Scott Martin's Page - February March 2007 - Archives
Last updated on Friday April 06, 2007

 

Houston, Texas 3-27-07


I have a lot of fond memories of Houston. I came here for years and
spent half of the off season with a buddy that I used to caddy with on
the Nike Tour. It's a great town and I've had a lot of good times here.
I really enjoy coming here every year. With the tour schedule changed
quite a bit this year, we won't be able to go see any Houston Astros
games this week seeing as though Major League Baseball is still in their
spring training season. That is certainly one of the perks of
travelling with the tour. There is always a choice of sporting events
and concerts to go to. I don't go out as much as I used to but if there
is a good game or concert going on in any given town I'll certainly
make the effort to go. In the early days of my caddy career I was
going out nightly to see live music, baseball, football, basketball or
a hockey game.

I've seen some great shows and sporting events which has given me the
opportunity to see some awesome venues as well, new and old. I'd have
to say that right there near the top of the list is definitely Yankee
Stadium. I've been lucky enough to have seen a number of games there.
The place reeks of history. I do have an all-time favorite story when
it comes to my experiences on the road and especially Yankee Stadium.

Back in 2002 I worked for Joel Edwards for most of the year. From May
to the end of the year to be exact. That was a great job. The previous
year in September of 2001, Joel won the Air Canada Championship, which
used to be held in the Vancouver area. That victory got him into the
Mercedes Championship at Kapalua in Hawaii which is the first event of
each season where only the winners of the previous year are invited.
The players are treated like royalty that week. The tournament director
at Kapalua is a guy named Gary Plano. He has been known to do some
great things for the players that have earned the right to play the
Mercedes.

When Joel showed up at Kapalua and went to his assigned locker. Inside
the locker was an autographed baseball. Joel has been a lifelong
Yankees fan even though he grew up and spent his entire life in Texas.
The baseball happened to be signed by Yankees manager, Joe Torre. Gary
Plano, the tournament director, knew Joel was a Yankees fan and also
happened to know Joe Torre, who has a home on Maui where the tournament
is held. When Joel saw Gary, he thanked him for the ball. Gary asked
Joel if he was available for lunch with Torre the following day.
Absolutely. Joel and Joe hit it off well and have remained friends
since. I happened to be treated to quite the experience while Joel was
playing out here on tour back in 2003.

In September of 2003 we were in Endicott, New York for the BC Open.
After we finished the final round on Sunday, Joel was going to drive
with me to the next event which was the Greater Hartford Open.
Immediately following the round we headed for Cooperstown, New York
home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown is about 100 miles from
Endicott. When we arrived in Cooperstown, Joel treated us to a really
nice hotel for the night. I don't recall the name of the hotel but it
is where all of the Hall of Fame inductees stay while in Cooperstown
for the ceremonies. It was a beautiful old building on a lake in
central New York state.

The following morning we were at the Baseball Hall of Fame before the
doors opened. It was great to go in and see all of the things they had
in there. It's funny, the first thing I saw was a jersey of former
Montreal Expo, Gary Carter. It was the same year that he was inducted
along with Eddy Murray. We didn't stay too long but we got to see some
awesome memorabilia like Yankee great Babe Ruth's baseball mitt and
uniform. The town itself was like a set from a Disney movie. There were
Little League teams all over the town with their team jerseys on
walking around the Hall of Fame and the surrounding area. It's a
beautiful little town.

After we left Cooperstown, we decided to drive through New York City on
our way to Hartford and go to see the Yankees play that night at home.
As we were driving to New York, Joel called Joe Torre and told him that
we were coming through town on our way to Hartford. Joe set us up with
some passes that were waiting for us when Joel and I arrived at Yankee
Stadium a few hours later. We were directed to a back entrance and were
given a nice parking spot beside the stadium. We went to the gate and
were taken by a security guard to the Yankees dugout. It was about an
hour before game time so the were a few guys stretching and tossing the
ball around. In the meantime the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were taking
batting practice.

