Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY
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A18   SPORTS
                 Wednesday 8 February


















                                                                            Pebble                 players and amateur part-    was  playing  Pebble  on


                                                                      Continuedm from page 17      ners  who  tend  to  be  far  Tuesday, which was only a
                                                                                                                                practice  day.  There  were
                                                                                                   more important, more influ-
                                                                                                   ential, more famous and, in  small  streams  on  some  of
                                                                      Rodgers feels right at home   many cases, who love the  the greens. The wind blew
                                                                      on the frozen tundra, so this   game more than the guys  so hard that only a wood-
                                                                      was tame by comparison.      who do it for a living.      en fence post kept the tee
                                                                      It’s just that he would have   That’s  what  brings  them  markers  from  going  over
                                                                      preferred a day on the golf   out,  even  in  weather  so  the cliff and into the ocean
                                                                      course  that  didn’t  require   nasty  that  Kelly  had  to  behind the seventh tee.
                                                                      him  to  dress  in  black  rain   back off his tee shot when  It helped that scores didn’t
                                                                      gear, with black gloves on   the wind blew over a metal  count,  not  even  Kelly’s
                                                                      both  hands  and  a  black   fence.                       birdie  on  the  fourth  hole.
                                                                      wool  cap  over  his  black   They   had     company,  Kelly played college hock-
                                                                      cap.                         though not a lot. Brian Stu-  ey at Hartford and hit what
                                                                      “I  love  golf.  I’ve  only   ard  played  as  a  single  in  amounted  to  a  slap  shot
                                                                      played  nine  holes  since   front  of  them.  Two  groups  from the front of the green,
                                                                      August,” he said.            ahead  was  San  Francisco  up    the   spongy   slope,
                                                                      Even  so,  he  said  there  is   Giants  pitcher  Matt  Cain.  through a puddle of water
                                                                      no  way  he  would  have     He  was  supposed  to  play  and into the cup.
                                                                      showed up on the first tee   with  Nick  Watney,  and  Why  bother  on  a  day  like
                                                                      in weather like this.        when Watney didn’t show,  this?
                                                                      “Only at Pebble,” Rodgers    Cain went out with another  “Because  it’s  there,”  Kel-
                                                                      said.                        amateur.                     ly  said.  “It’s  awesome  to
            PGA Tour veteran Jerry Kelly tees off with a 4-iron into the wind   That’s  the  charm  of  this   Charley  Hoffman  headed  come out here and do this.
            on the 106-yard seventh hole at Pebble beach, Calif., on Tues-  event.  It’s  as  much  about   out  when  the  rain  began  It brings me back to why I
            day, Feb. 7, 2017.                                        competition  as  camara-
                                                     Associated Press  derie  among  PGA  Tour     falling  even  harder.  Wat-  play the game. It’s kind of
                                                                                                   ney eventually made it out  crazy.  It’s  kind  of  fun.  It’s
                                                                                                   there.                       the stuff you did when you
                                                                                                   Tuesday  was  a  precursor  were a kid.”
                                                                                                   for what could be a rough  Crazy  was  Kelly  hitting
                                                                                                   week  at  Pebble  Beach,  driver,  3-wood  and  hy-
                                                                                                   and  the  grumbling  sure  to  brid on the par-5 sixth hole
                                                                                                   follow by those who don’t  and  still  not  reaching  the
                                                                                                   get  it  or  simply  are  too  green. Crazy was hitting a
                                                                                                   pampered.  Never  mind  4-iron just over the back of
                                                                                                   that  Pebble  has  been  the green on the 106-yard
                                                                                                   blessed   with   gorgeous  seventh hole. Fun was aim-
                                                                                                   weather for the better part  ing  a  3-wood  out  toward
                                                                                                   of a decade. All it takes is a  the  ocean  on  No.  8  and
                                                                                                   week of rain — sunshine is  watching the wind bring it
                                                                                                   not in the forecast until the  back some 25 yards to the
                                                                                                   weekend — for the reputa-    green.
                                                                                                   tion of “Crosby weather” to  Kelly  looked  back  at  the
                                                                                                   be restored.                 raging  ocean  behind  him,
                                                                                                   The  tournament  was  can-   his rain suit soaked, his smile
                                                                                                   celed because of a deluge  wider than ever.
                                                                                                   in  1996.  Two  years  later,  “This,”  he  said,  “might  be
                                                                                                   players had to return in Au-  as good as it gets.”
                                                                                                   gust to play the third round  Only at Pebble.
                                                                                                   and  make  it  official.  And
                                                                                                   don’t  forget  1962,  when        Like us on
                                                                                                   it  was  delayed  by  snow.     Facebook
                                                                                                   Jimmy  Demaret  rolled  out
                                                                                                   of  bed  at  the  Lodge,  saw
                                                                                                   snow  on  the  18th  green
                                                                                                   and  said,  “I  know  I  had  a
                                                                                                   lot  to  drink  last  night,  but
                                                                                                   how did I end up in Squaw
                                                                                                   Valley?”
                                                                                                   It  was  a  wonder  anyone    facebook.com/bondianoticia
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