Stephen Curry makes pro golf debut

For some, the graduations were virtual. Other got their diplomas in drive-by ceremonies – a few even in drive-in theaters – as teachers and principals got creative in an attempt to honor the Class of 2020. Nothing was normal after the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the United States in March. Jim Furyk attended one of those socially distanced outdoor ceremonies with his wife Tabitha when their daughter Caleigh graduated from The Bolles School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in May. The guest list was limited to parents, with other family members watching on-line. “It was nice to see the kids get an opportunity to walk, and I think they were anxious to kind of say hello to everyone,” Furyk says. “They hadn’t really had a chance to see the class for a couple of months and went through their on-line schooling. “It was a little awkward, I think, obviously a little bit of a bummer the way it ended.” Caleigh, though, has a lot to look forward to – she is headed to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she will compete on the track team. Helping his daughter, who is a talented pole vaulter, decide on a college brought back a lot of memories for Furyk, who turned 50 on May 12. “I broke my thumb and I signed my letter of commitment to Arizona to play golf with a cast on my hand, so it was interesting,” recalls Furyk, who graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1988. “But going through the process of being recruited by University of Arizona was fun. It was also very time consuming and difficult. You’re trying to figure out your next plan in life and trying to pick a college is always stressful.” That said, Furyk remembers the excitement – and relief — he felt after choosing Arizona over Arizona State, North Carolina and South Carolina. He liked the fact that coach Rick LaRose wasn’t looking to change his unique swing – plus, the weather in Tucson was a plus for a kid who grew up in western Pennsylvania. “He gave us a little bit of rope, and for some students that isn’t a good thing, but for me it was a really good thing,” Furyk says. “Being there with a different golf swing, being very self-motivated, and I worked very hard having that opportunity to kind of grow and flourish and not have someone tell me how to play. He let me kind of grow and learn at my own pace, which was good for me.” Furyk said the COVID-19 crisis limited the time Caleigh could spend on campus at the various schools that she was considering. He and his wife and daughter had hoped to circle back to visit some of the colleges again, but with the nation’s shutdown that wasn’t possible. “I think as a parent you want to provide some guidance and some insight, but ultimately, I wanted it to be, and my wife wanted it to be, her decision,” Furyk says. “I think we’ve always really tried to, and I’ve kind of got a little bit of this from my wife and probably got a little bit from what my parents did, but Tabitha’s always wanted the kids to be able to make decisions and we’ve kind of treated them at times as they’re older or more mature than they actually were. “So, we just tried to provide some guidance and points and what was important, try to help her organize what’s important to you.” Caleigh is thinking about majoring in graphic design, but she is also interested in music. In that regard, Belmont has one of the best schools in the country, both from a creative standpoint and the business of music. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to combine a little bit of that love with the graphic design work as well,” Furyk says. “I think that it’s a good opportunity for her to join the track team there as well and compete. So, it’s something that she likes doing, and I think it’s a good balance. Something she works really hard at and to be balanced for her.” Furyk said Caleigh and her younger brother, Tanner, who recently completed his sophomore year at Bolles, have handled the coronavirus shutdown with maturity. Caleigh, who Furyk says hides her emotions like he does, was just getting back into form after an injury over the winter when track season was halted. Tanner’s lacrosse season was canceled, too. “I think we all gathered where it was going very quickly,” Furyk says. “I think kids may have held out some hope along the way. And then, little by little, they kind of said, maybe this isn’t going to work out.” So, proms had to be canceled, and graduations reimagined. But Furyk thinks the members of the Class of 2020 will be stronger because of what happened, and he expects big things. “The words that I keep hearing, whether it’s from their school, whether it’s from other parents, is that this class had to persevere through a little bit more than most and kind of have a little different finish to their school,” Furyk says. “And so, they’ll always be remembered for that, and I’m sure for the rest of their lives that’ll keep some things in perspective for them and probably also give them the confidence that we all persevere through many aspects of their life.”

