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The National Championship Saved by a Hurricane

John Napoli has attained a number of successes during his time on the

PPA tour. He is quick to give credit to his mentors and the folks that

gave him advice and suggestions as he became a top tier player. So, it
is no surprise that he conveys his National

Championship title may not have been possible without
the help of Hurricane Floyd.

Napoli, from Ohio, moved to Clearwater, Florida in

1986. Since there were no PPA courses nearby, his

practice sessions and tournament participation were
limited. He had learned about the 1999 National

Championship returning to Orange Lake Resorts, so he thought he
would give it a go, yet again. He had played in both of the national

tournaments prior to 1999 at Orange Lake, but with disheartening

results. Unfortunately, he was also experiencing hip cartilage
deterioration and was walking the course with a very noticeable limp.

The higher the temperature, the higher the pain. This pain could be
tolerated, but for limited times only, which limited his time on the

course. He also knew that he needed to get some tournament

experience before the National Championship. He decided to play in
the Southern Open in Albany, GA. The Albany course is a flat, concise

course with limited walking, so it was a venue that would be less

th
strenuous on Napoli’s hip. He finished in 24 place, but more
importantly, he closed with a solid 25 – and it could have been lower.

The impressiveness of the score is substantiated by the fact that the

lowest score in the tournament was a 23, shot by Tom Butler, who
th
finished 7 and Greg Ward, the winner of the tournament. It was the