Just how difficult is it to qualify for the U.S. Open? A scratch ‘weekend’ golfer finds out

J.J. Spaun was probably 4 or 5 years old the first time he ever set foot inside the Magic Kingdom and rubbed elbows with the likes of Mickey Mouse and Pluto. “My parents recorded it on VHS,â€� Spaun says. “… I remember my sisters and parents being there and the styles of the early ’90s.â€� Little did he know that he’d still be spending time – a lot of time, at that — at Disneyland two decades later. In fact, Spaun owned a season pass for five years before his recent move to Scottsdale, Arizona. “It’s a fun place for us to go to,â€� Spaun says. “It’s what we did as kids.  Kind of helps us get away from the hustle and bustle of the TOUR, to go out and enjoy ourselves.â€� Sure enough, Spaun squeezed in a three-day trip to Disneyland and its sister California Adventure theme park when the 27-year-old, who is ranked 91st in the FedExCup, took a few weeks off earlier this summer. Before moving to the Arizona desert, Spaun only lived about 15 minutes from the happiest place on earth. The Californian acknowledges that he and his girlfriend, Melody Means, “get bored a lot, pretty easily,â€� so they made good use of their season passes. “It was cool,â€� Spaun said. “On a Wednesday night, if we had nothing to do, we could shoot over to Disneyland and ride a couple of rides for the night. “Good thing about having a pass is you don’t feel like you have to be there all day and getting your money’s worth.â€� Not even a broken foot that required surgery kept the couple, who met through mutual friends four years ago, away from the Magic Kingdom. “Oh, my gosh, we would go almost every day,â€� Means recalls. “…  He would take me in the wheelchair and wheel me around.  I wouldn’t have anything else to do.  I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t work. “He would take me and help me get in the ride and helped me get out.  We could cut the lines. He was very protective of me.â€� As might be imagined, Spaun and Means are connoisseurs of the entire Disney experience. But when he was a kid, Spaun wasn’t as attracted to the rides as he was the overall experience. He loved seeing the cartoon characters brought to “life,â€� as well as the performances and the bands and the shops. Spaun says “basically it was like being in a Disney movie “when he went there as a kid. “I was actually afraid of rides for a long time,â€� Spaun says. “… It’s just like the ambiance and the culture and stuff.  The rides came hand in hand with it, but it was more the surroundings which made it fun.â€� “I think he started going on the bigger rides to impress me a little bit,â€� Means adds. Now, every trip to Disneyland starts with a jaunt on Pirates of the Caribbean, which is the last ride the late filmmaker Walt Disney had a hand in designing – and turned 50 this year. Spaun has come to enjoy the iconic Space Mountain, an indoor celestial roller-coaster at Disneyland. Soarin, the popular flight motion simulator, at California Adventure is another favorite. “Disneyland is really old school,â€� Spaun says. “They don’t have many crazy rides where it’s loops and stuff.  Space Mountain is probably like I guess the most daring ride they have there, because it’s in the dark and lot of turns and it’s really fast.â€� And Soarin’ is not to be confused with Screamin’, California Adventure’s steel roller-coaster that can reach speeds of 55 mph. That’s the one Means likes best. “I like the fast roller-coaster loops, which was hard to get him on at first,â€� Means says. “…  He’s afraid it’s going to break down or he’s going to get stuck on it.â€� Small wonder, then, that some of the rides at other theme parks – like the Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a roller-coaster that features a 128-foot drop – are a “little out of my comfort zone,â€� Spaun acknowledges. Not to worry, though. Spaun can find plenty of things to entertain him at Disneyland. In fact, he and Means are already planning their next trip to the Magic Kingdom after the FedExCup Playoffs. And don’t be surprised if there are more visits before the end of the year. “When they decorate for Christmas, it’s really cool,â€� Means says with a smile.

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Professional golfer Justin Rose and his wife, Kate Rose, have announced a $1 million donation to the Blessings in a Backpack Orlando chapter to help feed elementary school children who might otherwise go hungry on the weekend. This donation from the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation will go on to immediately feed 1,000 children, and help enhance the food bags they are given. The newly announced donation will also help start a match program for the Orlando nonprofit, founded in May 2020, to get volunteers on board to start new programs for the organization. The gift has been set up to have maximum immediate impact on feeding children, while also creating sustainability for the organization. This $1 million donation is in addition to their original gift of $1.15 million to found the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, Orlando, affectionately known as ‘Rose Blessings Orlando'. WHAT: Kate & Justin Rose Foundation $1 Million Donation to Orlando Nonprofit WHO: Interview with Kate Rose (by appointment), board members and/or volunteers who have seen the impact firsthand. WHEN: Interested media members should contact Joe Culotta to set up an interview. WHERE: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, interviews will only be available through Zoom. More about the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation's Connection with Blessings in a Backpack … Feeding hungry tummies and curious minds is what the Kate and Justin Rose Foundation is all about. Its focus is on a three prong approach to improving children's lives by providing nutritional support, funding education and providing ‘first exposure' positive life experiences for children. Through nutrition, the Foundation teamed up with Blessings in a Backpack beginning in 2009 to provide weekend nutrition to children who would otherwise go hungry. Their support has grown over the years, ultimately providing more than 500,000 hunger-free weekends to more than 15,000 children over the course of 11 years. Seeing what a huge impact they have had on feeding food-insecure children in Orlando, they put more resources behind their ongoing efforts. A gift of $1.15 million was made in 2019 to found an official chapter of Blessings in a Backpack in Orlando, the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, affectionately known as ‘Rose Blessings Orlando', to ensure sustainability and to reach their goal of feeding 16,000 children by 2030. Because of the increased need due to COVID-19 and the success the Orlando Chapter has had in reaching children, the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation has agreed to invest an additional $1 million to feed 1,000 more Orlando-area children immediately, to create a matching gift pool for grassroots/volunteer-led programs, and to accelerate their goal of feeding 16,000 children. About Blessings in a Backpack Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. As closures caused by COVID-19 lead to a rise in unemployment and poverty, it is projected that 18 MILLION CHILDREN* are experiencing food insecurity. That's one in four American children who may be struggling with access to food. The consequences of hunger are much more than a growling stomach. Poor nutrition can result in a weaker immune system, increased hospitalization, lower IQ, shorter attention spans, and lower academic achievement. Children are fed during the school week by federal government programs. We want to make sure they're getting nutritional meals over the weekend, too, so that they can show up for school on Monday nourished and ready to learn. For more information, please visit Orlando.blessingsinabackpack.org.

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