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He was the final member of an impressive triumvirate of golfers born in San Diego during The Great Depression – Gene Littler and Billy Casper the others – and as a young pro he was widely considered the equal to a contemporary named Jack Nicklaus. But if Phil Rodgers’ PGA TOUR career didn’t match its promise or reach the standards of those other men, he did something that is a rarity in today’s world. He took ownership. As honest as he was brash, Rodgers told golf.com’s Alan Bastable in 2008 that “I wanted to win more, but something always stopped me. I couldn’t do what my mind wanted me to do. I probably talked myself out of being a great champion more than I talked myself into it.� Rodgers’ 17-year PGA TOUR career included just five victories but was noted for the absence of major championship success that Nicklaus, Littler and Casper all had. That was difficult for some to rationalize, especially those who watched Rodgers’ great success as a junior, a collegian, an amateur, and a two-time winner in his first full PGA TOUR season, 1962. “He was so good, it was frightening,� former PGA TOUR player John Schroeder told Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union Leader. “Mechanically, he had it.� But what Rodgers also had and always used effectively was an unyielding passion to teach the game. That came shining through as stories circulated upon the news of Rodgers’ death Tuesday morning in his University City home in San Diego with his wife of 33 years, Karen, by his side. Rodgers was 80 years old and had battled leukemia for more than 15 years, though he appeared to handle that as flawlessly as he did bunker shots. Leonard, in his tribute to Rodgers, said the gregarious instructor might have been in a wheelchair, but up until a few months ago he was still at his post, teaching the game he loved at The Grand Del Mar in San Diego. Reacting to the news of Rodgers’ death, Nicklaus on his social media account expressed his heartfelt condolences: “My heart hurts today after the passing of dear friend, Phil Rodgers . . . Terrific ball-striker & great short game, he became a gifted teacher. Miss him already.� In fact, were he capable of re-writing the PGA TOUR record books, Nicklaus would affix two major championships beside Rodgers’ name, with an asterisk. That’s how strongly Nicklaus felt about his friend’s contribution to what took place in 1980, the year the Golden Bear turned 40. Not only had Nicklaus in 1979 recorded his first winless season since turning pro in 1962, but good gracious, he had missed the cut at the 1978 PGA and finished T-33 at the 1980 Masters, meaning he had failed to triumph in six straight majors. Even worse, “it was almost to the point where I had to putt around bunkers,� Nicklaus once told reporters. Unable to stand over a chip shot, Nicklaus called Rodgers, who came to North Palm Beach, Fla., and spent two weeks with his longtime friend. A few weeks later, Nicklaus won his fourth and final U.S. Open, then he added a PGA Championship, the penultimate triumph in his record parade of 18 majors. “Phil totally revamped my short game and gave me confidence,� Nicklaus once gushed to Sports Illustrated. And if you wanted a summation of Rodgers’ ability, no one offered it with more praise than Nicklaus, who told Bastable: “If you ever watched him hit the ball, if you watched his short game, if you watched him putt, you would say, ‘How could anybody ever beat him?’ � Nicklaus wasn’t alone, because Rodgers as a junior and collegian left others feeling similarly. Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman, who called Rodgers “a lifelong friend,� recalled the first time their paths crossed, at the 1954 U.S. Junior Amateur at Los Angeles CC’s North Course. “I was a hot-shot kid from the East and when the tournament was over, I spent a week in LaJolla playing golf with Phil. We were 16 and I’ll tell you what I’ve said 100 times over the last 65 years – Phil Rodgers at 16 was an accomplished ‘professional’ golfer. He could have left high school right then and been successful on the PGA TOUR. “We played with Gene Littler (then 24 and a PGA TOUR member) that week and Phil beat him. That’s how good he was.� Born April 3, 1938 (Littler was born in 1930, Casper in 1931), Rodgers won the 1955 national Jaycee Junior Golf Championship (Nicklaus was in the field), earning a $1,000 scholarship. He chose to attend the University of Houston, “a sort of training camp for aspiring pro golfers,� wrote Walter Bingham in a feature story on Rodgers for Sports Illustrated in 1963 that included a cover headline: “Phil Rodgers: The Brashest Man in Golf.