Variety Might Be More than the Spice of Life: A Case for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

They say variety is the spice of life. I agree. Can variety be an advantage, too? 

Are you someone who intentionally mixes it up? Yes and no? No and yes? 

This school year, I have found a simple delight in taking different routes to work in the morning. I have an aunt who never orders the same meal on the menu of her favorite restaurant. Her thought is, Why should I? They have great cooks, and fresh ingredients!  Way to go, Aunt Mo. Recently, my mom was inspired by a fashion blog that challenged viewers to create at least ten new outfits from clothes one already has in their closet. She described this opportunity as "so much fun" and inspired me to do the same. This reflection on variety prompted me to consider, What does variety look like in sports? How do I mix things up in the sports I play? I found one answer in an unsuspecting place: Pebble Beach, California.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is an annual PGA sponsored golf tournament that takes place the first week in February. Once known as the "Bing Crosby Clambake" this iconic tourney includes professional golfers (from the PGA) alongside corporate executives/sponsors and celebrities of all sorts—athletes, musicians, not to mention comedic legend Bill Murray. In recent years and pre-LIV tour, fewer and fewer high profile, top ranked players have comprised the player list. Surely it's not the setting. Green and blue spaces abound. In fact, it offers a different kind of grind. 

On the tour, golfers grow comfortable with competing on one course in a singular tournament. The AT&T Classic is played on Spyglass Hill, Monterrey Peninsula and Pebble Beach (2x). That would require additional practice rounds and course knowledge. Others don't want the distraction of the celebrities and competing next to golfers not at their level, while trying to win a PGA title (and a birth to the Masters!). And yet, the 2023 winner found the change to be a welcome thing. As written in Justin Rose wins Pebble Beach Pro-Am to book Masters spot after Gareth Bale impresses

The slow pace of the Pro-Am format is not to every professional’s liking but Rose believes it has helped bring out the best in him. 

“When you go side by side with the amateurs there’s something which maybe keeps me a little bit more mellow so I have got to learn from it,” he said.

Who knew that variety also serve as an advantage?

Jason Bateman, Bill Murray and Josh Allen are but a few of the celebs at the AT&T

Golf is a game built on tradition. Old ways die hard and tradition—by definition— is resistant to change. But the times have invited us to consider its value. My sense is that tradition is a double edge sword. We want it and yet the emergence of the LIV tour has led others to find more value in innovation. Some might argue that's the best quality LIV golf has going for it. To me, innovation has a few things in common with variety. Yes and no. No and yes. It's certainly caught people's attention (I have yet to write about the LIV tour) and spiced it up (red hot). 

Blessed John Henry Newman said, “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” In what ways do you invite change? participate in it? contribute to it? When we change, no doubt there is loss—but there might be more—much more to gain!

Advice for those planning to attend in 2024
If you can—arrive on Friday (afternoon) and head right over to either Spyglass Hill or Monterey Peninsula. In the past, when I arrive late in the day, I have been able to walk in without a ticket. It is not as crowded and the TGIF spirit is palpable. You can follow but a few groups, but this might get you up close and personal with your favorite.

If you are there for celebrity sightings: One approach to engage a player you would like to meet is to offer a specific comment, idea or insight. The more specific the better. I have stories. I have examples....

Go to The Inn at Spanish Bay on Friday night. The outdoor fire pits, the sunset, the bagpipes. Surreal.

Saturday: The better players and higher profile celebrities will be playing Pebble Beach. Arrive early morning. Walk the course; get the lay of the land and then follow your favorites. Take in the green and the blue. Hit the Tap Room after. It will be crowded but it will be fun.

Per my own advice, mix it up! Variety comes in many forms. Let that underscore your visit.

Photo Credits
Justin Rose
Celebs
Pebble

Another Chapter in the History of the Masters: The Beauty of Sporstmanship

Yet another chapter has been written in golf's great history book. Indeed the Masters has its fair share of chapter and verse, and the one about the 2017 tourney is one worth reading. Why? Today's show down for the green jacket taught me about the true nature of sportsmanship and what it requires of athletes and of fans.

Just yesterday, I asked a friend who he was rooting for to win the tourney. He said, "honestly no one, it's so compelling I root for just great competition, which it ALWAYS is!!" Though I appreciate his perspective and I understood what he meant, I cannot remain impartial when it comes to golf. I am loyal to certain players, interested in others, some aggravate me and a few elicit total disgust.

