get through qualifying school in '04 and I told my wife if I never made it back to the TOUR, I've been there once, I tried it, I've done it," he said. "The experience on the Nationwide Tour is a big stepping stone and after you get out here and get comfortable, it's fun, it's worth it." Ken understands that he is very fortunate to be where he is. "I think the best is just being able to compete with the best in the world and testing your game to see what it's all about and being around all of these great athletes," he said.
Ken's family travels with him quite a bit on TOUR and when he is home one of his favorite activities is spending time with his daughters. Ken also enjoys fishing, primarily for bass. He's proud of the 8-pound and 12-pound bass he's caught.
Walking Ridgewood Country Club is not to terribly difficult with the holes being relatively close together which means on some holes you don't have to start at the tee to see all of the action. The toughest hill to walk on this course would be on the par-3 eighth hole as you walk from the tee to the green.
I would like to thank Ken for spending time with me last week. At the end of the week, he told me that having me follow him was an inspiration, and that really meant a lot to me. "I knew you were out there pulling for me," Ken said. "So I was trying to do as good as I could do and I appreciate everything you do." I would also like to say a special thank you to my Mom for joining me in New Jersey last week. And to my good friend Jim Nantz and the entire golf crew at CBS Sports, I appreciate your continued support throughout the entire 2008 season. Thanks for featuring me in the end-of-the-year 2008 memories, too.
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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Last week began in Detroit when I had the opportunity to meet with some representatives from the Greater Detroit affiliate of the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Then I went to Greensboro for the Wyndham Championship, which was my first-ever PGA TOUR event in 1990. The tournament returned to Sedgefield Country Club this year for the first time since 1976.
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I followed Davis Love III, who won the tournament in 1992 and 2006. Davis told me he feels comfortable in Greensboro because he played college golf at UNC and has spent a lot of time in the area. "I understand the grass and the courses," he said. "You get good fan support. When we played at Forest Oaks I had played there a whole bunch, so I knew the golf course real well. Now I have to transfer it over here to Sedgefield. It's kind of like a little bit of a homecoming."
Davis's earliest memory of golf is dragging a club around under the furniture when he was in diapers. His father was a club pro and instructor so "we grew up at the golf course." When he and his brother, Mark, wanted to find their father, they would start on the second hole where they lived and play around to No. 9. "That's always where Dad was," Love recalled. "As we got older and older we got more interested in it, we got to have our own goals. But in the beginning, it was just to be where Dad was." Davis played three years at UNC and loved the experience -- "just being a part of a great college and a great town and a great team, being able to watch basketball, football, and all of the great sports there."
Davis says the caddy-player relationship is like a marriage. "You have to both get along, you both have to do your share and you have to agree to disagree and be real positive on things," he explained. "If you have a really good caddy he can help you. If you have a pretty good caddy he can not hurt you. If you have a bad caddy he can really screw you up. I think that's the main thing is you you've got to have somebody that you enjoy being around and that you have fun with and that way you can play your best. You don't really have to have somebody that's going to make you a better player, you just have to have somebody that will let you be as good as you can be (and) you need a friend."
Off of the course Davis enjoys hunting, fishing and snowboarding. "Anything to get outside and do something athletic and outdoors oriented, I love all of it." He also likes riding his motorcycle. In fact he received a custom bike for his 40th birthday and was featured on an episode of "American Chopper." When I asked Davis if he had any superstitions he laughed and told me a story about the late golfwriter Bob Drum, who was doing a piece on the same thing for CBS. Davis said he didn't have any superstitions and Drum walked away "kind of mad," as Davis recalled. "He was interviewing somebody else and I went up and I said, 'Does only using white tees count?' He said, 'All right, you're superstitious," so he started rolling the camera. He said, 'All right, give me some more. I said, 'All right, I like 1963 or '64 pennies. He goes, man, you are superstitious. You think things that you do are habit like I don't like blue tees or I don't like pink tees and you start thinking about it. I have a lot of habits that I think have turned into superstitions."
Davis and his brother also have become involved in golf course design. When Davis started playing well, people came to him with design projects and he eventually formed his own company. "It was just something that my brother and I could do together and give something back to the game and create something of our own," Davis said. "It's a little bit different then playing or teaching and we really enjoy it. Plus we like the outdoors. We like the tractors. I think the most exciting part probably is when you see the land and you start getting an idea of what it's going to look like and get to start building it and then in the end when it comes time to play, it's pretty exciting to see it go from a piece of raw ground to all of a sudden a year later there's a golf course."
