An icon in the golf world, Donald Ross left a legacy that we can still enjoy: some of the greatest golf courses in the world.
Donald Ross (1872-1948) was born at Dornoch in Scotland. He grew up playing the famous Royal Dornoch golf links and apprenticed under “Old” Tom Morris for a year at St. Andrews. Ross’ name has become synonymous with golf and as a testament to his genius, there are nine of his courses on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
The King of Kapalua has overcome grand obstacles on the golf course, but he’s walked an even tougher road in life and emerged a champion.
The early season standout the last few years, Stuart Appleby has become a fixture on the PGA Tour finishing fairly high on the money list with regularity. It doesn’t hurt that he’s won the Mercedes Championship the last three years.
Both Appleby’s game and his life have been forged in a fire that no one would choose for themselves. He’s emerged from his loss as a family man again and as a regular PGA Tour champion.
While not the flashiest, Verplank is one of the Tour’s steadiest players who’s gotten off to another great start to the 2006 season. Look for his work ethic and solid game to continue to deliver high finishes for years to come.
Scott Verplank is another player we amateurs would do well to emulate. Hitting more than his share of fairways, putting like a man possessed, and doing it a most nonchalant fashion is what makes Verplank a dark horse in any tournament. Recipient of the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, Verplank has proven that he’s a fighter. Given by the Golf Writer Association of America, the Ben Hogan Award recognizes athletes who have remained active golfers despite a physical handicap or illness.
Anyone who knew Dick Harmon came to know a man who was dedicated to helping people as much as he tried to improve their swings. He was one of golf’s greatest teachers for his knowledge and his character.
A truly remarkable person passed away on February 10th, 2006. Dick Harmon, 58, was the son of golf pro and Masters champion Claude Harmon, husband to Nancy and father to Heidi, Richard, Chris, and Mary. Those closest to him say he was far more than a golf professional.” It was never about him,” said brother Butch Harmon. “It was always about someone else. He is a person that all of us are going to miss and we’re going to miss him in ways that have nothing to do with golf.”
A better example for the average player than many of the bombers on Tour, Luke Donald has quietly and steadily improved in the short time he’s played golf in the States.
Since joining the PGA Tour in 2002 Luke Donald has steadily improved. Entering his fifth year as a PGA Tour pro, his scoring average has gone from 70.64 to 69.33, a notable drop and he continues to be a consistent force week in and week out. Woods, Singh, and Furyk were the only ones ahead of him in that statistical category.
Intense focus, attention to detail, calm nerves, and lofty goals all describe what Donald brings to everything he does. The guy who makes a list of everything he needs to do on his off weeks and gets them all done is perfect for the kind of work he’s in. Course management and a cool head are very important for a guy who doesn’t play driver wedge into long par-fours.
On the verge of his 50th birthday, Fred Funk had an outstanding 2005 and remains a fan favorite going into the 2006 season.
The media and fans alike are rabid with envy and gossip when it comes to the longest hitters in the field. Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Long John Daly, Tiger Woods, Hank Kuehne, and this year’s bomber “Bubba” Watson are center stage in the drama that is the PGA Tour. While the distance debate rages in the hearts and minds of avid golf fans some players make a pretty good living by keeping it in the first cut.
Fred Funk one such “accuracy over distance guy” who is coming off his best season ever. He hit 74.9% of fairways in 2005, second only behind Q-School graduate Jeff Hart, and earned $2,830,046, good enough for 11th on the money list.
One of the LPGA’s hottest young stars, Cristie Kerr, is finally living up to her potential.
Cristie Kerr has undergone a transformation since joining the LPGA Tour in 1997. She has become one of the most recognized and loved talents in recent years. She could credit adversity, a major weight loss and health program, and the chipping off of some rough edges for her present popularity.
She has found a way to get into the winner’s circle as well. She has won five events in the last two years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Once called “the female Tiger Woods” by the Orlando Sentinel, Cristie Kerr is doing her best to make an impact on and off the course.
While Bart Bryant is a new face to many fans he’s been banging around the golf landscape for many years. He’s earned exemption and a regular PGA job by sticking with his game for nearly twenty years.
The ability to stick with something when you don’t see results is a noble quality. For every player who’s won an event on the PGA Tour or risen to join the ranks of the very best in the world there are hundreds who never make it. Whether its finances, nerves, or lack of talent or perseverance, not everyone succeeds on Tour. For every glory story there are many who find other ways of making a living, other ways of enjoying the game of golf.
Of course there are those who stick with golf through lean years, years in which success is only a fleeting thought. Bart Bryant, like a lot of guys on Tour, had to stick with the game through some very lean years before finding more security in the game he loves so much.
Catch up on a little Love III trivia.
If we look at The Sand Trap .com’s list of “Best Players to Have Won Only One Major” we’ll find one Davis Love III. He is a consistent and fundamentally sound player whose overall success has been hampered by injury the last few years. Look for Love III to win again… soon.
This week, we walk half a round with “The Love Monster,” a nickname I’ve just now created for him. Join us…