Long removed since his debut, Leonard still a winner
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Where has the time gone?
Can it really be a decade since we watched that monster putt come flying over the hill on the 17th at Brookline, headed toward the toward the pin like a freight train? Since it dove to the bottom of that cup and punctuated not only four birdies in a row, but an iconic comeback for the USA?
Justin Leonard was still a kid back then. Just two years removed from a tear-stained acceptance speech at Royal Troon. He closed with 65 that day in Scotland and spoke from the heart as he held the Claret Jug. He was 25 and already a major champion.
When his three children greeted him last Saturday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass, it all flashed back. The kid who played at the University of Texas, the Longhorn who won a U.S. Amateur. His soon-to-be-three-year-old son waited patiently for dad to finish with his caddie then came running -- smiling sun-burned cheeks -- to give him a hug. Luke's older sisters weren't far behind.
Time moves so slowly, yet so quickly on the PGA TOUR. One minute you're a U.S. Amateur champ, the next you're winning tournaments, a major and THE PLAYERS. The next you're struggling to find that swing you lost.
Leonard, who'll turn 37 next month, has come full circle. One of the world's top 30 players, he's a short-lister at majors and for Cup teams -- both Presidents and Ryder. He's a consistent winner too -- last year he claimed his second title in Memphis in the last three years. The first was the 2005 FedEx St. Jude Classic; the second the 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship.
And this week? The 1998 PLAYERS champ will be looking to make history as the first four-time winner in San Antonio. It would only be fitting that as the Valero Texas Open finishes a 15-year run at LaCantera, Leonard be the one closing the door. He won there back-to-back in 2000 and 2001 and then again in 2007 to tie Arnold Palmer for the tournament record of three wins.
Looking for another reason? He's also been runner-up there twice and has nine top 25s in 11 Texas Opens. Whew.
The Valero folks would like nothing more than to see one more 'Just-in Time' headline a week from now. There hasn't been a more popular player in the field since the days when Lee Trevino packed the place at Oak Hill and shared the spotlight with Ben Crenshaw.
Notice anything? Two of the city's best players are Longhorns, all three are Texans. And yes, it is a Lone Star State kind of thing.
Leonard will share this week's spotlight with another major champ -- 2007 Masters and defending Texas Open champion Zach Johnson -- and they'll have youngsters like John Mallinger and Dustin Johnson yapping at their heels. Older guys, too, like Jeff Maggert, who threw out a closing 68 last year.
Could Leonard be due? Quite possibly.
He started out OK at THE PLAYERS, shooting rounds of 70-69 in the swirling circus that goes with playing alongside Tiger Woods, then closed with 75-73 on the crusty weekend greens. A share of 32nd, for the record, but that's just a start.
Leonard started out with a fifth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, then added a tie for ninth at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and a tie for fifth at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. If you think golf is cyclical, Leonard's ramping up for three solid weeks in Texas.
Although his only home-state wins have come here, Leonard does have two top 10s at next week's HP Byron Nelson Championship and five top 10s at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, including a runner-up finish in 2003. He comes into the stretch ranked in the top 20 in driving accuracy (17th), scrambling (16th) and putting (18th).
Solid. Steady. What we've come to expect from the kid we've known for nearly two decades now.
A few years ago, he parted company with longtime instructor Randy Smith and spent some time with Butch Harmon. But when he went back to Smith two years ago ... things turned around.
Two wins. Another Ryder Cup team and America's first win since that magic moment in 1999.
As he heads into this stretch, we think back to the story he told us ages ago about hitting balls as a kid in his grandmother's yard in Fort Worth.
Now that does seem like a long time ago. But that putt? The Claret Jug? THE PLAYERS?
Seems like yesterday until we see him with the kids -- all three with sunburned cheeks that day.
Today, Leonard is more even-keel. He's not mercurial. His game is stronger, his patience ... well, not only has he worked his way back from 156th in the world to 27th, he also balances golf with three children under six.
But the kind of sideways grin? Some things never change.
Which brings us back to Valero where, as we said, a record fourth win would only be fitting. Has it really been nine years since the first one?
Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 