Like his friend Fred Couples, Davis says the best part of playing golf is the time inside the ropes. "To go out and compete and do what you love to do, it's fun," he said. "The hardest part is all of the whole rest of the day. The TOUR has gotten so big and so busy that you have to manage your time. You have to avoid the distractions and deal with the pressure. Really that time inside the ropes is so much fun, it makes the rest of it worth it."
Davis often travels in his RV. "The best thing about the bus is having your stuff," he said. "It's like having a small apartment that you get to take with you to every tournament, so you've got your pillow, your sheets, and your satellite card and your refrigerator and it just makes it feel a little bit more like home."
Even though Sedgefield Country Club plays short yardage-wise and to a par 70, it is still a good walk. There are a few holes on each side where you have to navigate some hills. This is a short course, but a very hilly piece of property.
I was able to see some friends last week I haven't seen for a very long time. Special thanks to Davis and my sister Ann for being my "caddy" last week, as well as to Brokie and Ann Lineweaver and Sara and Troy Hopkins for their hospitality. I also had the opportunity to see my brother Ken for the first time this year.
See you in New Jersey for the start of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
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BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Welcome to my adventure at the 90th PGA Championship, the season's final major at Oakland Hills Country Club where I followed PGA TOUR veteran Stewart Cink.
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Stewart resides in Duluth, Ga., at the TPC Sugarloaf, where coincidentally I lived for nine months during 2002 and 2003. Stewart's greatest memory from this year is winning the Travelers Championship. "I played some good tournaments," he said. "But to go as long as I did without winning and then finally get one, that was easily the best." Stewart stands sixth in the FedExCup standings so he has clear goals for the rest of the year. "I'd like to try to defend my spot or to move up because that's pretty hefty change they're handing out at the end of the year," he said.
Stewart's parents got him interested in playing golf. "They picked up golf when they got married because they wanted to do something outdoors and they wanted to do something that was back then relatively inexpensive," he explained. "Instead of paying for a babysitter they just took me to the course. I picked it up by watching them and some of my earliest memories literally are riding in the cart in a little booster seat. I would get out and go and find my dad's ball, and tell him if that was his or not."
As all of you know, I interview the player I am following each week and this one had a slightly different twist due to the participation of his wife, Lisa. She had some interesting things to say about the relationship between Stewart and his long-time caddy, Frank Williams. "I would venture to say that Frank, his caddy, is one of his best friends now," Lisa said. "Having that other personality on the course complement yours is extremely important. Frank is very even-keeled just like Stewart riding through the ups and downs so I think ... that's even more important than what club or yardage." Stewart added that it's important a caddy and a player know each other's tendencies. "During stressful situations like coming down the end of a tournament, (when) you know the tournament's on the line or making the cut, he can sense when I need something to slow down (or) maybe take an extra (club) because of adrenaline or something," Stewart said. "He knows that because he's been seeing me hit shots and do these things under pressure and not under pressure for 10 years. So, it's hugely important."
I asked Stewart how his preparation changes for a major like the PGA as compared to other TOUR events. "It doesn't change much because I try to approach every tournament like it's the most important tournament of the year and just try to be ready to play no matter what," Stewart said. "In fact, I'm not really one to go into tournaments real early and play a lot of practice rounds. I have a short attention span (so) I feel like if I'm there Sunday night or Monday and play and play and play, that by the end of the week I'm just ready to just head out."
Stewart's pre-round routine includes a workout in the fitness trailer. He says fitness has changed the game quite a bit. "First, Gary Player and then Greg Norman and now Tiger," Stewart explained. "Everybody has just become more conscious about not really their physique because that's more of an appearance, but more their strength, the health of their back and their knees and their shoulders, joints. Golf is just not a natural move for the body to make and it can cause so many injuries. If you keep yourself in good shape you're doing two things: You're stronger so you can play better and put your swing in a better position, (and) you're also preventing injuries. The way the purses are out here on TOUR now, you can extend your career by just a few years and be successful and that means quite a bit of extra paydays down the road. So you want to stay competitive as long as possible out here."
