At the risk of stealing the much deserved limelight from 19-year old Inbee Park, who on Sunday at Interlachen became the youngest victor ever in the U.S. Women’s Open, Paula Creamer again showed us she doesn’t yet have the fortitude to win the big events. Just this year, she left 6-foot putt at the 18th short against Annika at Turnberry Isle, and now this: a 5-over par 78 in the final round to finish tied for sixth, six shots behind Park. After this latest setback, Paula’s in danger of losing the moniker “best player never to have won a major”, much like Sergio Garcia lost it a few years back after countless squandered major opportunities, only to regain it after his victory this year at the Players. He too still must prove he can get it done in one of the four biggies.

This is for sure: Creamer will never get over the major hump if she keeps trying to convince herself that they’re like any other event. They’re not like all the others, they’re much bigger, and they require players to step up to the greater spotlight, something Paula has yet to do, evidenced by her career final round scoring average in majors of 75.  

Kudos to Annika Sorenstam, for making her final swing in a U.S. Women’s Open the most memorable one: a perfectly struck 6-iron from 200 yards that found the bottom of the cup for an eagle at the par-5 18th. As I’ve stated before in this space, Annika is the greatest women ever to lace up the golf spikes, and she’s proven it more so in this event than any other, with three wins, including her very first ever as a pro in 1995, joining the very short list of other greats like Laura Davies, Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino to accomplish the feat. (By the way, Inbee is now on that list as well)

Annika will be missed, and with the absence of Tiger Woods over the golf season’s second half, there’s no doubt that the winding down of her stellar career leading up to November’s ADT Championship at Trump International will be the biggest story.

Kudos to Kenny Perry for getting the job done HIS WAY. The “job” being making this year’s Ryder Cup squad, and “his way” being playing in the events that best suit his game. With two wins and counting, and now a third place standing on the season money list, this is possibly the greatest year ever from a player 45 or older, right there with Nicklaus’s 1986 (Masters) and Fred Funk’s 2005 (Players Championship). Best thing is, Kenny’s season is only halfway over. Can’t wait to see him playing for Team USA in his home state at Valhalla, which is the second biggest story of the season’s second half.

And finally, kudos to Royal Palm Beach resident & Bear Lakes member Justin Hicks, who shot a final round two-under 69 to win the Nationwide Tour’s Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, his first professional victory. You might have heard of Justin before this week: he was tied for the first round lead at the U.S. Open two weeks ago in San Diego. It’s fitting his first career win would come at Gretzky’s tournament: Justin’s a former hockey player from Michigan. And the golf/hockey karma was on his side this week at the Great One’s event: he was assigned locker number 99.
 

Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.

With the news that Tiger Woods will undergo a second surgery on his left knee, this time to repair a torn ACL suffered while playing in the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, I have an even loftier respect for his incredible 91-hole victory over Rocco Mediate. Considering Tiger was playing on one knee, and dealing with the immense pain of two stress fractures in his left leg, I not only think this victory was the greatest of any among his 65 career wins, but I now think this is the greatest victory ever in the history of golf. The only other moment that might overshadow it? Ben Hogan’s miraculous win at the 1950 U.S. Open just one year removed from a car crash that nearly killed him. Whether you rank Hogan ahead of Woods or visa-versa, the fact remains, what Tiger accomplished at Torrey further adds to the already impressive catalog of unforgettable moments that make him the greatest athlete of all time.

Depending on exactly when Tiger returns to the course in 2009, he could have as many as 12 more months left to add to the most dominating decade in golf history. Torrey was his twelfth major championship of the 2000s, further adding to a record he’s had since his win at Medinah in the 2006 PGA Championship, which was his 10th, one better than Walter Hagen’s 9 majors in the 1920s, two better than Jack Nicklaus’ 8 majors during the 1970s. Outside the world of golf, Martina Navratilova authored the most dominating decade with 15 grand slams in the 1980s. Steffi Graf won 14 grand slams in the 1990s. On the men’s side, Roy Emerson won 12 slams during the 1960s, Pete Sampras won 12 (although no French Opens) in the 1990s. Because he will miss the British Open and PGA Championship this year, Tiger has 4 more majors left in this decade to chase Navratilova’s incredible mark.

