10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
On Thursday, while home in Orlando, Florida, celebrating his son’s 16th birthday, PGA TOUR veteran Brian Davis received an unexpected call from his longtime caddie, Steve Hulka.
While Hulka certainly didn’t want to interrupt Oliver’s big day, his call’s primary purpose was to wish Brian a happy 10th anniversary.
Not only did the Englishman need no refresher as to what anniversary Hulka was referring to, but he also wasted no time engaging in the celebratory conversation of the 2010 RBC Heritage.
The anniversary, though, was not the mark of a victory. In fact, it stands to represent one of the most storied losses in PGA TOUR history.
But then again, if ever a victory could emerge from the smoldering ashes of a brutally disappointing loss, it was April 18, 2010, the final round that year at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Most remember how the story unfolded. In search of his first career PGA TOUR title in his then-169th start, Davis followed a bogey-free 5-under 66 in the third round with a 3-under 68 on Sunday. A birdie on the 72nd hole moved Davis to 13-under 271, forcing a playoff with Jim Furyk.
Back at the par-4 18th for the first hole of sudden death, Davis pulled his approach shot left of the green, pin high, into a hazard.
“To this day, for whatever reason, the thing that stands out more than anything was when Slugger (White, PGA TOUR Tournament Director and Rules Official) came over to look at my situation,” Davis said. “Before he walked away, Slugger looked at me and said, ‘Brian, it is a hazard, so just be careful.’ ”
Had Davis’ club touched the reeds in the hazard with his swing, there would have been no problem – provided the reed was intact and not considered “loose.” But, as fate would have it, the reed Davis did make contact with was not attached.
10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship!
Brian-Davis-RBC-Heritage.
The result? Davis called a two-stroke penalty on himself. As a result, instead of his first TOUR win, the fourth of his five career runner-up finishes in 370 starts.
Had Davis, the only one to know what happened, not reported the infraction, there’s no telling how his life may have been forever changed.
Davis, though, immediately called White back over.
“At the time, I had no idea what was happening or what was going to happen afterward,” Davis recalled. “I saw a reed move as a result of my swing and got Slugger back over so I could explain what I had seen happen.”
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said White. “Brian Davis is aces in my book. I was probably only 30 feet away and didn’t see it. But he did. And calling it on himself was incredible.”
“When I did it, I didn’t even think about it,” Davis said. “And I never could’ve imagined what was going to be the fallout with all the TV interviews, radio interviews, magazine and newspaper interviews … and even all the letters I received.”
Did it open his eyes? Not really. Davis was confident in doing what he believed to be simply the right thing.
After everything settled that Sunday night 10 years ago, Davis was asked to come to the media center for a press conference. But, unfortunately, it coincided with the trophy presentation taking place on the 18th green with Furyk.
“I was happy to oblige going to the media center, but I was also totally deflated,” Davis recalled. “Most people don’t truly understand what losing a PGA TOUR event takes out of a person. So, I was quite numb the whole time trying to process the loss while they are firing questions at me about the ruling and decision I made.”
When Furyk spoke to the media in his winner’s press conference, he addressed the situation straight away – and cited his admiration for Davis. “To be there and be in the battle and have an opportunity to win the golf tournament and then have to call a penalty on yourself has got to be extremely disappointing,” he said that night. “I admire him for what he did. It’s a testament to our game and the people that play on the TOUR.”
Davis understood the media’s curiosity but said it was difficult being in there, breaking down what was, in fact, a loss.
“I’ll always remember that when I left the golf course later that night, I didn’t have a single text message on my phone,” Davis said this week. “There were no voicemails, no nothing. So I figured all my friends and family were scared to reach out to me because they thought I was going to be all ticked off for having lost in a playoff because of a ruling I called on myself.”
After he crossed a bridge off Hilton Head Island, Davis’s phone began to blow up. Until that point, it had no signal.
“My agent just kept calling and calling and calling until I finally picked up,” Davis said. “He told me, ‘Look, I don’t know if you have been paying attention, but this thing has completely blown up, and I have already booked you for interviews tomorrow from 9 a.m. straight until 5 p.m.’”
Having spent the bulk of the time on the phone with family and friends, Davis recalls South Carolina’s drive back home to Orlando going rather quickly. However, the impact extended much longer than just that night. Everybody was touched by his incredible act of sportsmanship.
“I got lots of letters of support from family and friends and people I didn’t even know,” Davis said. “But the one which really stands out was a letter I got from a teacher somewhere in Texas. She explained that she had used what I did for a project in her class about doing the right thing. She even had every kid in her class write me a letter. That’s when it really hit home. I was just, like, wow.”
