The First Look: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

When he was 18 years old, Tyrone Van Aswegen traveled more than 9,000 miles from his home in South Africa to the United States to play golf at Oklahoma City University. He became a three-time NAIA All-America, helped lead the Stars to four straight national titles and won the individual crown in 2002. He met his future wife, Cristin, there, too. While he played some in South Africa on the Sunshine Tour early in his pro career, Van Aswegen has made his home in the United States ever since he crossed the Atlantic Ocean as a teenager. So he decided to take the steps required to become an American citizen.  “I just felt like I was fully integrated,â€� Van Aswegen explained. “I know this is my home now. I just felt like it was the right time.â€� So on June 19, 2013, he stood with about 750 other people in San Diego’s Golden Hall, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and was sworn in as a naturalized U.S. citizen. “It was a very awesome day,â€� Van Aswegen remembered. He thinks there were at least 20 different countries represented in the roll call of America’s newest citizens that day. The largest group was from Mexico, then Iraq. He remembers a handful of other South Africans and even someone originally from Lithuania being sworn in. “I didn’t think there were going to be that many citizens,â€� Van Aswegen admitted. And the magnitude of the moment was not lost on any of them. “You get to celebrate with everybody there. It was a good day.â€�  Before starting the process, Van Aswegen, who had had his green card for five years, hired an immigration lawyer to make sure all his paperwork was in order. After his application was received, he had to go to the immigration office and take a citizenship test. Van Aswegen, who is playing this week in the Quicken Loans National near Washington, D.C., enlisted his wife’s aid as he studied the booklet that contained 100 possible questions about United States history and government. He would only be asked 10 and had to get six correct — but he wanted to leave nothing to chance.  “I had my wife randomly selecting questions,â€� Van Aswegen recalled. “It’s multiple choice, so you know, most of the time you can figure out what it is, but some of the dates were tricky.â€� Turns out, Van Aswegen didn’t need to worry. He got the first six questions the immigration officer asked him correct. Ditto for the quote about Columbus Day that he had to write down on paper. That said, it wasn’t all smooth sailing when he went to take the test. Van Aswegen remembered making a bit of a faux pas after he made it through the TSA-caliber security and entered the waiting room. “I’ll never forget I put my phone in between my legs when I sat down and then the guy called me,â€� he said. “So I got up and went through a secure door, walked like 60 yards to his office and when I go to his office I was like, uh sir, I forgot my phone in a waiting area.  “So he was like, he was kind of not in a good mood after that. But I did everything, I think pretty perfect. So it was OK.â€� The swearing-in ceremony in San Diego, where Van Aswegen and his wife lived at the time, came about a month later. When it was over, he applied for his U.S. passport to make things even more official.   “My family’s here and my life is here,â€� said Van Aswegen, who has now lived in the United States as long as he did in South Africa. “This is what I want to be.â€�    Van Aswegen, who tries to visit his family in Johannesburg at least once a year, has taken an active role in his new country. He missed the 2012 presidential election but was able to vote for the first time four years later. “It’s nice to be part of a society and to have a say,â€� Van Aswegen explained. He even remembers getting one of those “I Votedâ€� stickers at the polling place and sticking it on his shirt. A celebratory night out with friends followed.  “It was a proud moment,â€� Van Aswegen said. “I think we celebrated my voting more than celebrated getting my citizenship — not  because I wasn’t proud to be an American.  “But it was just the first time I’d ever voted and it was a cool experience.â€�

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Hilary Watson, wife of World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson, passed away Wednesday night after a 2-1/2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 63. “Hilary was a very special person – bright, principled, accomplished and she had a gift of uplifting those around her,â€� former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. “And when Hilary set out to do something, she did it successfully. I’ll always remember the stories of her rodeo days, where she won all sorts of medals and ribbons, even after her illness. Most of all, Hilary was a wonderful mate for Tom, we could all see that. My heart goes out to Tom and his family at this difficult time.â€� The Watsons were married in 1999. Hilary was first diagnosed in October 2017 after experiencing pain in her abdomen. She eventually underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and then surgery in May 2018 to remove a tumor. Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. According to pancreatic.org, for all stages combined, 91% of pancreatic cancer patients die within five years of diagnosis. Yet the illness did not keep Hilary from participating in cutting horse competitions. In 2018, she finished fourth in the National Cutting Horse Association amateur rider of the year finals and followed that with a fifth-place finish in 2019. “I keep popping up where people are thinking, ‘What are you doing? Why are you here?’â€� she told the Kansas City Star newspaper in 2018. “I think that’s what kept me going through all of that, having those shows and being enthusiastic and excited about doing something. “Whether I’m feeling good or not, I was going to still get on that horse. And have some fun doing it. That’s been a godsend for me.â€� This summer, after playing in his last Senior Open, Tom Watson said he was looking forward to spending more time with his wife. “Really happy now doing something a little bit different with my life,â€� said Watson, who won 39 times (including eight majors) in his PGA TOUR career, and an additional 14 times on PGA TOUR Champions. “Being with my wife, Hilary, who loves to ride the horses, and I love to ride the horses, and we’re going to do something different now.â€� Former PGA of America president Ted Bishop, who convinced Tom Watson to captain the U.S. team at the 2014 Ryder Cup, paid tribute to Hilary Watson. “Tom will tell you that Hilary was his hero. … and for many reasons. How these two people dealt with the devastation of the worst that cancer can 
muster up is truly an inspiration to us all,â€� Bishop wrote on Facebook. “Hilary was a beautiful woman who was also one of the fiercest competitors who ever lived. Tom is an eight-time major champion golfer, but more so a man who has always dealt with adversity in amazing ways. It’s a sad day, but Hilary’s fight is over and she leaves us with many beautiful memories.â€� Hilary Watson is survived by her husband Tom and her children, Kyle Charles, Kelly Paige and Ross Donald; her stepchildren, Meg Carr and Michael Watson; and two sisters, Alicia Korte and Christine Holton. According to golfchannel.com, the family will hold a memorial service Dec. 4 in Leawood, Kansas at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be given to the Children’s Bereavement Camp of Crossroads Hospice Kansas or to United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. – What a difference a few days can make. On Monday, Corey Conners made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Valspar Championship. He was leading the tournament when he walked off the course Thursday afternoon. Conners’ 71 on Monday at Southern Hills Plantation in nearby Brooksville, Florida, was six shots too high to earn a spot in this week’s PGA TOUR stop, but the rookie learned later that day that he got in the Valspar field after another player withdrew. Conners made five birdies and just one bogey on a difficult day at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course. Cool, breezy conditions played to the strengths of the Canadian who attended college at Ohio’s Kent State, where he was teammates with PGA TOUR winner Mackenzie Hughes. “I don’t overpower it, but everything is really solid,� Conners said. “I definitely like the challenge and like golf courses that put a premium on the fairway and hitting the green.� He missed just four fairways Thursday, but his short game saved him several times as he hit just 11 greens. “It was a lot of tap-in pars and made some birdies,� said Conners, who needed just 24 putts Thursday, ranks 133rd in the FedExCup. He has made the cut in nine of 10 starts this season, but hasn’t finished better than T29. He was a two-time U.S. Amateur semifinalist (2013, ’14), losing to Gunn Yang in the 2014 final. OBSERVATIONS Rory McIlroy’s struggles continued Thursday at the Valspar Championship. He three-putted the last hole for 74, his fifth consecutive over-par round. It’s the first time since April 2010 that McIlroy has had more than four consecutive over-par rounds on TOUR. He’s 12-over par in his past five rounds. He didn’t hole a birdie putt Thursday. His lone birdie was a holed bunker shot on his 16th hole. Some big names struggled down the stretch Thursday. Patrick Reed, who lost a playoff to Jordan Spieth here in 2015, reached 4 under with four holes remaining, but played Nos. 15-18 in 4 over par. Sergio Garcia was 3 under par with six holes remaining, but played his final six holes in 2 over to shoot 70. Adam Scott, who played alongside Garcia, also reached 3 under on his back nine before signing for a 70. Scott took his first lesson from instructor George Gankas, an Instagram sensation with more than 92,000 followers. Chris Couch, who’s making his first PGA TOUR start since 2012, shot 71. The 44-year-old birdied his first hole, then made 16 consecutive pars before bogeying the 18th. He has four events to earn $311,662 to retain exempt status for the remainder of the season. Steve Stricker, who picked up his first PGA TOUR Champions victory last week at the Cologuard Classic, opened the Valspar Championship with a 1-under 70.

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