Until then, reminiscing on his past 14 triumphs will have to suffice. With that, I give you my rankings of Tiger’s 14 career major championship victories:

1. 2008 U.S. Open – Torrey Pines GC, La Jolla, CA (71/7,643)
Tiger wins in his first event back following 2-month layoff due to knee surgery, struggling with pain from stress fractures, and further exacerbating the knee with a torn ACL. Five-day marathon ending with a par on the 91st hole to defeat Rocco Mediate in a sudden death playoff. Tiger becomes only player ever to win both a major & PGA Tour event at same venue in the same year on two separate occasions. Also becomes only the second player ever (Nicklaus) to compete the career grand slam three times.

2. 1997 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/6,925)
Tiger’s “Hello World” moment. Set’s tournament scoring record of 18 under par 270, also margin of victory record, 12 shots over Tom Kite. His reaching par-5s in two with wedges leads to the “Tiger Proofing” of course, when Augusta National adds 365 yards over the next five years.

3. 2000 U.S. Open – Pebble Beach GL, Pebble Beach, CA (71/6,846)
Tiger sets scoring record of 12 under par 272, 15 shots better than Ernie Els and Miguel Angel-Jiminez tied in second, which sets margin of victory record. Wins in same year Nicklaus plays in his final U.S. Open. Becomes only third player ever (Hogan, Nicklaus) to win both a major & PGA Tour event at same venue in the same year.

4. 2006 British Open – Royal Liverpool, Liverpool, England (72/7,258)
Tiger’s first major championship victory following his father’s death three months earlier. Victory also followed his first ever missed cut in a major in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Hit only one driver all week long, sacrificing length with 3-irons, leading the field in both fairways hit and GIR.

5. 2000 PGA Championship – Valhalla, Louisville, KY (72/7,167)
Tiger wins a playoff vs. Bob May. Scene for one of his most famous putts, a right-to-left breaker that he chases after with a pointing finger. He sets the scoring record in relation to par at 18-under.

6. 2000 British Open – St. Andrews GL, St. Andrews, Scotland (72/7,115)
Tiger sets the scoring record in relation to par at 19-under, winning by 8 shots over Thomas Bjorn, a new record for margin of victory. Completes the career grand slam with the win.

7. 2005 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/7,290)
Tiger ends the longest major drought in his career, winless in 10 straight following his 2002 U.S. Open victory. Scene of his most famous shot, a miracle chip-in from behind the 16th green on Sunday, when the ball stops on the lip for a brief moment before tumbling in. Defeats Chris DiMarco in sudden death playoff.

8. 2002 U.S. Open – Bethpage State Park (Black), Farmingdale, NY (70/7,214)
Tiger’s first major championship win on a par-70 layout, in the first ever major at a municipally run public course. USGA sets attendance records that stand for 6 years until the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines.

9. 2007 PGA Championship – Southern Hills CC, Tulsa, OK (70/7,131)
Tiger shoots a 63 on Friday to tie the lowest ever round in a major championship history, lipping out a putt at #18 for 62. Becomes the only player ever to win back-to-back PGA Championships twice in a career. 

10. 2005 British Open – St. Andrews GL, St. Andrews, Scotland (72/7,279)
Wins same year Nicklaus plays in his final British Open. Second career victory in British Open at St. Andrews. With the win, completes the career grand slam for a second time.

11. 1999 PGA Championship – Medinah CC, Medinah, IL (72/7,167)
In what becomes a fabulous back-and-forth duel between two young guns throughout the week, Tiger edges 19-year old Sergio Garcia by one stroke. Win helps him regain player of the year honors, which he also won in 1997, after Mark O’Meara took the title in 1998.