I have never been a fan of Sergio Garcia. To label the Spaniard as a "victim" is a little strong, but the whining and complaining, the multiple references to himself in the third person and as many fans cannot forget, spitting into the cup after missing a putt for par in 2007 (Doral)—all of it makes it tough to equate sportsman with his name. As reported in the WSJ, 

In his 73 failed attempts to win a major championship, Sergio Garcia found all manner of scapegoats. It was Augusta National, which he once said didn’t suit him. It was some intangible quality he lacked, he said another time. Or it was a higher power, as he alluded to in 2007 when he said, “I’m playing against a lot of guys out there..."

If you pay attention to his body language, his words are not surprising. I am confident, were he to play for Geno Auriemma, the women's basketball coach at UConn, he would be benched. 

Garcia's playing partner, however Justin Rose is the consummate professional. I have heard many golf pros say that he has the purest swing in all of golf. He has come in second at the Masters before. When asked what he could have done differently to beat Jordan Spieth in 2015, Rose quipped "nothing. He played truly incredible golf today."

In golf, the rules, tradition and etiquette are of supreme importance. Fans at the Masters understand; they are among the best in all of sport. They are generous with their praise and honest too. Yes, there are times of uncomfortable silence e.g. when a player misses a routine putt. Clapping for a player is always deserved. Sportsmanship is paramount; no one audibly roots against anyone. I can't say that is the case in all golf tournaments—the Waste Management Open—but I do believe the spirit of the Masters has an affect on those of us watching in our living rooms nationwide. Indeed, as much as I wanted to cheer when Garcia took an unplayable lie or missed his 4 foot putt for birdie, I was encouraged not to. Stay classy; be a good sportsman.

So, I did what I could do—I rooted for Rose loud and proud. I took delight in his ten stroke lead and wanted him to just hold on and play par golf on through 18. However, knowing that several holes on the back nine are not hard for the pros to make birdie, I realized the Masters and Garcia would demand more of him. 

As the shadows began to lengthen, Garcia once again got hot. "El Nino," who might have been his own worst enemy in the past, regrouped and played great golf on holes number 14 and 15, but so did Rose. In was in that flurry that I saw what everyone else watching CBS sports saw: Garcia extended his hand to his competitor in an understated high five. Rose, who made a tough putt for birdie responded and the two shared a moment of appreciation for what was unfolding. They smiled, feeling good about their game, and in turn, they both honored the game with their sportsmanship. If you had told me that Rose was a great sportsman, I would not have been surprised. But, on Masters Sunday Garcia was too.

Moments like these are why we continue to watch live sporting events. In the context of when it happened and what was at stake, I was nearly overtaken by the emotion of it all. I wanted all of my students in Sports and Spirituality to witness what what I just saw...and saw again on another hole thereafter— when Rose gave Garcia a thumbs up....and as the two completed the 18th hole to enter in a play-off—as they hugged one another. This final round was the manifestation of what we have read and studied.

In the article "What Role Does Ethics Play in Sports" Kirk Hanson writes

To understand the role ethics plays in sport and competition, it is important to make a distinction between gamesmanship and sportsmanship. 

Gamesmanship is built on the principle that winning is everything. Athletes and coaches are encouraged to bend the rules wherever possible in order to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent, and to pay less attention to the safety and welfare of the competition. Some of the key tenants of gamesmanship are:

• Winning is everything
• It's only cheating if you get caught
• It is the referee's job to catch wrongdoing, and the athletes and coaches have no inherent responsibility to follow the rules
• The ends always justify the means

Some examples of gamesmanship are:

• Faking a foul or injury
• Attempting to get a head start in a race
• Tampering with equipment, such as corking a baseball bat in order to hit the ball farther
• Covert personal fouls, such as grabbing a player underwater during a water polo match
• Inflicting pain on an opponent with the intention of knocking him or her out of the game, like the Saint's bounty scandal
• The use of performance-enhancing drugs
• Taunting or intimidating an opponent
• A coach lying about an athlete's grades in order to keep him or her eligible to play

All of these examples place greater emphasis on the outcome of the game than on the manner in which it is played. 

A more ethical approach to athletics is sportsmanship. Under a sportsmanship model, healthy competition is seen as a means of cultivating personal honor, virtue, and character. It contributes to a community of respect and trust between competitors and in society. The goal in sportsmanship is not simply to win, but to pursue victory with honor by giving one's best effort.