All the activities Stewart enjoys off of the course involve his family. "I like playing golf with my family," he said. "They all started playing golf recently, especially my younger son, Reagan. He's been playing all summer a lot, so that's been kind of neat to watch." They also enjoy camping, mountain biking and spending time at the lake. "We're big outdoors people," he said. "Skiing in the winter is our passion. I can't wait for the snow to start so I can stop playing golf and go skiing." Asked what fans don't know about Stewart, his wife was quick to answer. "He's hilarious," Lisa said. "He's just a really funny, witty, smart guy and graduated with honors and had one of the highest GPAs in high school."
Stewart will play on the U.S. Ryder Cup team next month. "It's a huge honor, just because you beat a lot of really great players to get on the team and gotten more points or gotten picked or whatever," he said. "You feel the whole country pulling for you to win and I know everybody want's the U.S. to win the Ryder Cup."
Stewart also believes that giving back to those less fortunate is extremely important. "It's a huge part of the PGA TOUR and also all of the individual players," he explained. "The TOUR has given away a billion dollars and made a huge impact to the communities we play in. Individually I support a charity in my hometown that gives grief counseling to kids that lose their parents when they're young. We chose to do it free of charge and everybody in this tournament does something like that."
Off of the course this week I had some great opportunities. On Thursday I met with course manager Steve Cook and his maintenance crew. I also got to speak with Ed, who works with the Wounded Warriors Foundation and is in charge of Patriot Golf Day, a fundraiser on Labor Day weekend. Ed served in Iraq and was hit by an IED in 2004. It was an honor to meet Ed and thank him for his service. Then on Saturday, the Professional Tour Caddie's Association made me an honorary member, which I really appreciate.
Oakland Hills is a fair walk. There are some hills and slanted areas to navigate, but at the same time a lot of the holes are close together and you can make good use of the crosswalks all around the course. If I had to rate this course on a scale of one to 10 in terms of difficulty, it would be 6.
I would like to say thank you to Stewart and Frank for their kindness last week. I would also like to say thank you to "Jelly" and Donna and the Professional Tour Caddie's Association, as well as Bill Newton, course manager Steve Cook and his entire maintenance crew staff for their hard work and hospitality.
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AKRON, Ohio -- My week began with a visit to the Cleveland affiliate of UCP for a meet and greet along with a facility tour. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with all of the clients at the facility and to talk about my amazing journey this year.
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Then I got to follow second-year PGA TOUR player Johnson Wagner at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He qualified for the event when he picked up his first career victory earlier this year at the Shell Houston Open. "Winning Sunday of Houston definitely" was his greatest memory of the year, Johnson told me. "Just coming down the stretch with the lead and feeling the pressure and being able to pull it off (was amazing)." Johnson isn't satisfied, though. "(My) major goal is to qualify for THE TOUR Championship, get in that top 30 which would get me back to Augusta, which is the ultimate goal," he said.
As I have found out, even though golf is technically an individual sport, the player-caddy relationship is very important. Johnson's caddy is Steve Hale whose nickname is Pepsi. "I think this is our fourth season now, so I think it's big for me because it's nice to have someone on the course there you can talk to and trust and he's one of my best friends," he said. Johnson travels the TOUR with his wife Katie in an RV. He enjoys playing with new gadgets and recently got the new iPhone, Video-game systems like the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 are another passion. He also likes watching movies and listening to music.
I have really enjoyed talking to the players about the prospect of golf becoming an Olympic sport and Johnson was no exception. "I can't give you a good argument why it should be," he said. "But I can't give you an argument why it shouldn't be. ... There are so many good opportunities. You could have two-man teams. You could do so many different things with golf being an Olympic sport. It wouldn't have to be an individual gold medal. I think it would be great for the game." Johnson also said that he would love to play in the Olympics, "Any chance I get to represent my country would be great."
Johnson said winning the Shell Houston Open didn't change his life, it changed his career. "I was in the Masters the next week," he explained. "I'm in (the Bridgestone Invitational) because of it. It helped get into the PGA Championship. It's allowed me to play with better players, play in bigger tournaments and kind of test my game at the highest level." His first trip to Augusta National was particularly amazing. "We got there late Sunday night and I was out on the course at about 9 Monday morning," he recalled. "I probably slept for about two hours that night. I just couldn't wait to get out there. I probably would have teed off at 5 if they'd let me. Just the fans, the golf course, just the whole atmosphere -- that place is second to none. It was just a dream come true and I can't wait to get back."