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John Cook was a Minneapolis club pro who also played a handful of PGA TOUR events per year, mostly in the winter months when the weather back home left snow was on the ground and kept the courses closed. He played nearly 100 TOUR events, his best finish a tie for fourth at the 1967 Azalea Open. But that wasn’t the tournament that his grandson Austin heard the most about. The highlight of John Cook’s career was his brush with greatness in the 1965 Memphis Open, when he played with Jack Nicklaus in the final round at Colonial Country Club. Nicklaus was just 25 years old, but already had won four majors, including that spring’s Masters Tournament. He’d also won the 1964 money list (by a mere $81.13 over Arnold Palmer), an accomplishment that meant Nicklaus’ entry fees were waived for the 1965 season. Not, of course, that he needed the financial assistance. He already was chasing greatness, and he displayed his other-worldly talent again on that Sunday in Memphis. He started the final round five shots off the lead, while Cook was six back. They met on the first tee Sunday, but their paths quickly diverged. Nicklaus fired 65 to collect the 14th victory of his career. Cook shot 76 to fall to the middle of the pack. Austin Cook did Sunday what his grandfather could not, earning a PGA TOUR title in just his fourth start as a member. He birdied three of his final four holes at Sea Island’s Seaside Course to shoot 67 and finish four shots ahead of J.J. Spaun. Cook’s quest to the winner’s circle was reminiscent of the PGA TOUR during the days when his grandfather was competing. A large portion of the field had to qualify each week back in John Cook’s day. There are only four spots available in the Monday qualifier now, but Austin Cook first gained the golf world’s notice by qualifying for several TOUR events before ever earning his card. Cook finished in the top 25 in six of 10 PGA TOUR starts before becoming a PGA TOUR member. Those finishes proved something that his earlier resume may not have: he was built for the PGA TOUR. “When conditions are hardest, that’s when I play my best,â€� he said. He was always the type whose emphasis of accuracy over distance led to consistent scores, but not the flashy results that would make him one of those can’t-miss prospects coming out of college. Cook never won at Arkansas and only once was an All-American (honorable mention). His devotion to academics was another reason his collegiate achievements didn’t look those of a player who’d so quickly find success on the PGA TOUR. Cook earned a biology degree from Arkansas with a 3.9 grade-point average. “Biology was his major and golf was his minor,â€� said his college coach at Arkansas, Brad McMakin. “I always wondered what he could’ve done if he could have work on his game like everybody else and not been in labs five hours a day, three days a week.” McMakin said that Cook was the type of player who’d shoot 70 no matter where they played. The coach compares Cook’s swing to David Duval’s because of the way he would swing back with a closed clubface, then rotate aggressively through impact. “His distance control with his irons is off the charts,â€� McMakin said. “When you hit it out of the center of the face 90 percent of the time, that’s why he has good distance control. “He was the kind of guy you could give one golf ball to … and on the 54th hole he’d be able to give it back to you.â€� Cook displayed that repetitive ballstriking at The RSM Classic, missing just eight fairways and 12 greens all week. Cook finished his degree in December 2013 and shortly turned pro with medical school as a back-up plan. His father, Bill, is an anesthesiologist. Austin set out for the Adams Tour that January with money that Bill had saved for the past few years to help his son get his pro career off the ground. It didn’t take long for Austin to get his first taste of the PGA TOUR. That June, he qualified for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the same event where his grandfather had played with Nicklaus, and finished T13. The $54,085 he earned there allowed him to pay his parents back and fund his career. Cook made it to final stage in the 2014 Q-School to earn conditional status on the Web.com Tour. He’d make more starts on the PGA TOUR in 2015, though, thanks to his propensity to get through those open qualifiers. It started in Houston, where Cook played alongside Phil Mickelson in the final group of the third round. Cook, whose brother Kyle was carrying Austin’s stand bag, beat the World Golf Hall of Famer by five shots, 70-75. Cook finished 11th. He finished in the top 25 in five of seven PGA TOUR starts that season, including two top-10s. He Monday qualified two more times, earned two more starts with his top-10s and only needed to rely on two sponsor exemptions. “Once I get out here, I’m going to have a bright future ahead of me,â€� Cook said after his play in Houston. He didn’t know how right he’d be.

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