There were a lot of media types gathered around waiting for Joe Torre to
arrive in the dugout. A little while later, Torre showed up in the
dugout and took a seat. He was surrounded by a horde of reporters,
photographers and cameramen. In the meantime, Joel and I were at the
far end of the dugout standing on the steps watching Torre give his
interview and the player warm up. After about 15 minutes the interview
was over and Torre headed out of the dugout and onto the field. As he
was going up the steps he motioned for Joel and I to follow him onto
the field for the start of the Yankee batting practice. He greeted us
on the field and we followed him over to the batting cage. He
introduced us to a few guys that I had seen play for the Yankees in
recent years. Guys like Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Jason Giambi
and Paul O'Neill. He also introduced us to Don Zimmer and Reggie
Jackson, who were coaches with the team at the time. It was an
unbelievable experience that I'll never forget. At one time, Torre says
to Joel and I, "Don't you two have hats?" He then got one of the
equipment managers to go and get us a couple of hats from the
clubhouse. The guy comes over and has a closer look at us. He runs into
the clubhouse and comes out a few minutes later with a real Yankees
hat. It was funny that the guy could just look at our heads and come
out with the perfect sized fitted hat.

So there we were leaning on the back of the batting cage at Yankee
Stadium with our Yankees hats on watching the likes of Jeter, Giambi
and others take their licks at the plate, all the while shooting the
breeze with Don Zimmer, Joe Torre and Reggie Jackson. That Reggie
Jackson was a great player in his day and he's more that happy to let
you know it. Wow, the guy it too much. I saw Zimmer roll his eyes more
that once as Jackson told us stories. It was an awesome experience. On
TV Joe Torre always seemed to be a good guy during interviews and while
managing the Yankees. He was as nice as they come and showed Joel and I
a great time. I still travel with that hat in my car and wear it
whenever I go to Yankees game. I now sit up in the stands at games and
look down at the field where it all took place. I'll probably never
have the chance to do it again but that's alright.

I have to say, I had no idea what I was going to write about when I
turned my computer on. It just happened. I realize it's not a golf story
but it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the game.

Orlando, Fla. Monday 3-19-07

As it turns out, it was another single digit victory on the PGA Tour at
the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill last week. After 3 players
shot -6 on Thursday, I thought it would take about -15 to win. But the
wind blew on the weekend and conditions were really tough. No real low
scores were shot on on Saturday and Sunday. A handful of good ones but
nothing crazy.

As I was saying a few days ago, we were paired with VJ last week and he
wasn't doing anything spectacular. Just good, steady golf. He putted
pretty good yesterday and ended up with the win. The guy is like a
machine. He works on his game like no one else I've seen. I've seen him
change shirts after a pre-round warm-up because he works so hard and
sweats so much before a round. I know he also spends a lot of time in
the gym. I think he's around 45 or 46 and he's in great shape. He has
a lot of physical and mental stamina coming down the stretch of any
event. Playing with him last week, I never thought he was in the
running to win. He wasn't doing anything special. But when conditions
got tough he hit fairways and greens and made putts when it counted.

The Florida swing is over for me. There is still a World Golf
Championship event to be played this week at Doral in Miami. Peter
isn't in that event so I'm sitting in the Orlando airport waiting to
get a flight to Los Angeles. I'm really looking forward to getting home
and spending time around the house with the kids and dogs. I called my
youngest step child, Jayde, yesterday to let her know I would pick her
up from school today. We had a little chat and then she gave me her
line. "Scott, can I ask you something?" Which is always her question
when she wants me to buy her something. She wants me to take her
skateboard shopping. Absolutely. It's going to be fun to go to some
skateboard shops and see what we can find her.

Peter has been playing some pretty solid golf himself. We had a tough
stretch of holse both Saturday and Sunday and it really cost him. On
Saturday he triple bogeyed 13 and bogeyed 14. I wouldn't say we were in
the hunt but in position to go into Sunday with chance for a decent
finish. During Sunday's round he had a tough start and finish. He shot
plus 5 on Sunday but lost only 4 spots on the leaderboard. All in all,
he's playing good. We can both use some time off but it will only be
for a week. We'll be in Houston next week for the Shell Houston Open.

They've started boarding my flight so it's time to go.

Orlando, Fla. 3-15-07

I figured it was about time that I wrote an update. I didn't have
internet access last week while we were in Tampa. My only option was to
hang out at the course after we played and practiced and use the
wireless feed from the media room. My intentions were to do exactly
that. But it was tough to stay and devote the time I needed to to keep
you updated. The days can be long with caddying and a practice session
afterwards. All I wanted to do was to get back to the house I had
rented with three other caddies, have a shower and relax in the
recliner. The recliner won every day.