Johnson attended Virginia Tech where he was medalist at the 2002 Big East Championship. Johnson said the tragedy of 2007 hurt the entire community. "I think the students and the faculty and all of the people in Blacksburg have done a great job honoring those lives lost and the memorial is up there now," he said. "I went to the opening football game last year and it was real special; (it's) just such a great community of people and I think they've become stronger for it. ... I always felt very safe there. There's not much you can do to stop a maniac like that. ... But I think the campus is probably safer now then it ever has been."
Johnson's quest to earn his PGA TOUR card began on the Nationwide Tour where he played for four years. "I got right to the Nationwide Tour out of college which was great I never had to play mini-tours," he said. "I played out there for four years. ... I got better every year ... so I had a good progression of play. I just think the Nationwide Tour really helped me prepare to stay out here when I got out here."
We have entered into a very tough stretch of the PGA TOUR season with many marquee events in a row. Some players will play in six of the next seven events but Johnson is ready after taking two weeks off leading up to the Bridgestone Invitational. "I was kind of preparing myself to play a bunch in a row -- especially big events," he said. "So I've been looking forward to this stretch of the year since I won and since I knew I was going to be playing most of these events. I'm very excited about it."
Firestone Country Club's South Course may be the second easiest course on the PGA TOUR to walk. This course has a lot of holes that are up and back so you can watch the action on one hole and then turn to your right or left and be at the next fairway to watch the tee shot. Walking Firestone this week was a good "rest" week after Royal Birkdale and Glen Abbey in the previous two weeks.
I had a great week in Ohio last week. Johnson and Katie are very genuine people. One thing, I will always remember is Johnson saying he was honored I chose to follow him this week. It didn't matter what his score was, he always spent a few minutes talking to me after the round. I really had a great week with Johnson and Katie and feel like I have gained two more friends. I also would like to say thank you to Pepsi and the staff at the UCP Cleveland affiliate. I appreciate my good friends Nelson and Kerri Fujiwara for joining me in Ohio, too.
See you at the PGA Championship where I will spend time with Stewart Cink.
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OAKVILLE, Ontario -- I began the week traveling 4,375 miles from Manchester, England to Toronto where I would attend the RBC Canadian Open played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.
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Last week, I followed Carl Pettersson who was a classmate of mine at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C. That's right -- we went to the same high school and graduated the same year but neither of us knew it until Wednesday afternoon. Not only were we classmates, we also lived in the same neighborhood and didn't know that, either. Carl said that one of his greatest memories from high school was winning the state championship his senior year.
I asked Carl if he thought golf should be an Olympic sport. "I think it would be nice," he said. "I was actually talking to my wife about that the other day. If it was an Olympic sport, I'd like to play in it ... and hope the pros support it." Carl, whose father introduced him to the game at the age of 5 or 6, loves golf. "To be honest with you ... I'm a bit of a golf nut," he said. "I watch it, I play it, I eat and sleep it and I'm fortunate to do this as a dream of mine." Even if Carl didn't play golf professionally, he said his career would be something in the golf industry. Carl also believes the player-caddie relationship is extremely important. "I rely on my caddie a lot, he's a good friend of mine, and we get along very well together," he said. After spending the week with Carl, I did see that he and his caddie Grant Berry not only have a great working relationship, but they are also good friends off of the course.
Carl said that some of his greatest memories involve spending time with his kids. "Anytime I have a week off and play with them is a great time,' he said. Carl and his family love to spend time at their beach house in North Carolina and take the boat out on the water. Last Friday, Carl's tee time was delayed until 4:45 p.m. due to weather. So what did he do? He took his family to a nearby safari lion drive-thru park. "It's like a zoo, but you drive your car through and they've got lions, monkeys, giraffes, zebras, so the kids loved it, and it was pretty easy on the old folks -- all we had to do is drive the car," he said, laughing. "It was actually fun, we enjoyed it, so it was good we did that and had lunch."
Carl attended N.C. State University and played golf in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "I think the ACC is one of the top if not the top conference to play golf in," he said. "I was only at N.C. State for two years, but competed against a lot of guys who are out here now." He said playing for Wolfpack coach Richard Sykes "was a phenomenal experience." I asked Carl, who still lives in Raleigh, if he gets into the Tobacco Road rivalry between N.C. State, UNC and Duke. "Well, N.C. State used to be in that rivalry, but we've kind of lost our ways," he said. "It's more Carolina and Duke. I try and go to two football games each year and a few college basketball games. I wish we were just a little bit better. In the state of North Carolina, college sports is bigger than the professional sports."