12. 2002 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/7,270)
Augusta National further “Tiger Proofs” the layout, adding an additional 285 yards after initially lengthening the course by 60 yards following Tiger’s 1997 victory. Doesn’t stop him from becoming first player since Nick Faldo to win back-to-back green jackets

13. (Tied) 2006 PGA Championship – Medinah CC, Medinah, IL (72/7,561)
Tiger ties his own scoring record in relation to par at 18-under. Defeats Shaun Micheel by 5 shots.

13. (Tied) 2001 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/6,985)
Tiger wins by two strokes over world #2 David Duval. 


Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.

Tiger Woods has never had to work this hard for any win. He not only had to go extra holes at Torrey Pines in the 108th U.S. Open, but an extra ROUND. In the end, after 91 holes of golf over 5 grueling days, all on a bad knee that is clearly not healthy, what is clear is that Tiger is not of this world. As my esteemed Golf Exchange co-host Pat Rooney Jr. says, there must be a contract with the devil.

That Rocco Mediate was the man that pushed Tiger to this limit was not the point. The point is Tiger ALWAYS delivers, no matter what is expected of him. He needed a birdie at 18 on Sunday to make the playoff? No problem. He did exactly that. He got up-and-down from 100 yards away in the right rough, capped off with a right-to-left 12-footer that bumped more than once on its way into the cup. He needed to then come back the  very next day and play 18 more. And then when 18 wasn’t even enough, he went one more extra hole until the job was finally finished, never once considering defeat.

The distinction that sets him apart is almost entirely MENTAL. There are probably a dozen other guys on tour that have as many shots as Tiger, but none of them believe as strongly in their skills as he does. Tiger’s mental toughness is so much greater than anyone he faces, that it almost isn’t fair. He’s managed to transcend the physical and make it a contest of will and determination, and in the end he ALWAYS wins. It’s exactly what he did this week. Physically, he shouldn’t have won this tournament. His knee is 75% at best, and that was on Thursday, before he went through 5 days of intense ballistic impact on a damaged joint. Because of that bad knee, Tiger never once hit the driving range after a round during the tournament, something that kept him from correcting swing flaws. Instead he immediately retreated to his room to ice down the sore knee. His only practice all week long were the few swings on the range prior to each round to get loose. That makes this win even more impressive.

For the last few years, ever since Tiger began quickly approaching Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories, the question has been: Best Golfer of All Time? But now, after this victory, his third U.S. Open and 14th major overall, the question must now become: Best Athlete of All Time?

There’s no doubt Tiger can’t be compared to his peers playing today, whether it’s Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Vijay Singh, or Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez. He’s just that much better than any of them, regardless the sport. We must instead sift through the annals to find names that truly stack up, like Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Muhammad Ali. And I think his name belongs at the top of that short list.

If Tiger decides to allow his knee a full recovery and thus forgo playing in his own AT&T National three weeks from now at Congressional, we won’t see him again until the British Open. But whenever it is that he does once again tee it up, don’t take for granted one second what it is we’re watching: The greatest ATHLETE of all time, perfectly melding mind and body to perform at the highest level that any has ever performed in sport. PERIOD.


Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.
 

Finally, Tiger Woods is returning to the golf course! This is quite possibly the most anticipated comeback since Michael Jordan ditched his cleats for a #45 jersey. The last time we saw the striped one was at Augusta, where he limped his way to a second place finish behind Masters champion Trevor Immelman. The very next day he went under the knife, and we’ll see how the arthroscopic surgery on his left knee went starting Thursday at Torrey Pines in the 108th U.S. Open.

Along with all the talk about Tiger’s return is Phil Mickelson, coverboy on last week’s GolfWorld U.S. Open preview, and for good reason: Philly Mick is a native San Diegan, he’s won countless junior events at Torrey, not to mention three Buick Invitationals, and he still lives just up the road in Rancho Sante Fe. Considering Tiger’s shaky bill of health, Phil is a no-brainer as favorite entering the year’s second major.