� Bingham, of course, had to time the college story just right, because Rodgers played in just three tournaments, all of which he won. The exclamation point was the 1958 NCAA Championship at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass., where he and teammates Jackie Cupit and Jim Hiskey – both former PGA TOUR players – led the Cougars to No. 3 in a string of five consecutive titles. Not only did Rodgers shoot 69-70 to be co-medalist during the team portion of the competition, but in the individual phase he overwhelmed Purdue’s John Konsek, 8 and 7, to leave college undefeated. “Phil knew more about golf than any kid we’ve ever had here,� Houston’s late and great coach, Dave Williams, told Bingham. “But I couldn’t understand him. I never knew what the guy was going to say. After he beat Deane Beman in the second round (of the NCAAs), I went up to shake hands with him. “That’s the last time that’ll ever happen, he yelled to me. ‘What do you mean, Phil?’ ‘That’s the last time I’ll ever be over par on this track,’ he said. It was, too.’ � While Nicklaus came along to star on the 1959 and 1961 Walker Cup teams and win U.S. Amateur and NCAA titles, Rodgers chose to enlist in the Marines, though he didn’t exactly see the world. Instead, he served his stint right in San Diego and was able to keep his golf game sharp. Which is why, Schroeder told Leonard, that “it was neck and neck to see who was best,� Nicklaus or Rodgers. Eerily, they were of similar builds – “stocky� or “pudgy� or “stumpy,� depending on whose correspondence you read – with blonde hair and fans often had to do a double-take when they saw them together back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But while Rodgers conceded to Leonard that no matter how he conducted his career, “I never would have been in Nicklaus’ category,� he loved to tell the story of that one category in which he was an equal. Eating steaks. Legendary for preferring it the color of his favorite wine, red, at Augusta National Golf Club it only mattered to Rodgers that he and Nicklaus could have it whenever they wanted. So, they had filets for breakfast, a New York Strip for lunch, and Chateaubriand for dinner. “They finally came to us and said, ‘No, you can’t do that. You can only have one steak per day.’ � After his stint in the Marines ended in 1961, Rodgers joined the PGA TOUR for 14 tournaments, but oh, how he hit the ground running in 1962. Tied with Fred Hawkins through 54 holes in the LA Open at Rancho Municipal GC, Rodgers closed with a sizzling 62 to win by nine. “Rodgers is golf’s golden boy today,� exclaimed golf writer Jerry Wynn, who expressed a theme that was prevalent in those days when it came to the flamboyant Rodgers. “He’s not only good, he knows he’s good.� Laughed Beman, “Oh, yeah, he was cocky. But he could back it up. He had complete control of all aspects of his game.� Chances for major championship glory slipped from Rodgers’ grip early in his career. Stubbornly, he refused to take an unplayable lie from a tree at Oakmont in Round 1 of the 1962 U.S. Open, took a few whacks at it, made a quadruple-bogey or else he might have won that, not Nicklaus. Then, at the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Rodgers got whipped in a 36-hole playoff against Bob Charles, 140-148. Rodgers had been surrounded by World Golf Hall of Famers for so many years – mentored at La Jolla CC by Paul Runyan, who often had Rodgers play blindfolded to appreciate how to “feel� his way around a golf course; nurtured in teenage games against the likes of Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Ralph Guldahl; befriended by Nicklaus; a local hero alongside Littler, who won two majors, and Casper, who had three. But the iconic success that each of those men enjoyed never filtered down to Rodgers. He won twice in 1962, his first full year on the PGA TOUR, added another win in 1963, then two more in 1966 (notable for being the first wins by a player using a long putter that he “anchored�). But that was it. There were no more wins and Beman is among the many who often wondered why. “Hard to say,� said the former commissioner. “Maybe he was so damn good he didn’t realize you had to keep working at it.� While Rodgers shouldered responsibility – “I never thought I did my job as well as I could have or should have,� he told Leonard – his legion of friends, colleagues, and contemporaries praised him for his passion and for excelling as not only a man who designed wedges for Cobra, but as one of the game’s greatest instructors. “When I lived in Orlando (in the 1980s), I used to visit Phil over at Grand Cypress,� said Brad Faxon. “He used to hit bunker shots with just his left hand and he’d beat all of us. He had a great eye and was also one of the first teachers to use technology developed by Ralph Mann, looking at bio-mechanics. Such a great teacher and character.� In six seasons on the PGA TOUR Champions, Rodgers won just once, but his presence was always a treasure. “With the passing of Phil Rodgers, the game of golf lost a true gentleman and a man who sincerely impacted the lives of those around him,� said PGA TOUR Champions president Greg McLaughlin, who noted that he and some players were pleased to see Rodgers just a month ago at the Insperity Invitational. “It was wonderful to watch everyone light up in his presence,� said McLaughlin.