Carl told me he thinks it's important to give back to charity -- especially athletes like himself. "Obviously you're living a dream," he said. "We're fortunate to do what we love. If you can help somebody else out along the way, I think it's nice." Carl and Tim Clark, a PGA TOUR player from South Africa who was a teammate of his at N.C. State, sponsor a charity event that benefits Children's Flight of Hope in Raleigh. The charity arranges private airline flights for seriously ill children
I asked Carl what is the best part and most difficult part of playing golf professionally. "The best part about playing professional golf is you're living the dream," he said. "The most difficult part is probably the travel, being away from home all of the time. When you're not playing that well, it's not that much fun, but you got to get through that. Everybody goes through those times. I enjoy playing golf. I don't like to play bad, but even the bad day is not that bad, really."
Last week was a crazy week, Glen Abbey absorbed over 8 inches of rain, and we had several weather delays. In a bit of good fortune, Carl had a morning start on Thursday and just after he holed out his final putt on the 18th hole, the horn blew and the delay lasted five hours, 40 minutes. As a result, Carl did not begin his second round until late Friday, and we had to return early Saturday to finish. Saturday was the most tiring day last week as I walked 22 holes, almost 10 miles and 29,847 Accusplit steps.
Glen Abbey is an interesting walk. The front nine is relatively easy, but the back is more challenging with five holes in a valley. The 11th hole begins with a 50-foot drop from the tee to the fairway, then, when you get through the 15th hole, the players take a shuttle from the green to the 16th tee. Also, there is a pretty good walk between the ninth green and 10th tee. Dealing with all of the weather this week and the wet and soggy ground from all of the rain we had, made for an extra challenge, and I am proud to say no falls!
I had a great time in Canada. Congratulations to my fellow Whirlie on his tie for 11th. I would also like to thank Carl's caddie Grant and Tournament Director Bill Paul and his entire staff for their hospitality. Once again, I would like to thank Continental Airlines for providing our air travel to Canada.
See you next week in Akron, Ohio, for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
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SOUTHPORT, England -- Last week I traveled 4,445 miles from Moline, Ill., to UK for the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. This was my first time to Europe and it was a memorable week. It was kind of cool to see people drive on the left side of the road with the driver on the right side of the car. You might have thought we were in the movie National Lampoon's European Vacation when we made a few wrong turns and our car with a stick shift stalled a few times. It was pretty funny.
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I followed Sean O'Hair, the winner of the 2008 PODS Championship, at Birkdale. Sean, who turned pro at the age of 17, won the 2005 John Deere Classic and earned a spot in the Open Championship the following week. "Obviously winning your first is just awesome," he said. "Your family's there so you get all emotional and all of the memories of working your tail off on the mini-tours just paid off and then you're going to the British Open. It was just kind of wow. Even the day before I left, I didn't know if I was going, I didn't know if I was going to be able to go because I didn't have my passport." When he arrived in Scotland that Wednesday, O'Hair took a nap and then went to the range. He played with Tom Lehman, David Frost and Tim Petrovic, who helped show him the ropes and "I ended up getting 15th and I had the time of my life. It was great."
As we approach the Olympics, I asked Sean on what he thought of golf becoming an Olympic sport. "That'd be neat," he told me. "It would almost compete with the Ryder Cup a little bit. It would be interesting to see how it kind of mixes in with that. I think it would be awesome."
As we all know golf is technically an individual sport, but when you talk to TOUR players a lot of them point to the team effort -- especially when talking about the importance of their caddy. Sean was no different. "This is my second week of six weeks on the road," he said. "So basically I'm going to be spending more time with my caddy then I am my wife in the next month and a half, so I think it's extremely important (to be friends)." Other then carrying the bag and figuring yardages Sean says a caddy is a "psychologist almost, especially like right now if you're struggling with your confidence. Your caddy's probably talking to you, trying to get you to start thinking a little bit better. A caddy can be anything you want."
Sean told me he is learning how to prepare for majors. He took the week prior to the Masters off and instead of going home to Pennsylvania, he went to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to work with his caddy at the TPC Sawgrass. "We just worked on a lot of wedges," he said. "(We) worked on the shots that I knew I was going to have because I've played that course before." Sean ended up finishing 14th, so he thinks the targeted preparation worked well.