But, I do have one note of caution: in most cases when the pre-event hype is impossibly large, the ensuing payoff usually disappoints. We need not look back much farther than one month to see a litany of disappointments strewn all across the American pop culture landscape: from Big Brown to Indiana Jones to Kimbo Slice. The point is, I wouldn’t be surprised if neither man is hoisting the trophy on Sunday. Instead, we’re more likely to see the first regional qualifier win since Michael Campbell in 2005. This year that list includes Carl Pettersson, Bart Bryant, Fredrik Jacobson, Nick Watney, Davis Love III, Rich Beem, Mark O’Meara, Steve Marino, Matt Kuchar, Jesper Parnevik, and Pat Perez, who oh-by-the-way graduated from Torrey Pines High School.

Speaking of Tiger and Phil, the duo again topped the list of highest earning American athletes, released last week by Sports Illustrated. Tiger checked in at #1 for a fifth consecutive year. His 2007 earnings were $127,902,706….and we know he needs that extra $706. Mickelson came in second with $62,372,685. Lebron James, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Kobe Bryant rounded out the top 5.

I can’t help but notice that Tiger & Phil aren’t the only big time rivalry in full bloom among individual sports. Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam have won 9 of this year’s first 15 LPGA events. No doubt their back-and-forth jostling will continue all the way through the ADT Championship this November at Trump International. And Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal just played in their FIRST of what will likely to be FOUR Grand Slam finals this season. Just hope Roger can muster more of a fight at Wimbledon than the joke of an effort he put forth in Paris on Sunday, in what was the most lopsided men’s final in over 30 years.

Big time KUDOS to Tony Romo and Justin Timberlake for breaking 100 at Torrey Pines on Friday. The Dallas quarterback tamed the 7,643 yard track with an incredibly low 84, while JT barely got the nod with a respectable 98. Make no mistake: there will be dozens of PGA Tour pros shooting 84 later this week at Torrey, and we might even see a few scores in the 90’s as well.

If you’re wondering how the other two players fared, NBC’s Matt Lauer shot an even 100, while John Atkinson, the 38-year old cancer survivor from Nebraska, carded a 43-over-par 114, which is no doubt better than what this 31-year old healthy blogger would manage on the USGA setup.

We’ve become accustomed to an incredibly high level of quality in both content and production from the superb sports documentaries on HBO, so it is with great pleasure that I anticipate the cable network’s first foray into golf, with this week’s Back Nine at Cherry Hills: The Legends of the 1960 U.S. Open. HBO’s plugging of the program goes like this: “Jack Nickalus. Arnold Palmer. Ben Hogan. In 1960, three men in distinctly different stages of their lives played a round of golf for the ages.” I will be glued to the couch for this one, and I already know the ending! The program airs at 10pm this Wednesday night.

Lastly, a note regarding my performance on the mound Saturday at Roger Dean Stadium, as I threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Jupiter Hammerheads took on the Dunedin Blue Jays on BankAtlantic baseball bank night.

In front of a packed house, I stepped up to the rubber, took a quick look over to first base (I almost stepped off…the runner was taking a very big lead), into the wind up, and the pitch...great zip, waist high, just off the plate to the left. The catcher caught the ball with ease. Had Eric Gregg been the ump (he of the INCREDIBLY liberal strike zone-just ask Livan Hernandez) it would have no doubt been called a STRIKE. Don’t believe me? Here is photographic evidence:

 

Love the fact that “Budweiser” is directly behind me in HUGE lettering on the scoreboard...how appropriate…we consumed a beer or ninety-seven in the private suite that night.

Thanks again to the fine folks at Roger Dean Stadium and BankAtlantic for hosting the entire Honda Classic crew! A FABULOUS time was had by all.

Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.

Everyone loves a list, and golfers are no exception. The NBA compiled an all-time top-50 list for their 50th anniversary, and extended it by 10 players 10 years later on their 60th. ESPN released a top-100 list at the turn of the century, and sports fans have become accustomed to Forbes’ annual ranking of athletes’ incomes, both inside and outside the lines.

Although golf fans are nearly unanimous in placing Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Player, Nelson, Jones and company in their personal top-10, rarely have lists been compiled that went beyond that lofty upper echelon. Where to place the Faldos and the Crenshaws and the Trevinos? Who ranks higher: Mickelson or Singh? Did Hale Irwin’s career exploits outrank Raymond Floyd’s?