Sunday at the Masters 2017 was an incredible display of sportsmanship by the athletes and in the fans, including me! I never knew I could feel the way I did today. I was very disappointed that Justin Rose lost and Sergio Garcia won, but that emotion was trumped by something greater. Rose said it best when he insisted "it's hard not to feel good for Sergio after his Major win."

He's right. Their performance was a victory for sportsmanship, for golf and for the Masters. These two players—and others like Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth (see his post match interview) found victory with honor. That same friend wrapped it up well when he told me, "honestly, I don't think words can do it justice." But they must, for this story and this very chapter  has to be written. 

Thank you for giving us your best effort. Augusta National is a beautiful course, but today it radiated its beauty in the quality of the game. 

Photo Credits
Trophy
Hug and other photo

The US Open, Father's Day and Jason Day

In early June, I was on my first golf trip. I traveled with 25 other women from the Olympic Club in San Francisco for five rounds of golf in five days in Pinehurst, NC. On most days, I played with someone new. I had a caddy and forecaddies for the first time. I had a lot of time to talk to a lot of different people about...golf. An easy question to ask any golfer is: How did you start playing? A good number in this group said something I hope to hear more often—they learned from their mom! In fact, one golfer learned the game from her own mother who played on the LPGA tour in the 1950s. That was inspiring. But, the majority of golfers learn the game from, their dad.

Jason Day and his son Dash

I picked up my first golf club in high school when I took a 6-pack of group lessons run by the City of Walnut Creek. My dad signed up with me. He didn't need to take lessons; I'm not even sure he was serious about playing the game, but I understand now why he did. Thanks Dad!

The final round of the U.S. Open always falls on Father's Day. I would be interested to know how long this tradition has stood, because it's a great one. On my flight home from the 115th Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, WA I talked to the President of my golf club. He shared with me that his favorite part of Father's Day is that it's the one day of the year his daughters will sit down with him to watch golf. 

For those that do watch, you will see a series of ads run by the USGA that feature current players and their fathers. I can only imagine how many hours these dads spent with their sons on the links. I would hope that golf has strengthened their relationship. After all, the game demands a lot of time. And if there's one thing we still cannot buy, it's time. 

Justin Rose honored his own father with his US Open victory in 2013 at Merion

A number of  professional football, basketball and baseball players have fathers who played the game professionally as well. On the current tour among golfers, only Jimmy Walker comes to mind. There are however, some golfers you will not see with their fathers, as they are no longer with us. When Justin Rose captured the U.S. Open in Merion, PA, he took a moment to honor his father with a prayer, some tears and a point to the sky before he sank his final putt for the victory. His dad had died of Leukemia at but 57 years of age. Bubba Watson's father was the only coach he ever had. I didn't understand why the already emotional Bubba was blubbering as he won the Master's in 2012. His father and namesake Gerry Lester Watson, Sr had died of throat but a year and a half prior. 

Many eyes will be on Jason Day today as he shares the lead with three other golfers. Day's father, Alvin—an Aussie died of stomach cancer when Jason was but 12 years old. Day, learned the game from this man and since his death Jason has certainly face, battled and overcome his fair share of personal struggle and adversity. 

J-Day and his caddie, who has been like a father to him

One need not win a tournament to honor their father, but excellence in golf is always an invitation to something more. Golfers will analyze the length of their average drive, their number of putts, greens on regulation, etc, but many of us also want to know the story behind the journey. Jason Day himself is a father. His son Dash was born in 2012. His caddie Colin Swatton has been like a father to him. I will be cheering for him because I want to see him take that turn. Day has been the runner up in three majors (two US Opens and the Masters). I also think he's good for golf, to me, he has the "x" factor. 

How's that? It's merely just speculation and it's something fun to think about: I think he might be the Andre Igoudala of the PGA. Unfortunately, more people now know who Jason Day is because he collapsed from Vertigo on his final hole during Round 2 of the Open; I would prefer that they know about him because he's an exciting golfer to watch. In the article "Andre and the Giant" I read something pretty remarkable:

​​​Andre Iguodala lay in bed after Game 2 of the NBA Finals and his fiancée, Christina Gutierrez, placed a hand on his stomach. “Your skin,” she said, “feels hot.” Several hours had passed since Iguodala left Oakland’s Oracle Arena, but he was still burning up, as if he had just sprinted off the court. He wasn’t sick, but he popped a Tylenol and set the thermostat in his house to a frosty 60°. When theWarriors forward returned home five days later from Cleveland, he found that his air-conditioning unit had broken, maddening because his Finals fever had not. He joked that he shaved his head in hopes of cooling down. Iguodala’s condition may sound implausible, but one league trainer claims it is common for stress hormones to rise in demanding situations, causing spikes in body temperature. “It’s like you’re a car,” Iguodala says, “and your engine is overheating.” Such is the strain required to survive 48-minute collisions with the turbo-powered tank known as LeBron James. 