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Here are nine tidbits from the final round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Nobody Beats the Kizz Patton Kizzire held off James Hahn over six playoff holes to win for the second time on TOUR this season. His first win involved fending off Rickie Fowler at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Now, he adds a six-hole playoff to his resume less than two months later. His recipe for success this week included painting the top 10 in SG: Approach the Green, SG: Putting and bogey avoidance. He circled 22 birdies, T4 on the week. The 31-year old from Tuscaloosa is an Auburn grad but I’m guessing he’s still having a very good year. This is his second win and fourth top 10 in seven events in the new season. Hahn Solo James Hahn’s 62 on Sunday was two better than the next best and secured his place in the epic playoff on 17-under-par 263. Hahn continued his excellent record at Waialae as he posted his sixth consecutive payday and his first podium finish. Of his 24 rounds on this track 20 are in red figures including in 15 of his last 16. He torched the par four holes to the tune of 13-under and that never hurts at this event! I can understand if gamers were skeptical entering the week as his low round in three events during the fall was just 68. Sandwiched Between Chalk this up as a great learning experience for Tom Hoge. Most guys holding the 54-hole lead for the first time rarely go on to win. Hoge had the lead at 18-under after a birdie on No. 12. His double on No. 16 knocked him out of the lead and he eventually finished solo third, his best finish on TOUR. Hoge has never finished better than No. 132 in the FEC standings but he’s picked up his second top 10 in his first six attempts of the 2017-18 season. Charlotte’s Webb His 63 on Saturday was the lowest of the day and his 65 on Sunday moved him up five more spots to T4. Simpson finished last year with a flurry as he finished T20 or better in six of his last seven events. He might have added another in The RSM Classic but he withdrew to be by his dying father’s side. He’s picked back up where he left off with his fourth top 10 in his last eight starts. The Life of Brian Brian Stuard played 31 events last season and made just 16 cuts. None of those weekends resulted in a top 10 and only four went for top 25’s. He’s exempt this year as he’s the last Zurich champion that didn’t have a partner. He’s found new life in the new season as he’s now made the cut in all six events he’s played and half of those have gone for top 10’s. This is also his third top 10 in his last five starts at Waialae. Gamers love when recent and course form merges! Hawaii 5-0 Technically it is Hawaii 5-6, as in 56-under-par in his last four trips for Gary Woodland. After MC in his first two trips he’s fired off T-3, T-13 and T-6 last year with all 12 rounds at par or better. He added four more rounds in the red this week and his 64 on Sunday leapfrogged him 14 spots to T7. He co-led the field in birdies with 24, tied with fellow T7 finisher Ollie Schniederjans.  Kelly Green I’m usually ageist in fantasy golf but all rules have exceptions and Jerry Kelly at Waialae qualifies. His final round 66 moved him up to T14, his 13th top 25 in 21 career events. This is his WORST finish, when making the cut, in his last four trips. Not bad for 51 years young! Favorite Sons Defending champion Justin Thomas posted four rounds of 68 or lower and finished T14. Strangely he only made 15 birdies on the week but he did add two eagles. The last repeat champion will still be Ernie Els in 2003-2004. I didn’t see anything from the Bones-Thomas pairing that would suggest anything but business as usual moving forward. Jordan Spieth’s pair of 66’s on the weekend saw him cash T18. The backdoor wasn’t as cracked as much as gamers hoped and it was Spieth’s putter, strangely, that let him down. He ranked 58th in SG: Putting but he was first in GIR. I know which one of these two is easier to fix and it rhymes with cutting… Study Hall Wesley Bryan didn’t stick a driver in his bag this week and isn’t going to in the foreseeable future. He finished T32 and posted all four rounds at par or better…No magic Marc Leishman Sunday this week as the Aussie could only muster 68 and finished T47…Charles Howell, III never fired this week (T29) but he’s still never missed the cut at Waialae in 17 starts…Jason Dufner continues to have better results with the putter. He finished T18 for the week and 18th in SG: Putting…I hid Brian Harman down here as I have written about him the last three days. Fantasy players who had him this week will be disappointed that he didn’t close the deal. I’ll point out I was one of them but I’m not upset he didn’t win. Winning is really difficult out here and if he continues to rack up top 10’s, I’ll be able to live with my decisions! Have some perspective, folks! Only one guy can win each week!

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