This week I've been just plain lazy when it comes to writing. We're at
the end of a 5 week stretch and so far, we've made all the cuts.
Meaning travel Monday, walk the course early Tuesday morning, meet
Peter usually around noon, play a practice round, practice for 4-5
hours Wednesday and play from Thursday to Sunday. Trust me, there are
no complaints on my end. It's been great. Peter has played well and is
improving weekly. It's a blast. But I'm pretty pooped both physically
and mentally. Did I mention I was homesick, too?

Needless to say, it can be a challenge for my wife Sunny and I, to try
and deal with all of the time we spend apart. We do remind each other
that there are certainly worse ways to spend time apart. But we look
forward to being able to be together. It's fun to go home and get back
to the real world. One of the things I'm looking forward to is to take
the kids to school in the morning. It's a fun way to start the day and
totally different from the routine I have close to nine months a year.

But next week I'll have a new challenge. Sunny is going away on
business and it will be the first time that I'll be on my own with the
3 kids. The 4th sibling, Allegra, goes to school up near San Jose and
lives with her aunt while up there. And then there were three. Seeing
as though I've never had kids of my own and haven't had to experience
solo parenting, it will be an interesting experience for me. I'm really
looking forward to giving it a go. I think. Just kidding. I think.

Back to golf. The Florida swing has been pretty tough this year. We
started it off at the Honda, won by Mark Wilson in dramatic fashion
after his caddy, Chris Jones, was called for a 2 shot penalty for
sharing information with their playing partner, Camilo Villegas. It was
great to see Mark and Crispy still be able to pull it off. I'll tell
you, that was one of my all-time favorite events I've caddied in. PGA
National was a new course and played really tough. I love it when
single digits win a tournament. And so do alot of the players. As long
as the setup of the course is fair, players and caddies love a tough
scoring event.

Last week was another great track. Copperhead at the Innisbrook Resort
north of Tampa is another one of the most respected courses on tour. We
usually play at Copperhead at the end of each season the week before
the season finale, The Tour Championship. But the schedule has been
changed quite a bit this year and the event at Copperhead is now played
in March. It was good to see Mark Calcavecchia win it in the end. Trust
me, none of these guys want to win an event with a bogey on the last
hole. But that's what happened last week but Heath Slocum 3 putted for
a bogey as well and Calc prevailed. He and his caddy, Eric Larson, are
good guys and good friends and it was great to see them both get
victory at a tough track. Well deserved. Come to think of it, that's 2
Marks winning back-to-back events. Both are also sponsored by Ping.

We have what I thought was going to be another brute this week at the
Arnold Palmer Invitational here at Bay Hill just outside of Orlando.
The rough is as deep as I've seen and the fairways a pretty tight. A
missed fairway is often followed by a wedge to get the ball back into
play. I really thought that single digits would have won again this
week. But after seeing how Tiger and a couple of others shot -6 today,
I think the single digit prediction will be way off the mark. Maybe not
way off but off. The fairways and greens are alot softer than they
usually are here so that will drop the scores some. I've seen these
greens play very close to unfair in the past because they have been so
firm but they are considerably softer this year. That means these guys
can fire at the pins and stop the ball without too much problem.

Even though Peter had a rough start with a bogey on our first hole
today, he fought back, shot -2 and is tied for 18th. It was a good
effort. We have a great pairing this week with Vijay Singh and Davis
Love III. The golf fan in me was excited when I saw the pairing. I'm
glad I still have alot of golf fan in me. I get to stand on the same
fairways and greens with the best golfers in the world. On top of that,
I'm part of a tandem that competes against these great players. I'll
never take this job for granted. I'd be nuts if I did.

All in all, Peter's game is in a good place right now. All the tools
for success are in place. It would be exciting to see all the stars
align sometime and see what happens.

There are a couple of familiar faces in the gallery this week. Mike
Goyetche and his wife, Wendy, drove down from their getaway condo in
Myrtle Beach and are spending a few days watching the golf. Once again,
it's great to see folks from home. They also introduced me to their
friend from the Hartdford area, Tina Toohey. Tina, excuse me if I got
or spelled your name incorrectly. Mike and I even got the chance to
play a little golf yesterday. Peter gave me the day off so his buddy
visiting from England could spend a few hours with him on the range.
Apparently, it caused some rumours. It didn't help that Peter was
telling guys that his buddy was his new caddy. He loves to stir the
pot. After Mike and I played golf, we went to visit Tina and her family
for dinner. We had a Bar-B-Que at their house near Bay Hill. What a
beautiful home on the lake. It's always nice to be able to spend some
time with a family and have a home cooked meal. The Tooheys were great
and we all had a nice time. Mike and Wendy are great people and I
really appreciate them making the effort to come all the way down here.
 

