Clemson’s Pettit holds on for NCAA golf title

Though it was his sense of adventure and a firm belief in his golf skills that led Jimmy Johnson out of Texas and onto the Sunshine Tour in South Africa in late 1979, it was something else that kept him there. Impeccable character. “We struck up a friendship when he first got over here,” said Nick Price, the Zimbabwean who was just digging in as a professional golfer in the late 1970s. “We played a few times together that year and it was a pleasant experience. “The next year our friendship jelled,” Price continued. “At the Christmas break, he said he wasn’t going (back to Texas) so I asked him to come up to Zimbabwe with me. Christmas is nice up there, I told him, and we had a wonderful time.” This week Johnson, 64, will blend into the background as Justin Thomas’ caddie at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley in Owings Mills, Maryland. But he’ll also be inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Price, an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, said he wasn’t surprised that they connected all those years ago, because “Jimmy is an easy person to get along with.” Years later, in fact, Price hired Johnson as his caddie. When news circulates of his Caddie Hall of Fame induction, Price added, “A lot of people will feel very good, because so many people know him as such a good person.” Johnson has taken it all in with his typical humility. “I’m pleasantly surprised, to be honest,” he said. “But when I first heard the news, I was shocked. I told Vince (Pellegrino, senior vice-president of tournaments for the Western Golf Association) when he called me with the news that it would have been the furthest thing from my mind.” Price said he felt he could speak for anyone who has met Johnson – and especially for Steve Stricker and Thomas, the players Johnson has caddied for since 2008 – that the honor is spot on. Pointing to Johnson’s body of work – approximately 650 tournaments across 25-plus years, with 25 victories – Price called it “brilliant.” But he emphasized what isn’t part of the data. “Each move Jimmy made involved changes,” he said. “Steve was younger and played different than me, and then Justin was even younger, and he plays different than both of us. “So many differences. It was not an easy thing, but Jimmy adjusted. It’s a credit to him.” The Caddie Hall of Fame was started in 1979 and currently is administered by the Western Golf Association, which conducts the BMW Championship. Its members are a veritable Who’s Who of the PGA TOUR, including Steve Williams, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, Jim “Bones” Mackay, Joe LaCava, Bruce Edwards, Fanny Sunesson, and Andy Martinez. There are also icons who started in the game as caddies (Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, to name a few), plus celebrities and golf dignitaries who earned a love of the game as caddies (Bill Murray and his brothers, former USGA executive director David Fay, investment giant Charles Schwab, and former MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth). But if there’s an enshrined caddie with whom Johnson will forever be linked, it’s Jeff “Squeaky” Medlin. A popular, wire-thin caddie with a high-pitched voice, Medlin was instrumental in Price’s three major championships and No. 1 world ranking in the early 1999s. He was diagnosed with leukemia and had to step away from his work in late 1996. But he stayed in Price’s ear. “He told me, ‘Nick, get JJ (Jimmy Johnson) to caddie for you,” said Price. “I told him I was thinking of it, but I didn’t know if I should, because we were such good mates. “Squeak just looked at me and said, ‘He’ll be good for you.’” Medlin had pulled the right club, one final time. Playing against the best Johnson wasn’t always the guy carrying someone else’s clubs. He arrived on the Sunshine Tour at 22, a kid from Dallas who played collegiately at North Texas State and faced contemporaries like Hal Sutton, Fred Couples, Chip Beck, Phil Blackmar, Payne Stewart and Bob Tway. In the ’78 U.S. Amateur at Plainfield CC in New Jersey, Johnson lost in the third round to Bobby Clampett, then fell short at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Goodbye, Dallas; hello, Johannesburg. Johnson was ready for golf and prepared for adventure. He never imagined it being a 17-year run, but close calls at Q School back home – three times he missed at the finals – kept him chasing his dream half a world away. “Jimmy was such a good player,” said Price. “He was diligent, worked hard, played methodically and managed his game well. Really, the fact that he never got over the hump, as I call it, saddened me. It saddened a lot of us who really liked him.” The highlight to Johnson’s Sunshine Tour career came with a victory in the 1991 Bastille Players Tournament at Paarl Golf Club in Western Cape. By 1996, though, Price knew that Johnson going to call it quits and that Medlin’s advice, offered late in the year, was worth exploring. “I was just going to be filling in,” said Johnson, who had caddied a little for Mark