Phil Mickelson once threatened to kick Johnny Miller’s butt using kung fu

DETROIT — Nate Lashley completed an unlikely wire-to-wire victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR title. Lashley closed with a 2-under 70 to finish at 25-under 263 and win by six shots, the margin he took into the day after opening with rounds of 63, 67 and 63. The 36-year-old Lashley’s parents and girlfriend were killed in a plane crash 15 years ago. He dabbled in real estate after graduating from the University of Arizona, quit playing professional golf several years ago and resumed playing in PGA TOUR circuits. “Without my parents, I wouldn’t have started playing golf when I was little,” said Lashley, who began playing when he was 8. “They did everything to help me have a career.” Monday qualifier Doc Redman shot a 67 to finish second. Rory Sabbatini (68) and Wes Roach (68) were another stroke back. Lashley slipped into PGA TOUR’s first event in Detroit as an alternate Wednesday. The Nebraskan took full advantage, shooting a career-low 63 in the first round to take a lead he refused to lose at Detroit Golf Club. Lashley stayed atop the leaderboard with a 67 on Friday and gave himself a cushion with another 9-under 63 Saturday. On the brink of breaking through during his second PGA TOUR season, his sister, girlfriend, buddies and family friends flew to Detroit to join him. Brooke Lashley, who lives near her brother in Arizona, was in awe of as fans followed and cheered for her little brother as they stood along the ropes from tee to green. “I’m sure a lot of these people didn’t know him a couple days ago,” she said, standing near the No. 8 green. “He’s doing all he can to focus, but this is so incredible. It’s foreign to him because he’s never had this much attention. He’s never played in front of a gallery like this with TV cameras all over the place.” In 2014, parents Rod and Char Lashley and girlfriend Leslie Hofmeister, all of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, were missing for three days before their bodies and the wreckage were found near the 13,780-foot Gannett Peak in Wyoming after watching him play in a tournament for the University of Arizona. “It rocked our community,” recalled Helen Reinhardt, a family friend from Nebraska. Reinhardt and her husband, Jim, boarded a charter plane in Nebraska that stopped in Minnesota to pick up Lashley’s girlfriend and arrived in the Motor City on Sunday. “It’s great to be here to watch his dream come true after watching him play in the Dakotas Tour and work his way up to here,” said Jeff Peck, one of about a dozen of Lashley’s friends at Detroit Golf Club. Lashley made a living as a real estate agent after graduating from Arizona and his playing career started, stopped and resumed again. He won the Waterloo Open, a professional tournament, in Iowa in 2011 and quit competitive golf the next year. When Lashley was flipping houses, he thought his playing career was over. Lashley gave the game another shot, playing on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica circuit in 2015 and moved up to what is now called the Korn Ferry Tour two years later. He made his PGA TOUR debut last season in his mid-30s, but he had to end his year after 17 events because of a knee injury. He tied for eighth in February in the Puerto Rico Open — played opposite the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship — for his only top-10 finish previously on TOUR. He started the tournament No. 132 in the FedExCup standings. Lashley would’ve had to collapse and one of the contenders would’ve had to have a sensational performance to put the final result in doubt. Neither happened. Lashley played it safe, putting together a conservative round that kept his comfortable lead. He made a slow-rolling, downhill putt from 15 feet to birdie the first hole. At No. 3, he started confidently walking toward the cup before his 10-foot birdie putt went in to put him at 25 under. “The birdies on 1 and 3 really calmed me down,” Lashley said. Lashley had two bogeys on the front nine — one more than he had the previous three rounds — and coasted to victory on the back with two birdies and no bogeys. Family and friends stood near the edge of the green as he closed out the round. Lashley’s girlfriend and sister, choking back tears, went onto the green to give him a hug. “I’m just real emotional,” he said later. “I’m just thankful I got in the tournament.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced an hour-long special, titled PGA TOUR 2018: The First Family of Golf presented by Nationwide, which will air Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 2 p.m. ET on CBS, prior to the network’s final-round coverage of the Fort Worth Invitational, and in advance of CBS Sports’ coverage of the Memorial Tournament. Nicklaus is revered around the world for his 120 professional victories worldwide, including 73 PGA TOUR wins and a record 18 major championship titles; his induction into the inaugural World Golf Hall of Fame (at only 34 years old); and for being a recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal—our nation’s highest civilian honors. But it is his family—with wife Barbara, his five children and 22 grandchildren—that will be the true legacy of the man known globally as the Golden Bear. Produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment, the show is narrated by Barbara Nicklaus, and will examine the many facets of Jack Nicklaus’ family-first life through the following topics: Barbara Nicklaus: Married for almost 58 years, Barbara has been a driving force in Jack’s career and their family’s life. She has been recognized with both the Bob Jones Award and Ambassador of Golf Award for her contributions to the game and society, as well as her spirit, personal character and respect for the game and others. The show will highlight her philanthropic activities, as she is the guiding light for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and over parts of five decades helping host the Memorial, has been unwavering in her support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Family Man: As a father of five, Nicklaus has long been devoted to his family. The show will feature all five children—Jack II, Steve, Nan, Gary and Michael—as they reflect on their favorite memories of their father, the family, and what keeps them so close to this day. Jack and Barbara talk about their commitment to supporting all 22 of their grandchildren, as well as the differences between being a parent and a grandparent. The Bond Through Sports: Competition was a constant in the Nicklaus house, with all five children excelling in a variety of sports, and all five earning Division I athletic scholarships. The family reflects on their greatest sports memories and reinforces how important sports—and mainly the competition, including within the family—were in the Nicklaus home. Shared Hobbies: Barbara and her daughter, Nan, get together in the kitchen to cook one of their favorite recipes from their new cookbook “Well Done,� with 100 percent of proceeds from the book going to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide: As the lead-up to the 2018 tournament, the show documents how the Nicklaus family and tournament team prepare for this year’s event and highlight their far-reaching impact on local charities and the Dublin and Columbus communities as a whole. The PGA TOUR Family: The special will showcase how current players, such as Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, embody Nicklaus’ philosophy on family, and the impact both Jack and Barbara have had on them. 

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