Palm Harbor, Fla. 3-8-07

I'm a little pressed for time right now but I have had to resort to
bringing my computer to the golf course to have internet access. I'm
renting a house this week with 4 other caddies this week and there is
no wireless or even a phone line at the house. So here I am sitting
outside the media center using their service.

One of the 3 other guys I'm staying with is Chris "Crispy" Jones who
was on the bag for last weeks victory by Mark Wilson. This is a great
story with all that went on last week with them. Two great guys who
deserved the victory more than anyone else after the test that these
players went through last week.

Crispy has a good story to tell me that I'll write about in the next
couple of days.

In the meantime we're at Copperhead just north of Tampa this week

Another good, tough track. The Florida swing is a tough one this year
and will be a good challenge for these guys for 3 events in a row. As
soon as I have some free time I'd love to catch up on things.
 

West Palm Beach,  Thursday Fla. 3-1-07

Even though the conditions were pretty tough today, there were a number
of players who shot pretty good scores. I have yet to see the whole
leaderboard online but I'm sure there were a few big numbers.

As Peter was warming up this morning, he suddenly made a move for what
I thought was the bathroom. There are a number of players and caddies
that were in Mexico that are now suffering a little "tourista". Ryuji
Imada shouldn't have been playing, according to his caddie, Casey
Kellogg. He told me that Ryuji hadn't eaten since Tuesday. I saw them
walking down #8 fairway and he was plus 5 through seven holes.

Peter come back to the range but he has a bandage on his hand and
wrist. I know he has had some wrist problems in the past. Sure enough
he told me that his wrist had locked up and he couldn't swing the club.
When I saw him walk away he was going to the tour fitness trailer to
see if one of the therapists could help him loosen it up. After a
treatment, a few swings and a couple of Advil, he felt good enough to
play. He came that close to withdrawing when it first happened.

Peter was pretty quiet today. He has also nursing a sore throat and
some cold-like symptoms. He's not feeling 100% right now. Being on the
road, traveling and competing can kind of wear you down. He seems to
be feeling those effects the last couple of days. The course played
tough for us but Peter held it together for the most part but with three
missed shots, he was plus 3 after 12 holes. But birdies on 15 and 18
gave him a respectable plus 1 for the day. Sandwiched in between those
birdies were two great up and downs for par. he sank a 25 foot par putt
on 16 and chipped it to within inches after missing the 17th green
twenty yards left of the green. In his defense, the wind was howling.

Friday morning we tee off at 7:21 with Gore and Will McKenzie again.
Gore struggled today but Will shot a solid -2 for the day.
Unfortunately, he 3 putted the par 3, 17th hole.
 

West Palm Beach, Fla.  Wednesday 2-28-07

"Strike while the iron is hot."

That's the last thing Peter said to me today as I was leaving the
course and he was heading to his room. He's hitting the ball as good as
I've seen and he's on a high from last week's 3rd place finish. Alot of
players have congratulated him on a good event and he's soaking it up.

I was having dinner with a couple of caddy buddies tonight. One of them
told me that Peter isn't as friendly as he used to be. In my opinion
he's still friendly but he's not at the course looking for new friends.
He's got his game face on and he's ready for battle. I love the vibe
around him right now.

But this week's course is a very tough test. If the wind continues to
blow I have to predict the winning score will be in single digits. A
top ten might be even par. Knowing how good these guys are, someone
will go low and shatter that prediction. But really. The course is long
and so is the rough. The greens are small as well. They'll be able to
move the tees up if necessary but from the tips this place is going to
claim a few victims. Patience will be a key ingredient to success here
at PGA National.

We played a practice round on Tuesday afternoon. I walked the course
early in the morning. While I was having lunch after walking the
course, Peter came in and joined me in the caddy trailer for a bite to
eat. We then headed out to the range for a while. After warming up for
30 minutes we hit the course. We played the front 9 with Arjun Atwal
and the back 9 we were on our own. I like having a practice round
alone with a player. It gives you a good opportunity to discuss
strategy and really pay attention to the course. When you play a
practice round with a few guys, there's alot of talk and not enough
quality preparation time.