Below I have compiled an all-time top-50 list of golfers. You’ll notice Tom Morris, neither Young or Old, made the cut, nor did turn-of-the-century players like Henry Cotton or James Braid. It’s hard enough trying to ascertain career values of post-depression era players such as Armour and Hagen and Sarazen, where little to no video documentation exists, that I decided not to extend the rankings any farther back than that. So you’ll notice a shelf life of fewer than 100 years to all the names below.

While the top-20 was relatively easy to determine, much of the bottom half was more difficult, and at some points amounted to hair splitting. There are only a dozen men who have ever won more than a half dozen majors, while the list of those with at least two is nearly 100 players long. Once you’ve had a chance to digest the rankings, let me know the following: Who did I put too high? Who is too low? And who did I forget?

1. Tiger Woods  (64 PGA tour wins, 10 International wins, 13 majors)
2. Jack Nicklaus  (73 PGA tour wins, 11 Inter. wins, 18 majors)
3. Ben Hogan  (64 PGA tour wins, 9 majors)
4. Gary Player  (24 PGA tour wins, 110 Inter. wins, 9 majors)
5. Byron Nelson  (52 PGA wins, 5 majors)
6. Sam Snead  (82 PGA tour wins, 7 majors)
7. Walter Hagen  (44 PGA tour wins, 11 majors)
8. Arnold Palmer  (62 PGA tour wins, 11 Inter. wins, 7 majors)
9. Bobby Jones  (13 total majors including 6 amateur titles)
10. Gene Sarazen  (39 PGA tour wins, 7 majors)
11. Tom Watson  (39 PGA tour wins, 8 majors)
12. Lee Trevino  (29 PGA tour wins, 6 majors)
13. Nick Faldo  (9 PGA tour wins, 32 International wins, 6 majors)
14. Seve Ballesteros  (9 PGA tour wins, 78 International wins, 5 majors)
15. Harry Vardon  (7 majors)
16. Peter Thomson  (6 PGA tour wins, 46 Inter. wins, 5 majors)
17. Hale Irwin  (20 PGA tour wins, 45 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
18. Raymond Floyd  (22 PGA tour wins, 4 Inter. wins, 4 majors)
19. Billy Casper  (51 PGA tour wins, 9 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
20. Greg Norman  (20 PGA tour wins, 69 International wins, 2 majors)
21. Cary Middlecoff  (40 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
22. Bobby Locke  (15 PGA tour wins, 59 International wins, 4 majors)
23. Phil Mickelson  (34 wins PGA Tour wins, 2 Inter. wins, 3 majors)
24. Jimmy Demaret  (31 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
25. Vijay Singh  (31 PGA tour wins, 23 International wins, 3 majors)
26. Julius Boros  (18 PGA tour wins, 3 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
27. Tommy Armour  (25 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
28. Horton Smith  (32 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
29. Nick Price  (18 PGA tour wins, 19 International wins, 3 majors)
30. Ralph Guldahl  (16 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
31. Larry Nelson  (10 PGA tour wins, 19 Champ. tour wins, 3 majors)
32. Johnny Miller  (25 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
33. Ernie Els  (16 PGA tour wins, 44 International wins, 3 majors)
34. Payne Stewart  (11 PGA tour wins, 5 Inter. wins, 3 majors)
35. Doug Ford  (19 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
36. Jack Burke Jr.  (16 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
37. Sandy Lyle  (6 PGA tour wins, 18 International wins, 2 majors)
38. Tony Jacklin  (4 PGA tour wins, 25 International wins, 2 majors)
39. Ben Crenshaw  (19 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
40. Curtis Strange  (17 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
41. Bernhard Langer  (3 PGA tour wins, 58 Inter. wins, 2 majors)
42. Lloyd Mangrum  (36 PGA tour wins, 1 major)
43. Tom Kite  (19 PGA Tour wins, 9 Champions tour wins, 1 major)
44. Henry Picard  (26 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
45. Craig Wood  (21 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
46. Hubert Green  (19 PGA tour wins, 4 Champ. Tour wins, 2 majors)
47. Dave Stockton  (10 PGA tour wins, 14 Champ. Tour wins, 2 majors)
48. Colin Montgomerie  (35 International wins, 7 Orders of Merit)
49. Mark O’Meara  (16 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
50. Lanny Wadkins  (21 PGA tour wins, 1 major)



Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.