Once the attention died down a few weeks later, Davis could take stock of what it all truly entailed.
“I was back to looking at my position on lists, and I was looking at upcoming tournaments that I didn’t know if I was qualified for,” Davis said. “Those were all still things I had to consider. But, if I had won, none of that would’ve had to cross my mind. I would have also been able to get excited about taking my family to places like Kapalua.”
He spends his days with his two sons and daughter. While he says his kids are old enough to now understand what they were vaguely remembering seeing a decade ago, Davis prefers them to have a well-rounded picture of all dad has done.
“We don’t want to be remembered in our careers for penalties we call on ourselves,” he said. “I want to be remembered for things like winning the Spanish Open like I did [in 2000 on the European Tour]. That’s the kind of thing I want to remember and be remembered for.”
The PGA TOUR’s collective character is that its members don’t tend to dwell upon game strategy, not always translating into the W. Instead, they focus on ways to improve the next time that tee goes into the ground.
Because of the standout event at the 2010 RBC Heritage, Davis just didn’t feel like he had that time to shift gears for several weeks. However, four starts later, Davis claimed his fifth and most recent runner-up finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
“All the Hilton Head stuff was a long time ago, and I just don’t think about it much these days,” he admitted. “But even away from the golf course, the subject does still come up. So, that still makes me think about it, but I don’t analyze and process it anymore like I used to.”
Yet, it still resonates.
10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship!
“What Brian did 10 years ago says so much for his character,” White said. “What a wonderful, wonderful guy. His integrity is next to none. It’s just that good.”
“When you’re on the PGA TOUR, you are on the main stage,” Davis said. “We are self-governed out here, so I think that anytime we can exemplify that and it comes out good, well, then it’s a good thing — no matter who ends up holding the trophy that week.”
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
This list put together by Golf Digest shows just how uneven the playing field is for men and women golfers! When a golfer like Jason Dufner (who is no slouch on the golf course) is ahead of World #1 Lydia Ko in earnings, that is just wrong! Folks, start watching the LPGA Tour on TV, and you will find these women can really play! Just as exciting and competitive as the men.
For the first 12 years of the Golf Digest 50 all-encompassing money list, Tiger Woods was No. 1, usually by a wide margin. But reduced play because of injuries and the loss of more than half a dozen A-list endorsement partners after the 2009 scandal caught up to him in 2016, when he fell to No. 3 behind Jordan Spieth and Mickelson. This year, Woods is No. 4 behind Rory McIlroy, Arnold Palmer and Mickelson.
10.) GARY PLAYER
Certainly surprised me!
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
ON COURSE: — $0.00
OFF COURSE: $15,000,000
TOTAL: $15,000,000
9.) ADAM SCOTT
Money does not seem important to him!
PREVIOUS RANK: 18
ON COURSE: $8,160,920
OFF COURSE: $6,900,000
TOTAL: $15,060,920
8.) JASON DAY
Has never quite fulfilled his potential!
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
ON COURSE: $8,845,112
OFF COURSE: $10,750,000
TOTAL: $19,595,112
7.) DUSTIN JOHNSON
Thought he would have been much higher.
PREVIOUS RANK: 13
ON COURSE: $12,664,185
OFF COURSE: $7,100,000
TOTAL: $19,764,185
6.) JACK NICKLAUS
Did not build an empire like Arnie!
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
ON COURSE: $42,000
OFF COURSE: $20,000,000
TOTAL: $20,042,000
Who do you think has the best golf swing on Tour – Here are the Top 10! As chosen by Swing by Swing.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Here are the Golfers with the Silky Smooth Swings!
A smooth, consistent, and powerful golf swing is poetry in motion. While most pros are world-class athletes born with near flawless swings, the majority have spent years grinding to make them as perfect as possible. Here are 10 of the prettiest swings currently on tour.
10. Louis Oosthuizen
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, has honed his swing to near perfect. With flawless tempo and effortless power, his swing is one of the nicest in the game today. On plane and smooth as silk – good luck trying to copy this one!
9. Tiger Woods (2016)
Tiger’s been through it all with his golf swing, but nothing will top his form in 2000. Unfortunately, father time hasn’t been too kind and plagued the 14-time major winner with well-documented injuries over the last decade. Obviously, another overhaul was necessary. Still, in our humble opinion, it’s one of the prettiest out there. (We’ll blame the club drop on rust.)
