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 But without the efforts of pros such as Billy Casper and Gene Littler, Earl Woods might never have introduced his son to golf while he grew up in Cypress. Casper and Littler, a pair of San Diego natives who combined for 80 PGA Tour victories, four major championship titles and 15 Ryder Cup appearances, climbed aboard their hometown's historic U.S.S. Midway in March to raise awareness for the San Diego County Junior Golf Association. "To get young people interested in a game they can play all their lives is so important," said Casper, whose Youth Foundation has hosted a tournament at San Diego Country Club the past 15 years. "You see all the great professionals playing today from everywhere around the globe. That's junior golf." Littler and Casper made a bunch of small splashes in the Pacific Ocean by hitting biodegradable golf balls off the Midway's deck. It was a prelude to what will be a bigger splash by the SDJGA - a "Shoot for the Stars" fund-raising gala on June 14, the night before the final round of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Jay Leno will emcee the event. "This is the biggest fund-raising effort attempted by our association," said SDJGA Executive Director Megan Mahoney. "The fact that the U.S. Open is coming to our backyard is a prime time to showcase everything we're about." Casper and Littler used the U.S. Open to showcase what they're about, too. Casper won the 1959 and 1966 titles, while Littler won in 1961. Littler can't help but beam when recalling the inauspicious start during his first round of that triumph. "I hit my drive down the fairway on the first hole, hit my second on the green and three-putted," he recalled. "I did the same thing on the second hole. I thought, 'Oh boy, this is going to be a great week.' But, obviously, I turned it around and didn't three-putt much after that." The pair of World Golf Hall of Fame members may not play 18 as often as they did in their heydays, but they remain astute fans of the game, and there's one individual neither can say enough good things about. "Tiger has the best short game I've ever seen," Littler said. "Even including him [points to Casper], and his was really good." "He doesn't have any weaknesses, that's the most amazing thing," Casper said of Woods. "He's not satisfied with what he's doing. He wants to be better in every area." Each also has an opinion about how golf can improve in the United States. "I think they play for too much money," Casper said. "I think that takes away from the game a little bit. But then again, that's the way it is." Littler thinks equipment advances have hurt the game. "I'd like to see [golf's organizing bodies] back off a little bit," he said. "I mean, we're going to run out of real estate." |
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