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ALSO SEE: Photos from the event Editor's Note: In early June, the father-son team of Mark and Matt Susson left sunny Southern California for even sunnier Bristol, Virginia to attend “Big 3 for Mountain Mission Kids,” a charity fund-raiser benefiting Mountain Mission School. Golf legends Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus teamed up to play 19 different threesomes at Olde Farm Golf Club. The event raised a record $15.1 million in a single day. Following is Matt's minute-by-minute chronicle of his experience as a spectator there. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2010 11:17 a.m.: Phone call from Dad. He caught wind of a charity golf event in Virginia with The Big 3 and snagged press credentials. He’s euphoric. If he can shuffle his schedule, we’ll take an impromptu father-son trip. I check airfare. 12:53 p.m.: Schedules are both clear. Trip’s a go. 1:26 p.m.: US Airways from LAX to Tri-Cities Airport in Tennessee it is. Looking forward to that three-hour layover at 6:01 a.m. in Charlotte, N.C. TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2010 10:13 a.m.: All of a sudden, we’re in East Tennessee. 12:23 p.m.: A quick shower and shave later, we’ve made our way through pastoral Virginia to Olde Farm. What a pristine course, hidden away from everything. But there's no time for poetics with only seven minutes until introductions. 12:30 p.m.: There they are — the King, the Golden Bear and the Black Knight. Wow. 1:00 p.m.: Tee off. A proud cynic, I have honest-to-goodness goosebumps watching Palmer, Player and Nicklaus rip their tee shots. Fans are asked, cordially, to refrain from seeking autographs during the event. 1:01 p.m.: Gary Player signs the first of the afternoon’s several hundred autographs. He then pounds his chest, takes off in a brisk jog, and proves he is fitter at 74 than I will ever be. 8:15 p.m.: Seven hours, 19 holes, and precisely $15,149,183.98 later. The Black Knight’s playful wit, the King’s wry banter, and the Golden Bear’s quiet cool are a show all their own. These guys still know their way around a course, probably because they have assmebled some of the best careers of all time and designed what seems like nearly a thousand courses between them. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2010 3:45 a.m.: Wake-up call. Seriously. 9:49 a.m.: Back in Southern California in time for work. A unique experience this has been, and a privilege to be sure. I’m drained. Let’s do it again. ALSO SEE: Photos from the event |
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