I understand that players don't want to be out there alone all the
time. This week is a good example of how important preparation where
we're playing at a new track for the Honda Classic. Not that PGA
National is a new course. The Ryder Cup was played here back in 1983.
The PGA Championship was also played here in the past. It's a pretty
tough course to begin with but this week the tees are back, the rough
is long and fairways are narrow.Throw in some good wind and it adds up
to tough scoring conditions.

After the practice round on Tuesday Peter also thought that it was a
pretty tough track. Today in the caddy trailer, even David Toms was
rolling his eyes when somebody asked him what he thought of the course.

We have a good pairing this week. We have Jason Gore and Will McKenzie.
I've never been paired with Will but he is one of the most popular guys
on tour. He's had an interesting past that I'll try to tell you as best
I can.

If I'm not mistaken he was a good college player. He suddenly walked
away from the game and ended up in the Montana- Utah region. He snow
boarded, kayaked and lived in the wilderness for the most part for a
number of years. A few years ago he decided to give golf another go. He
ended up at q-school, got his card and won an event in Reno two years
later. A very naturally talented and colorful character. It will be fun
to watch his action this week.
 

West Palm Beach, Fla. Monday 2-26-07

I've been floating around on cloud 9 all day today. I've received a few
emails and phone calls from family and various friends congratulating
Peter and I on a job well done last week in Mexico. It's been a while
since I've had a player who can perform the way Peter is capable of.
There have been a couple like Brett Quigley and Joel Edwards in his day
but it sure is exciting to be back with a good player.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed working for the players I've worked
for the last couple of years. Guys like Craig Perks, Tom Gillis, Notah
Begay and Mark Brooks. But when it came time to pay the bills, those
guys couldn't weren't in a position to be successful. The last couple
of years really took it's toll on my "pocket book". There are a lot of
caddies who barely survive out here financially on tour. But there's
always a chance that you'll hook up with a player, even for a one week
job, that could change it all with a week of good golf. That's why it's
very difficult to walk away from a career out here on tour. Or the
chance of one at least.

I have to say that I've been very fortunate up to this point of my
career out here. Yes, there were a few lean times but I know guys who
have been out here for years looking for a chance. Guys that hang out
in the parking lot for weeks on end hoping that they'll be in the right
place at the right time and get the lucky break they're hoping for.

I've been lucky to at least have a pretty steady job, even though it
was with various players, since I got out here on tour back in the
latter part of the 1999 season. It's a lot of fun to be back with a
chance. It's not only fun for me but fun for the people that have been
following the "odyssey" the last few years. When I'm lucky enough to
have things go well, everyone seems to have fun. I was talking to my
good friend, Jody Scott, today. It was fun to hear the excitement in
his voice when we talked about last week's tournament. Or my Dad, my
sister, Karen and brother Steve. I spoke to a few others and everyone
was having fun. A number of people also sent emails and it was fun to
read those as well. I'm really glad that other people get to share in
the experience that I'm having.

So I really want to thank everyone for the support and encouragement
that they've given me, even when times were a little more difficult.

It really was a good week in Mexico. Peter worked pretty hard on the
range leading up to the tournament. He carries a small video camera in
his bag and I record his swing every day. I record it before and after
each practice and tournament round. As the week went on I could tell he
was getting excited about how his swing looked and felt. Needless to
say, the ball flight with each club on the range was awesome. While we
were warming up on the range before Sunday's round, I found that it was
a little longer than usual. These guys are creatures of habit when it
comes to their golf routine. As we were walking to the putting green
after hitting balls he said, "Sorry I took so long but I was hitting it
so good and was really enjoying it." That was music to my ears.

Sunday's round started out well for us. It's a reachable par 5 where
eventual winner, Fred Funk, was on in 2 and Peter missed the green
short right. He hit a great chip to within 3 feet. Funk eventually 3
putted for a 5 and Peter rolled in his birdie putt. Game on. Ten
minutes after the round started we were within 4 shots of the lead with
17 to play. The third in our group, Jose Coceres, was 2 shot off the
pace. After the 1st hole there was energy in the group. It felt great.

Peter hit a good shot into the par 3 second hole as did Coceres. Funk
missed the green and hit a not-so-good bunker shot to a tough pin. He
chipped his third shot to within 2 feet and made a bogey. Coceres made
his par and Peter had a 20 foot birdie putt to get to within 3 shots of
the lead. No such luck. Funk's lead was now 1 shot ahead of Coceres and
3 over Peter. The 3rd, 4th and 5th holes are the toughest stretch of
holes on the course because they play into the wind, which was blowing
pretty good last week, especially on the weekend. Peter ended up
bogeying #5 and was back to 4 shots behind Funk.