I asked Sean what was different about the Open Championship as compared to the other three majors. "Well, obviously it's the oldest championship," he said. "The U.S. Open is tough because the U.S. Open is our national Championship and obviously that's what you're supposed to want to win. But the Masters and the British for me are as high as it gets. Obviously, the Masters with the mystique of it, but with the British, it's the history of it -- just thinking about all of the guys who have won that cup, and drank from it and just the history about it is to me what it's all about. Plus I love the golf there. My favorite thing about (if) is just the golf is different then it is here."
Sean, who is the consummate family man, made six trips to q-school before he got his TOUR card. "If you're good enough to be on the PGA TOUR you should pass through (the first stage) with ease," he said. "For me, it was always about trying to get past second stage. People don't realize how good these guys are and how good the guys who aren't on TOUR are. To make it out here is the hardest thing in the world." Sean says that he's living his dream. "From the time I was little, I wanted to do this, and to be living it is really cool." One superstition Sean has is that he doesn't play balls with the number 3 on them -- he only plays 2s and the occasional No. 1.
Royal Birkdale is not a very hilly course from tee to green inside the ropes, but as a spectator this course is a good challenge to walk. There were many uneven areas which for me was a challenge and there were some good hills to go from some of the fairways to greens. There were also many dirt and mud areas where spectators walk, which when wet made for an added challenge. Considering the rain and wind I think we were pretty lucky. Sean had the good draw. We played Thursday afternoon so we missed the dreadful weather that morning. The toughest weather conditions were on Saturday with steady winds of 25 mph and gusts up to 45. Not only was it tough for the players, but I had the extra challenge of bracing myself with the wind several times. I am proud to report that I had no falls on Saturday!
Thanks to Sean for spending time with me this week. I would also like to send thanks to Continental Airlines for providing our air travel. It was great to have my Mom and Dad along for my first trip to Europe and the Open Championship, too.
See you next week at the RBC Canadian Open!
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SILVAS, Ill. -- Last week, I was at the TPC Deere Run for the John Deere Classic where I had the opportunity to spend time with Peter Lonard.
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Peter first started playing golf at the age of 13 when his dad took him to play during a visit to his grandparent's house. He admitted to some superstitions, one of which is that he only asks a caddie to carry the bag, get yardages and make sure to put his clubs in the right slots. He also said his lucky number is 13.
Peter plays full-time on the PGA TOUR, but he has also spent time playing in other countries and the Australasian Tour. He said the depth factor is the biggest difference. "Here, we're unbelievably spoiled to the point where it's almost embarrassing," Peter explained. "It's good but embarrassing. Differences between lifestyles of playing here and places like Europe or Australia is that America gives you a better opportunity to get the most out of your game."
That said, Peter has also experienced difficult times during his professional career which includes contracting Ross River Fever in 1992, a disease carried by a mosquito. "I played the first year on anti-inflammatory and '93 was when I got the fatigue side of it. It pretty much stopped my golf career," he said. "All of a sudden I didn't have stamina." Peter gained upwards of 90 pounds, sitting around the house for a year and a half without a job.
Fortunately, things improved with his health when the money started to run out. "I started with baby steps, doing smaller tour pro-ams," Peter said. "I think the hardest thing about that was actually going back and doing stuff I had worked through ten years before. I got out of that section and into the proper tours and all of sudden I was right down in the pack again. Really unfit with a pretty ordinary golf swing, so it probably took four or five years to get over it. ... Just as I started to improve I was offered the club job, so I took the club job and then it all started to fall into place. (I played well in) a couple of co-sanctioned events ... on the Australian Tour and Europe and I thought if I kept chasing my tail off, I would win again."
During his professional career, Peter has had the opportunity to represent Australia on the International Team in The Presidents Cup. "Well I think it's special No. 1 because (of) ... being able to represent the rest of the world (and) the opportunity to play in a team event. Golf doesn't teach you a lot of team mentality and I grew up in team sports and I really enjoyed the camaraderie of playing on a team."
