PEBBLE BEACH WITH DIMARCO FEBRUARY 7 - 10, 2008

Date Published: Wednesday, July 02, 2008    
Posted By: Foundation Team

D.J.'s blog: Pebble Beach with Dimarco

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. --This week was another special week on the PGA TOUR. Welcome to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. This tournament uses a three-course rotation, with the cut happening after 54 holes. The venues played here are: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill Golf Club.

This was a very special week for me, and it began on Wednesday when I had the honor to attend the CBS Sports/PGA TOUR 2008 Season Kickoff reception. I enjoyed speaking to members of the media who were interested in my year-long journey on the PGA TOUR, and I would like to express my deep appreciation to Jim Nantz of CBS Sports for his very kind words when he introduced me at this function.

This week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Chris DiMarco. He is a very passionate golfer who truly wears his emotions on his sleeve. Chris really enjoys playing in team competitions and relishes the opportunity to represent the United States in either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. "It's hard to describe," he told me. "We don't have an Olympic sport, and I would probably have to say it's a lot like that. Any time you can wear that American flag on your outfit somewhere and represent the United States of America, it's pretty special. So, honored, obviously it's a huge pride to play for your country. Passion, emotion, everything that goes with it to have that American Flag on your sleeve is pretty awesome."

Chris also thrives on the team bonding experience. "Camaraderie in golf is hard to come by," he explained. "You don't have it. Everybody is trying to beat each other's brains out each week. So, to have that one week where you have a teammate and you're rooting for them and they're rooting for you is pretty special. All the wives are out there, and the caddies and the caddies girlfriends, it's just such an unbelievable amount of camaraderie out there. In this sport where it's so individualistic, it's pretty special to have that." Understanding his passion for team competitions, I asked Chris if he had ever thought about becoming a captain. "Obviously, I think I need to win a couple of majors," he said, laughing. "But obviously, I would love to. I would love to be part of it, no matter what. I just love that atmosphere. That is certainly my passion as a player is to be on those teams and to be a part of it would be amazing."

Chris is also very passionate about his family. "I try to spend as much time with them as I can," he told me. I was also very interested to hear Chris' response when I asked what the one thing golf fans don't know about him is. "I don't know that there's much they don't know," he said. "I wear my passions on my sleeve and my emotions on my sleeve. They (the fans) know that I'm a very passionate, emotional player. Obviously, I talk quite a bit about my family and they know my family is my No. 1 and I would have to say loyalty. I'm very loyal with whatever I do -- whether it's my club company, whether it's my family, whether it's my friends at home. I've got a very good base at home that we hang around with good friends, very loyal. I don't like change much, I like having the same things." I think his response to this question really shows the type of person Chris DiMarco is -- a true class act.

Chris is also known to use the "claw" putting grip, so I asked him why he started using this grip. "Basically it's real simple -- because I wasn't a good putter," he said, laughing again. "I was a streaky putter. When I putted well, I putted well. When I didn't, I was not good. I think the main thing about putting ... is you just have to give yourself a chance to make it and I wasn't doing that, I wasn't giving myself chances at making putts. I was either really good or really, really bad. Unfortunately, the bad was starting to outweigh the good. What the claw does for me is it takes my right hand out which is the hand for most people that is the problem hand. My right hand doesn't hit the ball any more; I try to putt with my left side. I'm at least consistently giving myself a chance to make every putt and that's what you look for."

At the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, each professional is paired with an amateur partner and this week Chris' partner was another former Gator, NFL star and "Dancing with the Stars" champion Emmitt Smith. Also for the first three rounds the playing competitors remain the same, so Emmitt and Chris with Corey Pavin and actor Craig T. Nelson all three days. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet the celebrities, as well.

Chris did not make the 54-hole cut, so in the final round I walked with Tim Herron and D.A. Points. As with the first three days, I enjoyed my Sunday walk around Pebble Beach Golf Links. During the final round I had the opportunity to meet Tim Herron's sister Alissa, Kathy, Carrie and D.A. Points wife Lori. All of these people were extremely friendly and we had a most enjoyable Sunday journey around the Monterey Peninsula. On final note, D.A. and his amateur partner Pete Watzka finished runner-up in the Pro-Am Division behind winners Fredrik Jacobson and his amateur partner Bill Walters.

As for the three course rotation this week, the toughest course was Spyglass Hill Golf Club, which actually wasn't that bad with the exception of a few holes that had some steep inclines. The easiest course to walk was Pebble Beach, which is very flat. I was really excited to come to this event and Pebble Beach, and the weather we had this week made for an even more enjoyable week. Just being at Pebble Beach this week was a memorable experience, but we had the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular views in the world. Of the courses used in this tournament, I believe Pebble Beach had the best views. My two favorite holes with the best views were the par-3 seventh hole on the front and the par-5 18th hole on the back.

As I close my week at Pebble Beach I would like to express my deep appreciation to Chris DiMarco for his kindness and generosity for the entire week. I would also like to express my appreciation to Tim Herron and D.A. Points for allowing me to follow their group during the final round. I truly appreciate it.

This week I was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and Monterey Herald, and I truly appreciate all of the fans and volunteers who approached me and offered words of support and encouragement. For those of you who were looking for my GOLF CHANNEL feature, it has been rescheduled and will now be shown April 5 and 6.

See next week at Riviera where I will follow Lucas Glover.