Funk went on to birdie the par 3 seventh where Peter had to make a
great bunker shot and make a putt to save par. From the 7th green to
the 8th tee is a pretty good walk so they have a carts waiting for us
to shuttle us to the 8th tee. As I was standing on the back of the
cart, I heard my name called and looked over to see a guy looking at me
with a smile on his face. At the time I had no idea who it was. While
we were on the 8th tee, there this same guy in the gallery looking at
me. I don't have a clue who it is. It then came to me. It was former
2Mo resident, Steve Hannah. What a nice surprise. I hadn't seen him in
years. We had a quick hello and it was back to work.

Funk hit his tee shot into a hazard on number 8 but still managed to
make a good bogey after sinking a 20 foot putt. Peter was now behind by
4 again but got to within 3 shots after making a birdie on the par 4,
11th hole. Funk and Lonard exchanged birdies on the par 5, 13th but it
could have been different either way. They both just missed their eagle
attempts by inches. Funk bogeys 14 and he's got Peter by 2 with 4 to
play but Coceres is tied for the lead. All 3 made good pars on the par
3 15th where the wind was blowing pretty hard. Coceres had to chip his
2nd shot after missing the green long and Peter made a great 2 putt
from 50 plus feet.

Three to play and Peter is 2 behind both Funk and Coceres. I honestly
had a good feeling that Peter could birdie the last 3 holes and win it.
I really did. But after hitting his second shot to 80 feet from the
hole on the huge green, I knew it would be a lot to ask. His 1st putt
was a good 12 feet short. Thankfully, he was able to roll it in for par.

On the par 4 #17 Peter hit his 2nd shot to within 6 feet. I thought if
he could roll this one in, he had a good chance on 18 to make a birdie.
He had birdied #18 two of the first three days. We put a good read on
the putt on 17. It was a straight putt. A good stroke would have us
within 1 of the lead with 1 to play. It looked as though Peter pulled
the putt a bit and missed it after lipping out on the left side. I'll
never forget his reaction as he looked to the sky for a moment. He'd
have to hole one from the fairway on #18 to have a chance.

And that nearly happened. He pounded a driver and had only 117 yards to
the hole. He hit a gap wedge that looked great in the air as it was
right on line. But it landed a bit short and ended up about two feet
short of the hole. Funk and Coceres both 2 putted for their pars and
the playoff was set. If Peter made the putt he's miss the playoff by 1
shot. But just as important, Ryan Armour had birdied 18 to tie Peter
for third place. A birdie would give Peter solo 3rd and a bigger
cheque. It was a right center putt that broke into the hole, dead
center. A solo 3rd and missing a playoff by only 1 shot. It was a great
week.

We didn't have time to chat after as I had to get a shuttle to my
hotel, grab a quick shower and grab a cab to the airport in Cancun for
my flight to Miami. After rushing around for the next couple of hours,
it was nice to settle into my seat and savor the moment.
 

Playa del Carmen, Mexico Saturday 2-24-07

I finally get to send an update but, unfortunately, it will be on the
short side.

We've finished two rounds in Mexico and Peter is in the hunt. He
started off slow on Thursday but ended up making 7 birdies and finished
at -5 after day 1. He left two putts no more than an inch short of the
cup, dead center. It's not hard to make birdies out here and you know
going into today's third round that a number of players will shoot good
scores for the next two rounds as well. Honestly, I think Peter will
need to shoot 5 under both today and tomorrow to have a chance.

Peter drove the ball quite poorly during Friday's round but still
managed to hit quality iron shots into the greens and he had a number
of good chances to make birdies. Unfortunately, the putter didn't
cooperate and he shot -2 for the day. After hitting the ball bad off
the tee, we went directly to the range and hit drivers for an hour. It
didn't take long to figure out what was going on and he was striping
the driver when all was said and done.. I have complete confidence in
his ability and good things should come our way.

The course down here is quite nice. There are certainly a number of
tough holes but for the most part, it's there for the taking. Even
though the greens are on the slow side, they are some of the nicest we
have seen. There are some low scores out there if a player can putt
well. Two of the par 3's are right on the Gulf of Mexico where the
water is various shades of blue. It's a really nice place to spend the
week, that's for sure.

Seeing as though Peter will be coming out of the locker room soon, I've
got to get outside and wait for him. Let's hope he has a good weekend.
Make that a great weekend.