8. Sergio Garcia
The current number 13 ranked golfer in the world has exceptional posture at address. His takeaway is smooth and he really fires his hips through the ball at impact. Check out that angle of attack! Hopefully, El Niño can put it all together to bring home a major championship before his career comes to a close.
7. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth employs a rather compact, simple swing that has allowed him continued success off the tee and finding the greens. What we’d like to focus on are the shoulders and hips which are in perfect synchronization for the entire swing. Add in the slightly bent left arm and hopefully, we’ll be watching this beauty for the next 20-30 years.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
When an older golfer like Rod Pampling wins a PGA Tour event at the age of 47, it immediately gives hope to all the 40 somethings who have been thinking retirement. (at least until the age of 50) It’s the old story “If he can do it, I can too!” In today’s highly competitive field, would Sam Snead be capable of winning at the age of almost 53 years? Certainly, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Bernard Langer are two prospects who come to mind. Who do you think is currently capable? Comments below, please.
Rod Pampling Tess Off.
Rod Pampling won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Sunday at age 47 years, 1 month and 14 days. He became the oldest player to win the annual PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, snapping a streak of five straight years in which the Shriners champion was in his 20s.
So that got us thinking: What are the best PGA Tour victories by a golfer age 45 or older?
Here is our list of 10 favorites (well, No. 10 was a tie, so 11):
10a. John Barnum, 1962 Cajun Classic
John Barnum Swing Sequence.
Barnum is still the PGA Tour record holder for oldest first-time winner. The six-shot victory at Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette, La., was Barnum’s only Tour triumph. He died 1996 at the age of 85.
10b. Art Wall Jr., 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open
Art Wall held the record for the most hole in ones on the PGA Tour.
Age: 51 years, 7 months, 10 days
Wall edged Gary McCord by a shot at Tuckaway Country Club for his 14th and final PGA Tour title – and first since winning the 1966 Insurance City Open.
9. Davis Love III, 2015 Wyndham Championship
Age: 51 years, 4 months, 10 days
Before Love beat Jason Gore by a shot at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., for his 21st PGA Tour win, he hadn’t won since the 2008 Children’s Miracle Network Classic. Love is still enjoying his two-year exemption he received for that victory, too.
8. Johnny Miller, 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Age: 46 years, 9 months, 8 days
Seven years after he won the 1987 title at Pebble Beach, Miller won by a shot over four players, including Tom Watson. After his win, Miller delivered this gem of a quote: “That didn’t really happen. It was a mirage. It was weird, like the whole thing wasn’t happening. I had this strange sense of calm.”
7. Fred Funk, 2005 Players Championship
Age: 48 years, 9 months, 14 days
Funk won the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic at age 50 for his eighth Tour win, but his victory at TPC Sawgrass in 2005 is much more memorable. Funk opened with a 65 that year and eventually won by a shot over Luke Donald, Tom Lehman and Scott Verplank.
6. Sam Snead, 1965 Greater Greensboro Open
Age: 52 years, 10 months, 8 days
To this day, Snead is still the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event. He won at Sedgefield Country Club in 1965 for his 82nd Tour title, which is also a Tour record.
What are the coolest tee markers you have ever seen?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
The coolest tee markers I have ever seen were at The Royal Swazi Spa and Resort in South Africa. They were small African huts with a thatch roof and a little wooden doorway. At the end of the tournament, the top 18 players were presented with a pair of tee markers. What a great idea!
Some corporations have taken it to the next level with their renditions of tee markers at tournaments sponsored by them. Thanks to Swing by Swing for such an interesting article!
10. Tee markers used at the 2013 Albertsons Boise Open. (Photo by Getty Images)
9. Tee markers used at the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA Tour)
8. Tee markers used at the 2012 Nature Valley First Tee Open.
7. Tee markers used at the 2012 Navistar LPGA Classic. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
6. Tee markers used at the 2012 Wyndham Championship. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
The King is Dead – Long live the King! The Career stats of Arnold Palmer. Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another! All of us agree that Arnold Palmer had a fantastic career, no doubt about it. But in a time where wins and money on the PGA mean the measure of a golfer’s greatness, Arnold Palmer had an even more amazing stat. From 1974 to 2004, a span of 30 years, Arnold did not have a victory but still made more money in endorsements than any other golfer on the planet! Why? Because everybody loved Arnold Palmer and would buy anything he put his name on. From car dealerships (I bought my Cadillac from an Arnold Palmer dealership in 1997) to car and tractor oil, golf course design, etc. Heck, he even had a drink named after him! I don’t know of any person alive or dead with the charisma, charm, and aura that Arnold had. Thank you so much, Brentley Romine, of Golfweek for these amazing career stats. Thanks for everything you have done for the game of golf, Arnie! You will be sorely missed.
