1. Feinstein’s first golf interview
Excellent stuff from John Feinstein remembering his first pro golf interview with the late Doug Sanders…
“Sanders was the first golfer I ever interviewed. I was a college junior, and in those days, the Greater Greensboro Open would send credential forms to student newspapers around the state of North Carolina. I filled one out and showed up for Saturday’s third round at Sedgefield Country Club.”
- “I wanted to write two stories: One on what it felt like to be at a professional golf tournament for the first time, the second on Doug Sanders-if he’d talk to me.”
- “I walked the back nine with Sanders and, after he signed his scorecard, I nervously walked up and introduced myself.”
- “Student newspaper at Duke, huh?” he said. Then, before I could think of a clever response, he said, “Come on inside. I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk.”
- “And so, we did. I illegally sat at the bar (I was 19) with Sanders, and he regaled me with stories for a solid hour. When I told him I was sure he was sick of being asked about St. Andrews, he laughed and said, “Not nearly as sick as I get when I think about missing that putt.”
2. Fall break for the Masters?
Damon Cline of the Augusta Chronicle reports…”Aiken County Public Schools has confirmed the Augusta National Golf Club has requested the district consider a fall break in November to accommodate a rescheduled Masters Tournament.”
“A statement issued by the district said club representatives contacted school leaders about adjusting the calendar for the tournament, tentatively scheduled Nov. 9-15.”
3. Meet Dakota Cunningham
Golf Digest’s John Strege…”Searching, in these dark days, for a beacon, and maybe a dose of perspective, and it is found in a single swing of a 7-iron and a hole with a big heart. Golf is not usually so accommodating, but this time it delivered a heartwarming capstone to a heart-wrenching story.”
“The hole-in-one, in fact, was a shot heard ’round the ward, the renowned St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis celebrating it with a blog post headlined: “For St. Jude Patient Dakota, Life is Coming Up Aces.”
“St. Jude Patient, as identifiers go, is as ominous as it sounds, and Dakota Cunningham, 14, endured it for the better part of three years while gamely withstanding the onslaught of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.”
4. PGA relief fund
AP report…”The PGA of America established the Golf Emergency Relief Fund on Monday by donating $5 million and pledging to match up to an additional $2.5 million given by other groups in hopes of providing support for the golf industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
- “The PGA’s contribution included every member of its executive team voluntarily reducing his or her compensation, along with the board of directors pledging personal donations.”
- “The fund is being administered by E4E Relief, an independent third-party public charity.”
5. More caddie funds
Thomas Dunne, Special to Golfweek…“Even in the best of times, caddying isn’t exactly a get-rich-quick kind of gig. And with coronavirus having shut down most of the top workplaces for loopers in the United States, many caddies are struggling even more to shoulder their financial burdens.
- “To help make ends meet, several caddies from the East Coast to the West have established GoFundMe.com accounts to help out-of-work caddies stay afloat until their next paying round.” “Two of the most notable fundraisers were started by caddies at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon and at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.”
- “With over 350 caddies serving its five (soon to be six) golf courses, Bandon Dunes operates the largest and arguably the most influential program of its kind in the U.S. These independent contractors have been idle since the resort closed its doors March 25 after two weeks of scaled-back operations. The resort plans to remain closed through April 30.”
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