Monday, February 18, 2013
The Champions Tour at Naples-The Aftermath
Jay Don Blake was featured in last
week’s article. He was one of the first players on the practice tee on Monday, working
on his technique. During Thursday’s round, I heard him smack a drive off the
tee, but lost it in a cloudy sky. When it cracked the palm tree just above my
head, I had a pretty fair idea where it might have landed. He appreciated our
assistance in locating his ball.
He finished the tournament with one
of the best rounds of the day, just one shot off the winner, Bernhard Langer.
Blake did fire a 68, and Langer a 72, but Langer haled off the entire field
from start to finish.
Jay Don Blake and Mark O'Meara
Brendan Cunningham announces every
golfer at the first hole, supplying a brief biography. One of the marshals told
me that Cunningham has been announcing since time began! In the final round,
you could hear his rasping voice back at the 16th hole, as he greeted
contestants arriving on the 18th green.
We wandered from hole to hole,
marveling at the consistency of the players. Drive, chip, putt. On to the next.
Mark Brooks escaped from a nasty lie in
a sand trap with a fine wedge. But he lipped a relatively easy putt at the 6th
hole. Twice he mumbled, “I don’t know why I would expect anything else.”
Rocco Mediate won the previous
tournament, and was sizing up a putt on the 16th green. He consulted
with his caddy. I heard his caddy plead, “I’m trying, I’m trying!” Players rely
on their caddies for advice, which they sometimes ignore. Mediate sunk the putt
for a bird, to put him 6 under par. Marshall Pat Minty, who spent the
weekend on that particular hole,
remarked that the threesome with Mediate, Cook, and Funk had the best shots of the day. John Huston’s
group followed. Huston came into the 16th at 8 under, double
bogeyed, and shot himself out of contention.
The day cooled as the sun began to
set. Palms shimmered in the slight breeze. Langer, Pernice, and Chien Soon Lu
were the last to tackle the par 3 16th. Langer parred the hole, laid
up at the 17th for another par, and coasted to victory. Well, not
exactly coasted. He pushed a fifty foot putt to within inches of the hole to
seal the deal.
It was his second ACE Group Classic
win in the last three years. Even though he hails from Berlin, his German
accent is barely noticeable. He suggested to the announcer, that since he has
lived in Boca Raton for so many years, they might now introduce him as a
Florida resident.
Bernhard Langer with his wife and son.
The tour makes two Canadian stops
this summer, in Montreal, and in Calgary. Canadian Jim Rutledge fired a strong 69
over the last round and picked up more than $ 18 000 for his efforts.
A great way to enjoy fine golf in the
Florida sunshine!
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
# posted by James Hurst @ 12:11 PM 