Arnold Palmer, pictured at the 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Getty Images)
Here is a look at Arnold Palmer’s legendary golf career, by the numbers.
• • •
Brief look
Major championships: 7 (Masters: 1958, ’60, ’62 and ’64; U.S. Open: 1960; British Open: 1961 and ’62)
Professional victories: 95
PGA Tour victories: 62 (fifth most all-time)
Champions Tour victories: 10 (five majors)
Ryder Cup appearances: 6 (1961, ’63, ’65, ’67, ’71, ’75; U.S. went 6-0; 22-8-2 career individual record)
World Cup appearances: 6 (1960, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’66, ’67; U.S. went 6-0)
Amateur victories: 26 (includes 1954 U.S. Amateur)
Who are these guys – They say they played in the Ryder Cup – Really?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
We are all looking forward to the Ryder Cup next week, and as I’m writing this, I have not heard who Davis Love III has chosen for his final Captain’s Pick. I hope it is Ryan Moore after watching his courageous performance in the Tour Championship. I think he will be a huge asset to the team and will have a steadying and calming influence on whoever he is paired with.
But some Captain’s picks have been a little questionable, and we even had a player who was 68th in the world rankings was selected. Go figure! Here is a list of strange captain picks through the years by Alex Myers of Golf Digest. Thanks for sharing!
You probably don’t remember these guys playing for Team USA at the Ryder Cup.
1. Jeff Overton (2010)
The only U.S. team member of the modern era without a PGA Tour win, Overton did have four runner-up finishes when he qualified for the 2010 squad. He left his mark on the event with his fiery “Boom, Baby!” reaction after holing a shot on the eighth hole at Celtic Manor in a Friday four-ball. Overton played fairly well, going 2-2 in his matches, but the U.S. fell to Europe by a point.
NEWPORT, WALES – OCTOBER 03: during the Fourball & Foursome Matches during the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort on October 3, 2010 in Newport, Wales. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
2. Boo Weekley (2008)
OK, so you might remember him doing the “Happy Gilmour” bull ride dance down the fairway” during the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla. Weekley qualified for the team only because of Tiger Woods being injured, but he went 2-0-1 in helping the U.S. score an unlikely win.
3. J.B. Holmes (2008)
If Weekley only made the 2008 squad because of an injury, Holmes, 18th in the Ryder Cup standings at the time, was only at Valhalla because Paul Azinger let the players make three of the captain’s picks. In what Azinger dubbed the “redneck” pod, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk and Weekley chose Holmes. Due to his Kentucky ties, Holmes seemed like a good fit, and he was, matching Weekley with a 2-0-1 record during the Americans’ resounding victory. Davis Love was hoping for a similar outcome when he made Holmes a pick on this year’s squad. Holmes is certainly not obscure anymore, but he’s probably still the most surprising two-time Team USA member.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
For a Team Captain, picking players who have not made the team on merit is a daunting task. It’s one of those situations where if the pick plays well, you look like a genius, and if they don’t, you look like an idiot! There have been some picks just like that throughout the years of team play. People tend to frown on choices where the player is a good friend of the captain, but when Tom Watson picked friend Raymond Floyd, Ray played great and made Tom look good. Poor Lanny Watkins got all sorts of criticism when Curtis Strange lost all his matches after Lanny picked his buddy in 1995! Thanks to Alex Myers of Golf Digest for putting this interesting list together. We all love the Ryder, Presidents, and Solheim Cup matches, and some of these pictures brought back great memories, even in the years the USA lost!
The Good The Bad and The Ugly in Captain’s Picks!
Davis Love III’s selections (so far) have been pretty conventional, but that hasn’t always been the case with captain’s picks through the years.
Raymond Floyd (1993 Ryder Cup)
Tom Watson tabbed Floyd, 51, as the oldest captain’s pick in Ryder Cup history. The wily vet justified the selection by going 3-1 and helping lead the U.S. to a one-point win at The Belfry.
Cannon/Getty Images)
Curtis Strange (1995 Ryder Cup)
Fellow former Wake Forest golfer Lanny Wadkins picked Strange for the team despite Strange not having won a PGA Tour event in more than six years. The move backfired as Strange went 0-3 at Oak Hill and the U.S. lost by a point, which better explains his pose in this photo.