McNulty, “until Squeaky got back.” It didn’t take long for the success, and the emotions, to flow their way. Price won the MCI Classic at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, shooting 65-69-69-66, his first PGA TOUR win in more than two years. Price being Price, he dedicated the win to Medlin, who would die two months later, and was thrilled to share it financially with Johnson. “It’s one thing to hire a friend,” said Price, “but it’s gratifying when you have success with him.” It was a productive ride: From 1997 through 2003, Price and Johnson won three times on the PGA TOUR, once in Japan. Upon turning 47 in 2004, Price pared down his schedule and urged Johnson to seek out other bags. He did, bouncing around from Michelle Wie to Adam Scott, back to Price, over to assorted others. Johnson settled in for a three-year run with Charles Howell III, who experienced the dry, quick wit that Price loved about Johnson. Once, after Howell suffered a poor putting performance, his caddie shook his head and quietly said: “If you don’t start putting any better, I’m going to go back to Michelle Wie.” Price laughs when he recounts stories like this. When Johnson landed with Stricker, he added, “I knew it would be great because Jimmy and Steve have very similar personalities.” Assuming we all agree that eight wins and nearly $11 million in prize money qualify as great numbers, then Price is correct – Stricker and Johnson jelled splendidly. But at 48, Stricker did as Price had done, telling Johnson that it would be sensible to work for a younger player. Enter Thomas, who was 22 when he hired Johnson in June of ’15. The duo have been nothing short of meteoric – a PGA Championship and PLAYERS Championship among 14 wins, two different stints at No. 1 in the world, and the 2017 FedExCup title. When it was suggested that the ’17 PGA win at Quail Hollow must be the highlight, being the only major, Johnson paused. “I’d call it an exclamation point,” he said, “because (if it hadn’t have happened), I was going to be OK with everything. It’s been a wonderful ride and I’ve been very, very fortunate to work for such great players.”

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Just as we expected, a multiple major winner and his PGA TOUR-hopeful son won the PNC Championship. It just so happened that duo was John Daly and John Daly II. Two groups behind John and John on Sunday, Tiger and Charlie Woods charged from behind and almost caught the leaders. It’s the holiday season, not majors season, but you wouldn’t have known that based on the fan enthusiasm and social-media buzz as the Daly, Woods, Thomas and Cink families dueled at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando. This unofficial event delivered high-level competition, comedy and even a visit from the North Pole. Tiger and Charlie roar to runner-up finish After shooting 62 on Saturday, Tiger and Charlie Woods found themselves three strokes back of the lead at the mid-way point. The father and son in red and black knew they would have to go low on Sunday, and they did. Team Woods started birdie-birdie-eagle before three disappointing pars in the scramble format. But then the magic began. From No. 7 to No. 17, Tiger and Charlie made 11 straight birdies, and some of them were absolute beauties. Tiger nearly holed out for eagle on No. 7. There was a fist pump on No. 8 before Charlie’s putt even dropped. And Charlie brought out a Tiger-esque club twirl on the par-3 12th hole. But perhaps Charlie’s most impressive stretch came in the clutch. On No. 16, from 124 yards out and with water on the right, he shaped a beautiful fade into just a few feet for birdie. On the par-3 17th, from 169 yards, Charlie went pin-seeking again, hitting the best tee shot of the day on the hole. Needing an eagle on 18, Tiger missed a chip-in by just an inch, but the aggressiveness left a tester coming back for birdie. Both Charlie and Tiger narrowly missed and the duo settled for par and a final-round 57. For what it’s worth, birdie still would have lost by one, but eagle would have forced a playoff. “The fact that I’m able to have this opportunity this year, even a couple weeks ago we didn’t really know whether or not I would be doing this, but here we are,” Tiger said. “And we had just the best time ever. I just wish I could have walked down the fairways with him and been side-by-side with him the entire time like we were last year.” Just 10 months after Tiger’s Los Angeles car accident, the PNC Championship was his first appearance back in competitive golf. And while he may have had a golf cart and a teammate, it was an impressive 36 holes as we head into 2022. John Daly and John Daly II deliver merry win Dress codes are more of a suggestion than a requirement for John Daly. While most pros and their teammates arrived in formalwear for the PNC Championship banquet on Friday night, Daly delivered some holiday cheer by dressing as Santa Claus. And with Long John’s current long beard, he really brought the costume to life. In the previous editions of the PNC Championship – when he was known