The US PGA Championship, 2004. Whistling Straits, Kohler, WI. The weather was terrible for mid-August: cold, rainy, extremely windy. Foreign players had the advantage. I was there for the last day of practice and the first day of play. It was a huge thrill, really unlike anything else I've ever experienced, to get the autograph of my favorite player - José María Olazábal - and to see him "up close and personal." Unforgettable.
[title quotation by Tom Watson - who never won the PGA Championship, and was runner-up only once. The whole quotation reads: "I love rotten weather. The founders of the game accepted nature for what it gave, or what it took away. Wind and rain are great challenges. They separate real golfers. Let the seas pound against the shore, let the rains pour.”]
José María Olazábal? really?
ReplyDeleteI can drive the ball a mile, but I've got no touch around the green; I envy someone who does. I've never been a fan of big sports egos, more flash than substance. And he was humble and appreciative when he recovered from illness and injury to come back to golf. He seems like an all-around good guy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you played at all... I used to quite a bit, and went to a number of pro tournaments (as a spectator) but, I can not watch golf on tv without slipping into a coma. I guess why I was surprised was that although this guy has had a successful career, he is not someone that you really hear much about.
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