The most successful things in life seem to come naturally for us and this event was another example. The week started by volunteering at our local Texas Rangers Golf Course for the upcoming Korn Ferry Tour event hosted in Arlington, Texas. The tour swapped the nines, which was a little confusing but I’ll be referring to each hole as they were during the tournament.
I was personally on site for most of the course setup. I helped out w signage, filling divots, roping off the course and player registration. I met so many wonderful golf people; volunteers, caddies, security, maintenance, and of course, the pros.
Golf side story- While registering the players, I noticed David Lingmerth’s name on the list. Though he walked in with his mask on, I still recognized him right away. Somewhat startled he asked, “Do I know you?” I said, “2018, TPC Sawgrass, island green on Sat. You hit your tee shot right down the walkway to my feet. I had to move so you could hit.” Before saying another word, David said, “yeah, I flubbed the chip then got up & down for bogey, I remember you!” It’s crazy how the tour pros never forget a swing. It was good to catch up w David & I’m sure we’ll see him down the road. Here’s a direct link to that backstory:
On Wednesday there was a pro/am conducted in the “shamble” format. We followed the Mayor of Arlington, Jeff Williams and the Athletic Director of UTA, Jim Baker and their group around the beautifully manicured Texas Rangers GC. Thursday started the Veritex Bank Championship and most eyes were on amateur Tony Romo playing on a sponsor’s exemption. The weather was a bit cool, esp in the morning. Although the weather eventually warmed up, our hero stayed cold throughout most the week. Tony actually started his week w his best highlight; he chipped in for eagled on his first hole! Here he is teeing off the 10th hole on Thursday morning:
A pulled tee shot at 11 was corrected by a beautifully played second but he missed the birdie putt. A missed green at the short par 3 12th but he recovered nicely w an up & down. From there Tony struggled to score but played to the home crowd whenever he could muster a smile. Here’s his tee shot on his final hole on Thursday.
Friday we were able to get some golf in before the rain came but once it started, there wasn’t much we could do to get it back to playable on Friday and the 2nd round day was cancelled until 730am on Saturday.
Brick, the course superintendent, and his relatively small crew worked tirelessly Fri night & Sat morning to get the course back in tournament shape. Huge props goes to them for being able to pull this off, it was epic!
Saturday I was officially assigned “Tony Romo Duty” as my volunteer position for the day. Having met Tony a few days earlier, we had some laughs as he and his caddie, Mark, made their way around the course. I was there for every single shot, mostly kept fans quiet & out of his line of sight but I also helped find his ball on the 13th hole. As we’re walking up 18th fairway he asked if I had any more of those Lime flavored tees, to which I said, of course! I went live on IG from the 18th fairway and he had a Tas-Tee in his mouth when he hit his final approach of the tournament.
I’ve been a fan of Tony’s for a long time, since I took my dad for his 50th bday to see Tony debut on MNF at old Cowboys Stadium in 2006. I’m a bigger fan of him now that he’s pursuing another passion, a passion we both share, golf! With a Lime flavored golf tee in his mouth as he’s giving the classic Tony Romo smile, I’d say he’s a fan of Tas-Tee as well 😉
Tony finished 11 over and missed the cut but several other golfers made this track look easy. Anders Albertson started low on Thursday w a 62, highlighted by an ace at the 2nd! Erik Barnes had a double eagle on 18! By Sunday the tournament had taken shape and it looked as if Theo Humphrey would clinch the trophy but it was 12year tour veteran, Tyson Alexander that shot 7 under on Sunday to earn his first victory as a pro. What a moment for Tyson and his family. We could really see how much this meant to him, Ty didn’t stop smiling! Congrats to Tyson and good luck on your golf journey.
see y’all April 21-24th 2022!!!
Thanks to the new sponsorship, our annual PGA Tour event at Colonial CC in Fort Worth is set for at least another 10 years. We have thoroughly enjoyed our yearly trips to this venue. Last year we had a front row seat to watching Justin Rose take home the trophy and this year we were excited to see hometown favorites, Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer playing well on the weekend.
We made it out for 3 days this year, starting with the ProAm on Wednesday where last year we followed and chatted with an comedy icon, Bill Murray. No such luck this year and we were disappointed to find out the ProAm was now charging $56 for the practice day versus free every year prior. Luckily Tas-Tee has some friends in high places and we were able to get in for free on Wednesday.
We walked with Ryan Palmer's group at first and could see the familiarity building with our Texas native. From there, we watched Rickie Fowler, then Kevin Kisner, then met an Instagram celebrity at the driving range, Mr. Rory Blakilroy ;)
"Rory" was telling us how excited he was to meet Kevin Na and how Kevin allowed him to walk with him during the practice round and even hit a tee shot! Well there must've been some magic in their connection because Kevin Na proceeded to win the event and capped it off by giving his caddie, Kenny, the keys to a 1973 Dodge Challenger that was fully restored and on prominent display by the Clubhouse.
We were especially humbled by the kids from The First Tee of Fort Worth. These kids were exuberant and knowledgeable about the great game of golf because of several dedicated golf mentors, including the chaperone I met. It was fantastic to hear that the City of Fort Worth hosts the only public school driving range and we look forward to participating with First Tee on upcoming events.
What a week of fun! We couldn't be happier for all involved and we so look forward to next year's event.