as “Little John” – Daly II might have worn an elf costume, but the Arkansas Razorbacks freshman went with a red jacket and black shirt and tie beside Santa this year. But if any competitors thought the Daly duo were just in it for laughs, they were quickly proven wrong. Team Daly came out firing on Saturday behind a stellar performance by John II, shooting a 60, one stroke behind the Cink family. On Sunday, John and John II picked up the pace, firing a 57 to tie Team Woods for the low score of the day. Perhaps the shot of the day came from John II, who from 224 yards in the bunker on No. 3 set up an early eagle for the eventual victors. John II anchored the team, hitting second for much of the weekend, and now goes back to Arkansas, hoping to help contribute to the Razorbacks Golf Team and continue his journey, perhaps toward a professional golf career. Nelly Korda gets her Tiger Woods photo Nelly Korda is the No. 1 women’s golfer in the world. Just 23, she won four times on the LPGA Tour in 2021, including her first major victory at the Women’s PGA Championship in June. She also added a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. But that did not stop her from feeling the nerves while asking Tiger Woods for a photo after his round Saturday. “I didn’t want to bother you right now, but I really wanted a photo,” Korda said to the former World No. 1. She also requested a photo for her playing partner, her dad Petr, the former world No. 2 tennis player and winner of the 1998 Australian Open, and his caddie, Nelly’s brother Sebastian, the current world No. 39 in tennis who won his first ATP Tour singles title in 2021. Rounding out the Korda family are Regina, another tennis player who reached her own career-best ranking of No. 45 in the world, and Jessica, the current world No. 22 in women’s golf. Nelly and Petr went 63-64 at the PNC Championship to finish 17 under in 12th place. Nelly should remember the pressure she felt with Tiger. As her career continues to blossom, she is going to be on the other side of most of these nervous photo interactions. Karl Stenson is comedy’s newest star While Saturday Night Live went on without a studio audience this weekend, Karl Stenson gave the world all the laughs it needed with his roast of dad Henrik at the PNC Championship. On Friday night, while the players were innocently enjoying their dinner, Peter Jacobsen had Henrik and Karl on stage for a Q&A. “So you’re the youngest player in PNC Championship history. Do you know that?” Jacobsen asked 11-year-old Karl. “Well, my dad told me about it in the car ride here,” the Orlando-area resident responded in perfect deadpan fashion. He was just warming up. “I think you guys have a shot this year, I really do,” Jacobsen said. “Not with the way he’s playing,” Karl responded, looking directly over at Henrik. The room burst into laughter (and maybe some tears). Henrik, who has six PGA TOUR wins, including an Open Championship and a PLAYERS Championship title, took the quips in stride. After all, Stenson, now 45, has missed his last five cuts on the PGA TOUR. Team Stenson opened with a 10-under 62 on Saturday, putting them in the mix through 18 holes. “Eh, it was OK for both of us,” Karl said. “None of us played pretty good. There’s always some room to improve on the weekend, but pretty fun.” Team Stenson came back with a 63 on Sunday to finish T8. We already knew Henrik Stenson had to deal with Ian Poulter’s pranks and ribbing. Now it appears Karl, too, might be a force in that department. Justin Thomas bellies up to the kids’ table At 28, Justin Thomas is no longer a kid on TOUR, but at the PNC Championship, with tweens like Charlie Woods and Karl Stenson running around, Thomas can feel like a kid again – at least at the buffet. “One of my favorite things about the PNC Championship is the ‘kids’ side in dining,” he tweeted Thursday. “Chicken fingers and fries for lunch every day!!!” In case anyone thought he was joking, he followed up with a post on Instagram on Friday, showing off his lunch of chicken fingers, French fries and peanut butter and jelly sandwich bites. Not everyone was impressed. “A lot of beige in that box come on JT you’re an athlete,” Rory McIlroy commented. “Get something green pro!” Golden State Warriors forward and avid golfer Andre Iguodala added. Despite the lighthearted jabs, the fuel almost came through for Justin and dad Mike, the defending champions, who played with (and ate chicken fingers with) the Woods family on Saturday. Team Thomas went 60-60, finishing T3. It was also revealed that after their victory last year they wore their championship belts to Tiger’s house for Christmas dinner. Tiger and Charlie were close to getting their own belts this year, but unless the Daly family drops in for Christmas (stranger things have happened), no belts will make an appearance this holiday season for Team Woods or Team Thomas. There will, however, be plenty of good stories about the 2021 PNC. And, perhaps, chicken fingers. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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