Many professional golfers have become walking billboards, with company logos littering their shirts, hats and golf bags. They are no different than anyone else, just trying to make a living.
But there is one addition to the bags of 27 PGA, LPGA and Futures tours pros that is more a sign of giving than receiving-the American Junior Golf Association One Percent Club sticker. Golfers displaying the AJGA stickers-including Ben Crenshaw, Bob Tway and Joey Sindelar-are donating 1 percent of their weekly earnings to be used to fund grassroots junior golf programs.
”We`re excited about the response this program has received thus far,”
said AJGA Foundation Director Chris Haack, ”and we hope to promote even more interest among the pros through the players currently involved.”
Sindelar started the idea in 1985 when he donated 10 percent of his earnings ($28,000) to AJGA. When Crenshaw won the Doral Ryder Open, the One Percent Club got $1,800, and when Sindelar won the Honda Classic, the club got $1,260. Andrew Magee`s third-place finish at Bay Hill was worth $4,350 and Robin Walton`s second at the LPGA Tucson Open was worth $2,775. Through the Bay Hill and Tucson tournaments, the 25 players have donated a total of $11,396.
”The club is averaging over $1,600 per event and with any luck we`ll top the $50,000 barrier before we`re through,” Haack said. ”These figures do not include matching funds from individuals and corporations, and we hope to get that program off the ground soon.”
– Don`t discount Jack Nicklaus in the Masters. Even though he`s 48 and is 129th on the PGA Tour money list, there is something about Augusta National that turns back the clock. His 1986 victory is proof. ”Sure, I get excited about Augusta,” he says. ”Sure, I get interested. I had a better chance standing on the 10th tee last year than I did the year before. I had to shoot two shots higher to win. And, I know that maybe I won`t be as good as I once was, but occasionally I`ll be there and I`m certainly going to give myself an opportunity to be there within reason.”
– Each Tuesday before the Masters, the defending champion plays host to all the former champions in the champions` dinner at Augusta National. Defending champion Larry Mize isn`t sure of the main course for the dinner, but he has an idea about dessert. ”I`m thinking of peach cobbler-some kind of Georgia dish,” he says. ”I just want to have one little thing that will make it my dinner. I`ve heard it will cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000. It`s going to be a pleasure to buy it.”
– Greg Norman will be flying to Augusta after driving to The Players Championship. Actually, Norman, who loves fast cars, was flying down the highway in his burgundy-and-cream Rolls Royce Shadow between his home in Orlando and Ponte Vedra. He`s not hard to spot. There are not many guys driving a Rolls with ”Aussie 1” Florida license plates.