Santa Monica, Ca.  Thursday  2-15-07

When I played golf last Saturday with Paul and Ron, I was telling Paul
that it seemed that every other week I would write that "this week
we're at one of my favorite courses." Riviera CC is right near the top
of that list. It could be my all-time favorite.

I had a great week here with Jay Williamson back in, I think, 2004. We
got to play with Tiger on Saturday AND Sunday after Tiger birdied 18
and Jay bogeyed on Saturday. Jay actually was beating Tiger by a couple
going into the last hole that day. But after the birdie-bogey by Tiger
and Jay, they were paired together again on Sunday. They both shot 6 or
7 under and went from a tie for 44th to a tie for 7th finish.

It really is a special place and a lot of the players and caddies enjoy
coming here. I was asking veteran Jeff Sluman yesterday if he enjoyed
coming here and he said it was his favorite. Guys who like Riviera,
enjoy other similar style courses like Hilton Head and Colonial. Let's
see. Peter has won Hilton Head and finished, I think, 3rd place at
Colonial last year. I wouldn't mind if he had a good week here as well.
The courses that I mentioned are all on the short side, tight and
perfect for good ball-striking.

We're playing with 2 good ball strikers this week. Adam Scott and Fred
Funk. It will be a blast out there this week. Fred never stops talking
and Peter will be more than happy to chat him up. Adam is pretty quiet
but likes to have a good laugh and is a really good kid. There is
potential for good chemistry in this group. Let's hope that everyone
plays good enough to feed off of each other.

I'm looking forward to spending a couple of days with the other two
caddies as well. Long-time Greg Norman caddy, Tony Navaro, has been
caddying for Adam Scott for the last 2 or 3 years and is a solid looper
and good guy.  Fred Funk's caddy, Mark Long, played at the University
of Maryland when Fred was the golf coach there many moons ago. Mark
also happens to make the best yardage book the tour has ever seen. This
guy is incredibly bright and can tell a great story. I'll be bringing
along an extra pad and pen to keep notes on these two good, tour caddy
veterans.

Peter made a surprise move yesterday. His current irons are getting very
worn out. There are dime-sized worn out spots on the middle of each
club face. A very good sign that he practices a lot and he hits the ball
squarely. It really is a thing of beauty. Well, when irons get that
way, the grooves aren't able to do their job which is to spin the ball.
Time for a new set to be ordered. Peter goes over to the Taylor Made
trailer and asks them to build a new 5-iron for him to try. Peter plays
blade irons. They are a little smaller and less forgiving that bigger, 
more forgiving irons.

Well, they build him one of the bigger, more forgiving iron by mistake.
When the rep brings the club to the range, Peter tells him that it's
the wrong style. Just before the rep turns to go back to the trailer,
he tells Peter to give it a try for the fun of it. There is now a new
set of those irons in the bag that Peter will use for the first time
today. I am very surprised that happened. Peter is a creature of habit
and doesn't change much. But these new irons are so good that it seemed
it would be foolish not to make the switch. Normally, when a player is
going to switch irons, he will have them shipped home for an off week
and try them out there. But Peter hit them so good on the range
yesterday that he had to do it. I hope it pays off.

About golf last Saturday with Paul and Ron. Even though I played like
%&it, I had a really good time with the guys. I'll tell you, I saw
Ronnie Potter make one of the best up and downs of all time. It was alot
of fun and there were a few good laughs. Has Paul told you guys about
the time Ronnie fell over trying to get his tee out of the ground? And
that was after only one beer! It was classic. There might even be a
photo of him thinking about getting off the ground.

It was great to see them for the day and I'm sure they're enjoying their
week out here. Fortunately, I get to see them again before they go
home. As I'm sure you know, they'll be coming to Riviera to see
Saturday's 3rd round. Let's hope that Peter Lonard is playing well
enough for him to be there as well.

San Marcos, Tx.  Tuesday 2-6-07

Finally, an update. It was a pretty busy week last week in Phoenix and
the end result wasn't bad at all. A tie for 14th place was what the
doctor ordered. Peter could have easily finished 2 or 3 better but
honestly, could have finished 2 or 3 shots worse. He hung on during the
last round and still managed to shoot under par for the day. That all
had to do with a really good start on Sunday. On the front 9 he birdied
the 2nd, 4th holes and 8th holes. On the back 9, Peter bogeyed #14 and
couldn't manage to make a birdie on 13, 15 and 17, the three scoring
holes on the back side. He was hitting the ball all over the place
starting on the 5th tee on Sunday but his short game saved the day.