According to Peter the best part of playing golf professionally is that "you get someone to carry your bag." He also went on to say the most difficult part is the travel. "I'd love to live in Australia and I'd love to have the house and I'd love to have the dogs and that sort of stuff, but that's actually going to take hold until I get a bit older." Peter also said that he's a creature of habit when it comes to deciding where to eat when he's on the road. "I like my local bars so I pretty much eat at the same place every week every year. I can pretty much tell you exactly where I ate every tournament."
If he only had one more round of golf to play Peter said that round of golf would take place at St. Andrews and in his foursome would be Jack Nicklaus, so Jack could tell some stories.
Unfortunately Peter had a tough time at TPC Deere Run this week, and over the weekend I followed Rich Beem. This course, this course is extremely hilly on the front nine -- I fell on the cart path on the fifth hole. The first six holes on the course are the most challenging to walk, but after that, the course did get a lot easier and more flat. Special thanks to the local media members who walked with us during the tournament; I appreciate their support and taking time to tell my story. Yes, that's right I did have one fall this week and it was a good one -- the local television crew even caught it on tape. That's right, there's proof of my fall!
Congratulations to John Deere Classic champion and my good friend Kenny Perry on his third victory of the year. Special thanks to Peter Lonard for his kindness, insights and candor last week along with Rich Beem, Kenny and Kenny's caddie Freddie Sanders. I would also like to thank Phil Boyer for being my "caddie" last week in the Quad Cities; it was a most enjoyable week.
See you next week from the British Open where I will be following Sean O'Hair.
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BETHESDA, Md. -- My week began as I traveled from Detroit to Houston to pay my respects and show support to my good friend Jim Nantz. I would like to send my condolences to the entire Nantz family on the unfortunate loss of Jim's father.
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Last week I had the honor of spending the Fourth of July week in our nation's capital at the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. The tournament was played at Congressional Country Club just 25 minutes from Washington, D.C.
On Wednesday night I had a special opportunity to visit Walter Reed Medical Center and visit with some of the military personnel. I met David Woodard, who is a member of the 2nd Platoon Chaos 230th Infantry 4-10 Mountain. These are the guys who go into dangerous situations before anyone else -- definitely guys you want on your side. He was injured on April 28 by an EFP (Explosively Formed Projectile) that caused serious damage to his lower leg. Thanks to the dedication and expertise of the medical teams that have helped him, David is on his way to recovery. For all of you who feel my story is inspiring -- and I appreciate your sentiments -- this evening I was reminded that true inspiration is all around us in these brave men and women who sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms.
I followed Rich Beem At Congressional this week. Most people think this guy seems pretty cool, but that is a dramatic understatement, Beemer is a regular guy and a very talented golfer. His father is a teaching pro who used to coach at New Mexico State. Beemer was 5 or 6 the first time he played in a tournament. "I actually had to go ask my dad before I teed it up -- I said, 'Dad am I supposed to shoot a low score or high score? I didn't remember.'"
Before he joined the TOUR, Beemer used to play money games at El Paso Country Club. "The old saying used to be: If you think you have game to play on the PGA TOUR, come play in the Wednesday and Friday game," Beemer recalled. "If you can money there, then you've got a shot at being out here. It wasn't thousands of dollars, but it was definitely more money then I had in my pocket. I remember teeing it up and having $500 or $600 on the line and my paycheck was only $450 every two weeks. So it certainly prepared me to get out here and not be afraid of any situation or anything that would come that might happen."
Last Monday in Detroit, Beemer successfully survived a five-man playoff for four spots in the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Then he came to the D.C area where he won the 1999 Kemper Open as a rookie on the PGA TOUR. "I came in, I felt like I was playing well and if you feel like you're playing well then you probably are," Beemer recalled. "It was just one of those weeks where what benefited the most was making a lot of birdies and I wasn't afraid ... of making a bad number because I knew that right around the corner I was going to make some more birdies. So just everything about that week was special and I'll never forget it."
Believe it or not, Beemer loves to shop. "I'm a mall-lovin' dude," he said. "I don't care what it is, I love to shop, I could go in and buy everything at every single shop. I know it's horrible -- people are going to laugh at this -- but I literally love to shop. Put me in a mall, I could stay there for hours." Beemer also enjoys snowboarding and wake-surfing, his newest hobby.
Charity also has a special place in Rich's life. "I think it's probably one of the top motivations why we all play out here," he said. "I've been associated with quite a few charity events and each year I go back and they say we want to make this bigger and better and stronger. It's not only what I'm able to do but it's motivating everybody else around you to fire it