I was wondering if it was a combo of Vertigo, dehydration and stress hormones that led to his collapse. Did he overheat? That course is big and brutal. Iggy came back and was the Finals MVP. J-Day came back during Round 3 and is in contention. Today will be the next chapter in his story....

US Open 2013: Looking for Grace

Last Thursday I attended the Catholic Professionals breakfast in San Jose where local Mercury sportswriter, Mark Purdy, was the keynote speaker. I loved his stories, dedication to his craft and his personal motto: "opinion on demand." He made me consider as the author of this blog what mine might be. It is: "looking for grace."  

Every sporting event I attend or participate in, I look for it. I wait to discover where grace will show up, when it will unfurl and how it will surprise me, sometimes reluctantly. The 2013 US Open was no exception.  

That being said, there was no reason for me to take any satisfaction in the 32-year old English champion, Justin Rose. None. The script being written for 5-time runner up, Phil Mickelson was just too good. With a one stroke lead going into the final round, grace was about to reign supreme.  

Even Phil must have conceded at some point, that grace was on his side.  How could it not be?  The final round of the 113th United States Open was being held on his 43rd birthday and on Father's day. Mickelson's own father, Phil Senior was at Merion Country Club while his wife Amy and their three daughters were at home in Rancho Santa Fe, CA a place that he decided to return to for 24-hours so he could attend his eldest daughter's eighth grade graduation.  

This was the daughter that was born shortly after the 1999 US Open. Golf fans know about this special young woman, Amanda, as her legend lives large.  Mickelson wore a beeper on the course, claiming that if his wife, Amy went into labor he would leave the tourney to join her at the hospital.  He finished the tourney as runner up to Payne Stewart.  Since then, he has been the runner up five, now six times.

Philly-fans hoped this would be the year. Indeed, grace was on-edge as Mickelson double-bogeyed the third and fifth holes but had everyone believing all was not lost as Lefty nailed an eagle shot on the 10th hole. Hope was alive.

And yet, a telling stat reveals what went wrong. Mickelson had more putts on the day than any other player. 

As Mickelson missed a putt for birdie on 16, Justin Rose was approaching 18.  The writing was on the wall. Every fan knew that Mickelson would need to birdie one of the last two holes, one of which no one in the tourney had done.

I waited to see what Justin Rose would do. I was hoping he would collapse, that he would flank it way left, that his ball would be forever lost in the rough. Instead, he "striped his drive into the fairway, then hit an excellent second shot that trickled through the green." He then nearly holed the chip for birdie, settling for a par that all but sealed his victory. 

He walked toward the iconic wicker basket flag with tears in his eyes. As he looked skyward, I came to learn that he had one coach growing up--his father, Ken, who died of leukemia in 2002. 

As written on ESPN Golf, "I was trying to keep it together, obviously, because I didn't want to be premature. Phil had two holes to play. But that was my time, the clouds had parted, it was kind of ironic. It was just a beautiful evening. And the way it worked out, I felt like I needed to do that." And there we have it, grace showed up. Damn it. Did he have to die of leukemia?  Did this sweet victory in some small way atone for all their family had endured. No. But grace has its own way....

Rose added, "Yes, the look up to the heavens was absolutely for my dad; Father's Day was not lost on me today. You don't have opportunities to really dedicate a win to someone you love. And today was about him and being Father's Day. My dad was the inspiration the whole day."

It's not at every Sunday mass, but whenever we say the Apostles' Creed, I give pause when we say "I believe in the communion of saints." I do. I say it with conviction and reverence for what it is.  I believe in the holy men and women—Saints and saints—who have gone before us.  Death is not an end; it is entry into a new relationship.  Justin Rose's father was still coaching him on Sunday, on Father's Day. He didn't make Justin win, but he was with him—in love—every step of the way.

I looked for grace on Sunday and I found it—reluctantly but beautifully. Don't take grace on a journey. Who knows what you will find. But I will...and I'm considering changing my motto. How is "Grace on demand?"

Photo Credits
Rose points to heaven
Rose prevails
Phillie Eagles
Payne Stewart Embrace