On the back nine, Peter hit the ball into the water twice but still
came away with pars! On #11, he chipped in for par and on 15 he rolled
in a 40 foot putt to save par. As the week started he was hitting the
ball as well as I've seen him hit it. I mean really hit it solid. One
of the best ball strikers I've caddied for, that's for sure. His
confidence is good but he can still work on that. A few more good
results would help. Paul Goyetche brought up a good point when he said
after the 3rd round that Peter had 3 rounds in the sixties and he
managed to do it again on Sunday even thought he struggled. That's
always a good sign. All in all, it was a good week. I can't wait until
he has a really good week.

I wish I would have written more last week. I stayed with friends and
we hung out with them a bit so I found I had less time to write. It was
the last week of a four week run and with a couple of time changes,
travelling and some long days on the range I was pretty pooped last
week. My intentions were to write more but once I went into my room
around 10 or 10:30 each night, I was ready to sleep and not write.
Honestly, I find it easier to write when I stay in a hotel.

One thing I would like to write about a bit again was the par 3, 16th
hole last week. On Saturday, the crowds were huge. 20,000 people
strong. I guess it was sort of sold out for the day. There was a huge
line of people waiting to get any available seat, which didn't happen
often. It's hilarious what the people will yell to the players when
they arrive at the tee. The walk through the tunnel from 15 green to
16 tee gets your heart racing. I can only imagine what the players feel
like. I know they're pros and feel the heat of competition all the time
but that spot is special. And funny. We played with Craig Bowden and
Steve Flesch on Saturday. When it was Craig's turn to hit, the gallery
started chanting his dog's name. We all had a good laugh when Bowden
told us what they were yelling. When it was Peter's turn to hit there
were a few anti-foreigner comments but nothing too personal. The crowd
was more than happy to boo like crazy when he missed the green. Poor
Bowden. He hit a shot to within 6 feet and the crowd went nuts. But
they sure didn't hesitate to boo when he missed the birdie putt. Peter
walked off of 16 green with a bogey and a huge smile on his face. You
can't help it. Some of the comments are priceless and the electricity
of the crowd is like nowhere else on tour.

As we played the first few holes on Saturday, Peter and I could hear
the crowd on 16 yelling at the players and chanting things out. Peter
said to me, "It sounds and looks like a Coliseum." Up to that point, I
never told him that when I wrote last week that I said walking up onto
16 tee was like gladiators walking into the arena. I then told Peter
about the website I write on occasionally and that I made the
"gladiator" comment. We were saying that if people named that hole, The
Coliseum, there would be hammerheads coming out in gladiator costumes
if they did. Peter was telling me that the tournament is eventually
going to have the grandstands surrounding the entire hole. That would
be awesome. The only place that there are no grandstands now is directly
behind the green.

On Sunday, we played with Scottsdale native Billy Mayfair and long
knocker, Bubba Watson. For the first few holes I wasn't overly
impressed with Bubba's length. Don't get me wrong, he can hammer the
crap out of it. But on 7 green I told Peter I thought that Bubba would
be longer. On #8 Peter hits a good drive. Bubba smokes his and is a
good 60 yards past us. Disregard the "I thought he'd be longer"
remark. He hit one so far on 11 that he walked back to his bag after
the tee shot and said "Wow, I hammered that. I looked up and it wasn't
coming down." It was amazing to see how long the ball climbs into the
air. On #18 he hit a drive over a bunker that had a 320 yard carry!

This week the tour is in Pebble Beach. Peter has gone home to Australia
to renew his visa so I have the week off. On Sunday, I left Phoenix and
started driving to Texas. I arrived in Austin on Monday night. An 1100
mile drive in all. I love the drive across west Texas. There's nothing
for miles and it's a great place to get lost in thought.

Our schedule has changed a bit and we are now going to Mexico the week
after the Nissan Open in LA. Originally, that was the week I was going
to drive my car across the country to Florida. I decided to drive to
Austin this week and leave my car here for the next 6 weeks and I'll
pick it up when we come to Houston next month. I'm flying home this
afternoon and will spend the week with Sunny and the kids. It will be
my last week home before heading east. It's been nice to be on the
west coast to start the year because it's convenient to get home when I
have a little time off. The real travelling starts after we leave LA
next week.