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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
My Turn
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VIEW THE VIDEO HERE I’m not a huge gambler, but I like to put a couple of bucks on the line every now and again on the golf course. Win or lose, it’s invigorating to feel the pressure provided by wagering the cost of a beer or a hot dog. That pressure didn’t compare to what I felt on the roof of the Newport Beach Marriott Tuesday morning. I participated in the Toshiba Classic’s fifth annual “Shot From the Top,” where a pair of local high school students team with a Champions Tour regular and a media member to hit balls from the hotel’s roof down to the second green at Newport Beach Country Club. By no means is golf as extreme as, say, motocross, but this had a daredevil feel to it. There didn't need to be any flaming hoops to hit the ball through — being 162 feet (54 yards) above ground and hitting a golf ball was more simply more thrilling than any elevated tee box. Each team member had two attempts, and the better shot would be factored into the team’s cumulative closest-to-the-hole total. Every one of the eight teams walked away with at least seven Toshiba laptops, but the team with the lowest cumulative total garnered the grand prize of 25 laptops. The hole was about 120 yards away, but being 16 stories up made the shot play more like 85 yards. I’m not scared of heights, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take a gulp when I first glanced all the way down to the ground. If I’m playing well, I can shoot in the low 80s. I like to think I have an idea of what I’m doing when I stand over a ball, and I figured this shot would be a three-quarters 54-degree wedge. I even went to the range in the morning and hit a small bucket of punch wedge shots just to make sure nothing bad would happen. After all, a solid range session before a round invariably means a solid day on the course… right? Um, no. I was the third to hit in my group, right after University High School students Ani Gulugian and William Jiang. Each of them hit a solid shot (Gulugian, a junior, is a seasoned veteran – she’s competing in her third consecutive Shot From the Top), and we were at about 40 feet with two more numbers to post. I ascended the platform, shaking hands with co-master of ceremonies Gary McCord, who also happened to be the pro in our contingent. I wasn’t scared of the outcome, but my arms turned to jello as soon as I addressed the ball. It didn’t help that McCord told co-M.C. and affable fan favorite Fuzzy Zoeller, “This guy looks like he knows what he’s doing!” That was charitable. My first shot was a dead pull, pin high but to the left of a bunker guarding the left. “That's pretty pathetic,” mused McCord. No kidding! "All I can say is thank God you write about the game, because you're not very good at it," commented Zoeller. A small sample size for the two-time major champion, but apparently it was more than enough to form an opinion. The next swing, however, validated his sentiment. When I agreed to do this, I told myself, “Whatever you do, don’t shank it.” Lo and behold, on my second shot, I freeze on the downswing, bring my arms straight down and smoke a hosel rocket that heads straight for a cluster of tennis courts about 50 yards to the right of the green. I couldn’t get off the stage quickly enough. "The ultimate correction," concluded McCord, who stepped up after me and could do no better than about 46 feet. On his second attempt with another high school, he hit it to about eight feet — the best shot of any of the four hit by the pros. Why couldn't he have done that for our group? Sandbagger, I say. McCord, the famous CBS Sports golf analyst who’s anything but shy, remained vocal despite a hoarse voice. He stepped up after me and could only get it to within about 46 feet. Just like that, our group went from contenders to pretenders – largely thanks to me. But it was still fun. The atmosphere was loose, with Zoeller and McCord cracking jokes as effortlessly as touring pros knock around range balls. And the high school students really got into the spirit of the event, which was the most important part of all. Dana Hills High School won the competition with a combined total of 99 feet and nine inches. OC METRO PREVIEWS THE SHOT FROM THE TOP |
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