I truly hope this week has been as good for you as it has for me. On Saturday, after playing 18 and practicing (what a weird feeling to actually practice), one of my favorite tour players, who is also my best friend, and I went out to play a few holes. I birdied one… hit the ball in the water on two, par’d 3… birdied 4… par’d 8 and birdied 9… with an Open Champion watching. Pretty cool.
Sunday, I watched my 13 year old, William, play his last baseball game of the season. Will attends The Highlands School in Irving. For most of his teammates, this was their first year playing organized ball. It was a tough year, but a number of the kids put tons of effort and heart into learning their skills, and it showed. From the start of the season to the end, it was night and day. For Will, he worked so hard on his game, especially his pitching. It wasn’t easy for him to pitch from 60 feet, not being close to 5 feet tall but he worked at it almost every day and in the last inning of the season he looked like an all-star… striking out 2 and most importantly, walking none.
Wednesday, in coat and tie, I watched my older son, Douglas, graduate high school at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head. After getting past the feeling of being 100 years old, it was really cool to see one of my kids in cap and gown. Because the graduating class was only 30, each student had the opportunity to watch a slide show capitalizing their life. As usual, my wife Sandie did an absolutely tremendous job of choosing just the right pictures. For Doug, it was the culmination of a wonderful, educational and very difficult year. See, it was Doug that decided to attend the IJGA, an amazing golf academy run by Hank Haney. The kids live, eat and breathe golf and have for most of their lives. Until last summer, Doug had never really taken the game serious… so putting himself in the “lion’s den” of golfers was not easy. But, he has grown into a committed young man that is willing to pay the price to do what he loves. It was great to see the first part of the race come to a conclusion.
I landed this morning back in Dallas and headed straight to Colonial. The Nelson is the 200 lb gorilla that has worked hard to rebuild itself; Colonial is the “golf tournament” that is trying to make itself into something more. They are doing a very good job of it. In 2007, with the help of a new Tournament Director and a new title sponsor, The Crowne Plaza invitational at Colonial generated over $4.26 million for Tarrant Country Charities, top 5 on the Tour. The tournament was recognized as the most improved Charity on the Tour.
This year they’ve added more love entertainment; live tournament and replay action in the downtown Sundance Square; 2500 tickets given to men and women in uniform and their families; plus, one of the coolest things, the Colonial Golf Girl. Want to know the inside scoop at the tournament? Go to http://www.colonialgolfgirl.com/ and blog away. Kelly Webster of 103.3FM ESPN is answering (or trying to answer) all your questions and giving you up-to-the-minute, inside information on the tournament. Check it out. If nothing else, Kelly is always funny, just ask Galloway.
Question of the week – I have an interesting idea for Colonial… let me know what you think. Colonial was the first tour event to bring a woman into the field for something more than a publicity stunt. Annika deserved a chance and she felt this was the right course. So, how about Lorena? She has not been public about playing with the men, which in my mind makes it more interesting. How about Colonial being the tournament that invites the most deserving woman player? It might be every year or every other; it might be once a decade, but it would be for the right reasons and give some wonderful women players the opportunity to try on a different playing level. What do you think?
A 277 yard par 4… you heard it right. First we had a 300 yd par 3, now a 277 yard Par 4. That’s right, on Sunday at the US Open, the 14th hole, which is normally 435 yards, will be shortened to become a driveable Par 4. Can’t wait to hear what is said about this one.
Finally… which is better: a morning 63 or a blown-in-the-wind afternoon 66? We’ll see on Sunday. One thing is for sure, the last time the winner led on Thursday was 1988… Lanny Watkins. It doesn’t bode well for the man with two last names, Johnson Wagner.
