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Hal Sutton, Etc.

© Bill Howard

First a comment on Hal Sutton's win at the TPC last week. It's a very good thing for two reasons. First, it was looking like Tiger was indestructible. It was nice to see one of the tour's old hands prove he can be beaten. Maybe Tiger isn't a mortal lock to win the Masters. The smart money is still on him to win, but the remainder of the Masters field has to be encouraged.

Second, it was nice to see Hal win an important tournament. He is one of the genuinely nice guys making a living on tour. I first met Hal about the time he won his first TPC in 1983. I was working as a teaching pro under Hal's swing "guru" at the time. Hal would come in for a weekend every so often to work on his game. We saw a lot of tour players, and they were usually in and out as soon as they got what they came for. Hal usually stuck around for Sunday morning, which was a doughnuts and newspaper day for those of us who drew Sunday duty.

As lowly assistants, we weren't paid for the work we did for the tour players. Hal would come by the office and just hang out. He'd always thank us for our help. He'd shoot the breeze about football and fishing. And he was the only tour player who ever bought the doughnuts. He's a decent guy.

One more Sutton related item. During Monday's telecast, Johnny Miller alluded to the quality and consistency of Hal's ball striking. This was one of the rare occasions when Miller was absolutely right. Sutton's ball striking is a notch above most of those on tour. If you ever have occasion to be at a tour event where he's playing, go to the practice tee when he's there. Then just listen. You can hear the difference. His shots will sound more solid than the players next to him. It doesn't matter who he's next to.

To shift gears a bit, I found a neat PGA fantasy site. It's the PGA Coaches Challenge at http://www.pga.coacheschallenge.com . In this particular game you select a roster of eight players. Log in and select yours before the Masters. Remember, Duffy Waldorf and Craig Stadler always play well at Augusta National.

I'm brand new to this fantasy game. I spend most of my budgeted fantasy sports time at http://www.wallstreetsports.com . The PGA Coaches Challenge shows promise though. Let me hear from you if you like it. Or, for that matter, if you don't.