Paul Azinger (2000 Presidents Cup)
Despite being 24th in the Presidents Cup standings, Azinger was picked by Ken Venturi. “He’s a leader, he’s a team man, he’s a wonderful match player,” Venturi said. “I feel this could be his swan song, and I’ll get more than 100 percent from him.” Azinger went 1-2, but the U.S. won easily. Of course, he proved that leadership at the 2008 Ryder Cup as the U.S. captain.
The Top Putters on the PGA Tour and the Putters that got them there!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Great Putters are born!
I have always believed that if you practice, hard you can become a good putter, but great putters are born. I personally don’t think the equipment they use would make them any better or worse on a day-to-day basis. You just have to see how often these great putters change their equipment to see it is more a feel and visual thing. On any given day, a putter can look and feel great, and the next day feels like a lead pipe in your hands.
I had the good fortune to play a lot of golf with the late great Bobby Locke, who, to this day, is still regarded as one of the best putters ever. He used a hickory shaft blade putter for most of his career and never changed. The same can be said for fellow countryman Gary Player. He still uses the putter that won him all his majors! So what can you learn from this article? Find a putter that you really like, stick with it, and practice your putting stroke diligently to become a good putter!
David Dusek of Golfweek presents the top putters on the PGA Tour, and their strokes gained stats that allow us to see just how good these players really are with the flat stick in their hand.
“The wand chooses the wizard. It’s not always clear why.”
During a chat with Harry Potter, Mr. Ollivander, the owner of a magic wand shop, said, “The wand chooses the wizard. It’s not always clear why.”
The same holds true of putters. Several guidelines can help players find a putter that suits their stroke, but there is a healthy amount of art to blend in with the science. For example, face-balanced putters tend to benefit golfers who have a straight putting stroke; players who have an arched putting stroke tend to favor toe-down putters. Likewise, the ideal length and lie angle should position the hands directly beneath the shoulders.
The best putters on the PGA Tour use a wide variety of blades and mallets. Some feature a classic look. Others are colorful space-age designs. The one thing they have in common: They all have been custom-fit to match the player’s stroke.
Below is a list of the golfers who are the current top 10 players in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour, along with their putter.
1. Jason Day
Jason Day is the top-ranked putter on the PGA Tour this season. (PGA Tour/Chris Condon)
Strokes gained: +1.106 His putter: TaylorMade Spider Limited Red
Jason Day’s putter / Courtesy of TaylorMade
2. Steve Stricker
Strokes gained: +.930 His putter: Odyssey White Hot #2.
August 29 1996 – 10 Interesting facts about that day!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Tiger Woods’ first-ever press conference as a professional.
The start of an amazing career!
Twenty years ago today, Aug. 29, 1996, Tiger Woods, 20 at the time, made his professional debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open. It was a memorable week, notwithstanding his tying for 60th, and occasionally an amusing week. Here are 10 reasons why:
1. En route via a commercial airline from home in Orange County, Calif., to Portland, Ore., for his final amateur event, Woods turned to his father and said, “I’m never flying coach again.” Indeed, the day after his U.S. Amateur victory, he had a corporate jet standing by to take him to Milwaukee. Suffice it to say, he was right.
2. In Milwaukee, Woods paid for dinner one night with a gift certificate he had received upon his arrival. A day later, when Woods and his instructor Butch Harmon were driving to Brown Deer Park Golf Course in the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, Butch asked him whether he had his checkbook, so he could pay the $100 entry fee. “Butch, I don’t have one-hundred dollars,” he said, despite having already signed a $40 million contract with Nike. Harmon floated him a loan. Later, Woods said, “I haven’t seen a penny yet. I haven’t seen any check in the mail yet. I’m still broke.”
A 10 year old in a Toy’s R Us store.
3. Nike sent Woods several bags stuffed with shirts and pants. At his locker at Brown Deer Park, he found four new Titleist golf gloves and three dozen Titleist Tour balata balls. He was giddy. “He was like a 10-year-old dropped into the middle of Toys ‘R’ Us,” Harmon said.
4. Woods’ agency, IMG, initially had a plan for Tiger to announce he was turning pro at Niketown in Chicago. Instead, he released a statement on that Tuesday that he was turning pro, then held his “Hello World” news conference on Wednesday. Among the media outlets on hand were People and Newsweek magazines and the television show “Extra,” a strong indication that a new higher-profile era in golf had begun.
5. The Woods family — Tiger, father Earl and mother Kultida — were sporting 27 Nike swooshes on its clothing and shoes on Wednesday. Although Kultida vowed not to give up the Reeboks that she had worn the week before. “They pay Tiger, they don’t pay me,” she said.
