Excerpts

 “How many spots are there today?” I asked the USGA official at the desk. “Two qualifiers and two alternates,” he answered. Two spots! I couldn’t believe it. There were 81 guys at the 2006 U.S. Senior Open Qualifying site at the TPC at Prestancia. This site, along with 41 others scattered around the country, would [...]

“What’s up?” I asked. “Oh, a bunch of the guys are pissed at me,” he answered. ”Why?” “Well, on the 17th hole today—you know, the long par five on the back with the hazard down the right side.” I knew the hole. I’d made a good birdie there after a crooked drive. “Tom hit his [...]

There was a fair-sized gallery on the veranda and lining the tee at the tenth, by far the most we’d seen in any one place so far. There were a half dozen players and as many caddies already on the tee when I arrived. Tom Kite was there. So was Peter Jacobsen. Don Pooley’s staff [...]

By Fred Funk Dreams. We all have them. Often our dreams seem out of reach, unattainable, beyond reality. Only the special few make dreams reality. No matter what sport we play, dreams of making the big leagues float around in our fantasy world. Whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, or golf—the glamour sports create dreams of [...]

The first two years of the Robinson Open, I caddied for journeymen pros, both of whom missed the cut. I took the week off from school, caddied when I could, worked in the pro shop ‘til after dark, and watched a few holes of the tournament late Sunday. Since I worked in the pro shop [...]

I went back outside to watch Mark finish. He drove it well up the right side of the fairway on 18, leaving a five- or six-iron to the flag. He must have figured he was close to the number, because he took an aggressive line over the lake toward the hole. It was the perfect [...]