Insider: Bohn remains one of most likeable players on TOUR
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
No one is likely to throw a string of beads his way, but Jason Bohn is finally going to get a chance to enjoy the royal treatment.
Bohn is the defending champion at this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He won it in style last year, shooting a first-round 65 and leading the tournament from start to finish, making birdies on three of the last four holes, and beating eventual Ryder Cupper Jeff Overton by two. He hit a wedge shot to within inches on the 72nd hole to cement the win.
Not that it was easy; rain messed things up and Bohn had to play 24 holes on Saturday and 30 holes on Sunday. The screwy schedule was insignificant to Bohn, who was seemingly oblivious to the weather and wound up with the lowest score (270) since the event moved to the TPC Louisiana in 2005.
And this week he gets a chance to go back and enjoy the spoils.
"It's awesome. I'll get to be the talk of the town until Thursday," Bohn said. "It's going to be fantastic."
At least he's going to be able to defend his championship on the same course. He didn't have that opportunity after his first victory, the 2005 B.C. Open. Bohn won that event at the En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott, N.Y., which had hosted the event since its inception in 1971. But severe flooding at the course forced organizers to move the event to the Turning Stone Resort, leaving Bohn to attempt a repeat on a course he'd never seen.
There's no such drama this week in New Orleans, and Bohn is looking forward to a busy week. He returned earlier this spring for media day (another event he missed after winning his first event) and helped present more than $200,000 in checks to 14 local charities on behalf of the Fore!Kids Foundation.
"It's awesome," Bohn said. "I wish I was the defending champion every week."
Bohn is one of the many likeable guys on the PGA TOUR who are unfortunately just a name on the scoreboard page to the casual golf fan. Bohn (pronounced BONE) always has a positive attitude, is a great pro-am partner and doesn't mind signing autographs for the kiddies.
He's recalled the story about how he won $1 million in a hole-in-one contest (more about it here) at least a million times and always makes it sound like it's the first time he's told the tale. He's a great ambassador for the game and anyone who takes the time to watch him play golf or interact with others will walk away with an appreciation for him.
A personal story: When he qualified for his first Masters, I arranged to speak with Bohn each day at Augusta National to produce a diary for my newspaper. One day my editor tagged along to listen in. He was blown away by Bohn's enthusiasm and attitude and on the way back to the press building said, "That guy is awesome. He's my new favorite player."
That sort of enthusiasm helped him overcome a painful rib injury and three successive back surgeries in 2008 that almost ended his career. Even when he was lying in a hospital bed for 32 days or working his way through hours of rehabilitation, Bohn was always quick to take a glass-half-full approach.
It was such a positive attitude that helped keep Bohn motivated enough last Friday at The Heritage to birdie four of his last six holes just to make the cut. A lesser pro might have mailed it in, but Bohn decided to grind it out. He did the same thing on Sunday to shoot a 67 and move up 26 places on the leaderboard.
He wound up tied for 36th at Harbour Town. But instead of viewing it as a middle-of-the-road finish, Bohn saw it as a chance to build a little momentum going forward.
"I definitely think it carries some momentum. You bet I do," Bohn said. "And then when you go back to a place where you've had good success, all those positive vibes come back. I'm excited. And I'm ready to eat some good food."
He's not the biggest name in the field this week, but Bohn has won a legion of fans by the way he's handled his business. Who knows, there may be a few banners of support for him when he returns to New Orleans this week. How does "Geaux Bohn" sound?
Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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