a great weekend of golf graphing -- picture heavy

galaxy27

I've been fanatical about golf the vast majority of my life. I attend a handful of tournaments each year, with my absolute favorite being the Insperity Invitational in The Woodlands, TX. The reason it tops my list is because it acts as a reunion for many of the old school legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, et al. They converge to play a one-day tournament within the regularly scheduled Champions tour event, so the entire experience is anything but ordinary. But this year was even more special because a new wrinkle was added for the very first time: four of the best female golfers to ever play the game -- Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley, and Juli Inkster -- were included. Couple all of this with the fact that I've morphed into an autograph hound over the past few years, and last weekend created the most perfect storm imaginable.

Things turned out so well, in fact, that I've decided to share the hoard I walked away with. My girlfriend is my de facto partner in crime, thus we're often times able to encapsulate the moment via a picture due to one pair of hands always being freed up. Without further ado...

A few weeks ago I purchased a rare Emerald Green Masters flag that was sold during the tournament for one year only back in 1994. I did so for the sole purpose of having Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player sign it, and they graciously did just that. Lots of room remaining within the U.S. boundary, hence my next course of action is to track Phil Mickelson down later this year.

But I wasn't finished pestering those guys quite yet. Later in the day I was able to get each of them to sign a Masters ball, and Annika Sorenstam followed suit.

And speaking of the aforementioned quartet of women, each of them courteously signed my tournament ticket on the day they played.

Next up is my work-in-progress Masters "champs" flag. I was fortunate enough to add Vijay Singh, Fuzzy Zoeller and Jose-Maria Olazabal, increasing my total to 14.

And finally, some goodies that will be going out to my homeboy, @LarkinCollector. But first, a quick word about what these guys are like when it comes to autographs. They're beyond fantastic, really. I shudder to think how many times they've slapped their John Hancocks down at someone's request over their careers, yet when you encounter them most act like it's the very first time they've been asked to do so. The only one I confronted who wasn't exactly amiable and willing was Tom Watson. But if you know anything about him, being a hard-ass has been a stigma attached to him for as long as I can remember. He almost always refuses to sign Masters flags, and my attempt was no different. Even my girlfriend came up woefully short when she took a stab. But to his credit, he benevolently signed a CoG card.

Gentle Ben and Bernhard did as well, and last but not least was getting one of Larkin's favorite golfers -- Big John Daly -- to put down a cigarette and sign a ball.

Kid4hof03

Stephen, what an incredible weekend! I'm not a golf collector, but having access to that many of the games greats at one time must be pretty exciting. I love the Masters flag project. Your collection is really special.

Walt_Altmen

Very cool! Looks like you went with a hard ball for Daly, which is fitting. DT Solo, Velocity?

When you track Lefty down, the flag should not be a problem unless you hear him saying “no yellow”. Trying to get a ball signed, any ball on any day, will prove to be next to impossible unless he’s your father.

After reading your Watson experiences, I just didn’t want that to rub you the wrong way. I’ve seen grown men say some pretty nasty things when he passed their kid because all they had was a ball extended out for him to sign not knowing this. We all have our quirks, I guess. Rory wont sign the center of a Master’s flag until he wins. I though that was a cool, personal and additional silent motivator to get a jacket.

DBesse27

@Kid4hof03 said:
Stephen, what an incredible weekend! I'm not a golf collector, but having access to that many of the games greats at one time must be pretty exciting. I love the Masters flag project. Your collection is really special.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Congrats dude!

doubledragon

I have to say, I'm speechless. Thank you for sharing this with us. I really enjoyed this thread. I wonder why Tom Watson is so standoffish. It's like he's Dracula, and the Masters flag is garlic. 😉

LarkinCollector

I got this sweet pic of Big John from someone who was at the tourney over the weekend Probably my favorite timeframe of Astros unis ...

Walt_Altmen

Love it!

doubledragon

John Daly, the real life Happy Gilmore. I love it.

galaxy27

Thanks fellas. Golf doesn't receive an inordinate amount of love on here, so I just thought I'd sprinkle in a little diversity.

@Walt_Altmen -- I'm aware of the "no yellow" utterance, but I have yet to experience it when I've encountered Phil. From all I have read, heard and personally seen, he gets it and he cares. With the way he signs for hours with that patented sheepish grin on his face (picture below from a couple of years ago), it's as if he does so knowing full well that Arnold Palmer is watching him from up above with a keen eye. I consider him to be one of the best signers in the sport, but you are absolutely correct -- he will not sign a ball.

I'm not a FB junkie by any stretch, but I am a member of a golf memorabilia group on there. Reading what a lot of those guys say about Watson, you'd think their lives were coming to a screetching halt because the man won't sign a Masters flag for them. I'd even go so far to say that many are genuinely angry, which to me is genuinely humorous. I view Tom as an extension of life -- if you got everything you wanted whenever you wanted it, you wouldn't be living. Some things are simply worth fighting, scratching and clawing for. As such, I view him as a challenge and I'll continue to pose the query until one of us dies. lol

Some extra nuggets...

We were following Jose-Maria Olazabal on Saturday when he snapped one on a par 4. Very few were in the general vicinity at the time, so the search was on. My better half was greatly amused because I looked like a police dog scouring the area. To no avail. And then he hit another out on the next hole. She immediately turned to me, opened her eyes as wide as she could and whispered, "We are NOT looking for that one."

Esteban Toledo's looper came up to me near the practice putting green and said, "Do you want to caddie today, amigo?" Suffice to say he was not expecting me fire back with, "No te metas conmigo de esa manera." A great laugh shared on a Sunday morning.

Jack Nicklaus -- looks very tired
Gary Player -- looks like he's ready to run a 5k
Lee Trevino -- the jokes just never stop. what i wouldn't do or give to have some beers with him.
Fuzzy -- almost as many jokes, and i still need to try his vodka
Annika -- total sweetheart
Pat Bradley -- forget golfers, quite possibly the nicest human being to ever live

And gracias Kyle, how I could forget Big John's sartorial elegance on Friday is beyond me. Those were some super sweet retro Astros britches he was sporting. Here's another shot...

MantleFan23

Stephen,

Absolutely great stuff in this thread....and the pictures of Daly are priceless. This tournament is like your National. What a great weekend!

Stone193

@Kid4hof03 said:
Stephen, what an incredible weekend! I'm not a golf collector, but having access to that many of the games greats at one time must be pretty exciting. I love the Masters flag project. Your collection is really special.

+1

SidePocket

Love the one line comments on the golfers!