On Sunday, Phil Mickelson nearly lost at Colonial in the same manner he gave away the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot and the 2007 Nissan Open at Riviera: left-of-left drives on the 72nd hole. But this time, Phil saved the day with an incredible wedge shot from 140-yards out of the rough, over trees just yards in front of him, daring the water on the left and bunker fronting the green, stopping 9 feet from the hole. He went on to make the birdie putt and win by one stroke. CBS’ Nick Faldo said on the broadcast that “it’s the best shot of the year, no matter what happens between now and the Tour Championship”. Hard to argue with that, although I do take exception to what Faldo said next: “I don’t think even Tiger has that shot in his bag”. Tiger has the shot, but even Tiger might not have tried it in that instance, likely instead opting to pitch out to the fairway and play for par and extra holes.

There’s no doubt Phil is the most daring player in the game today, taking risky chances that pay off as many times as they blow up. He’ll never win as many tournaments or majors as Tiger, especially considering the gambling way he operates. But what we saw on Sunday in Fort Worth is EXACTLY why Phil is considered the current day Arnold Palmer, a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants risk taker, while Tiger is compared to Jack Nicklaus, a more calculating and cerebral player who’s widely considered by many the greatest golfer of all time.

Phil joined Ben Hogan (1947) and Sam Snead (1950) as the only men ever to win at Riviera and Colonial in the same year. Make no mistake about it: This made-for-the-highlight-reel win makes Lefty the favorite for the U.S. Open in two weeks at Torrey Pines.

Speaking of Colonial, Tim Clark picked up $536,800 after finishing one shot behind Phil in a tie for second, the sixth career runner-up showing for the diminutive South African who’s still searching for his first victory on the PGA Tour. Clark’s career Tour earnings now stand at $10,677,209, and he’s the only player EVER to earn more than $9 million without even a single win. For comparison’s sake, Tom Watson earned $10,004,299 in a hall-of-fame career that spanned 30 years and 39 victories, including eight majors.

This is EXACTLY what’s wrong with the PGA Tour today! Where’s the urgency for guys like Clark to win? He’s just one example in a slew of grossly over-paid, mediocre players sucking on the all-too benevolent bosom of the Tour. Stewart Cink has made $23,559,072 in his career, ninth on the ALL-TIME money list. NINTH!!!! This is the same guy who just this year cheerfully lost 8-and-7 to Tiger in the Match Play final and also melted down the stretch at PODS, squandering a 54-hole lead with a 74 on Sunday to finish—you guessed it—SECOND!!! Cink has only four career victories, and none since 2004. And HE has earned the ninth most amount of cash in the history of the PGA Tour?!? ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!

Thankfully the greats of the game have more than money on their minds, otherwise we wouldn’t have seen Phil’s tremendous gamble on Sunday. Here’s to the win-or-nothing mentality that guys like Woods and Mickelson and Sean O’Hair (’07 Players) show on a week-in and week-out basis.

Lastly, I will toot the horn for my esteemed Golf Exchange co-host Pat Rooney Jr., who teamed with Ibis neighbor Greg Poore over the weekend to finish second in the Fifth Annual PBCGA Mid-Senior Four-Ball at McArthur GC in Hobe Sound. (Second’s okay for forty-something amateurs with children, mortgages and honey-do lists…not so much for touring pros)

Even more memorable than the duo’s runner-up 74-69 showing in the first flight was Poore’s 4-iron at the 180 yard par-3 17th that found the hole during Saturday’s first round, the ONLY ace of the tournament. There is absolutely no doubt that Pat is the REAL golfer of the radio show. I just hope some of that mojo exhibited by the 2-handicapper rubs off on his co-host’s golf game.
    

Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.