Choose Your Own Heroes On the PGA Tour

by Nate Nalbandian
Regional Staff Writer

May 17, 1999

It's amazing how, as avid golf fans, we tend to root for the bigger names. Week in and week out we all find ourselves pulling for the Normans, Loves, Faldos and the like. The fact is, people love heroes and we love to see them succeed over and over again. While everyone will admit that it's nice to see an unknown come from nowhere to clinch a victory, on the PGA Tour, the total underdog scenario is a little far-fetched.

But there are the lesser-known players on the tour who have the ability to beat our heroes. These guys are relatively consistent but have not been able to make an impression on either the fans or those who publicize the tour. When a tournament is close and the end is near, we always pull for the heroes over the lesser knows. Why is it so nice to see Nick Price or Fred Couples squeak out a win over Paul Goydos or Kirk Triplett?

Andrew Magee is a fairly familiar name on the PGA tour but he is by no means a tour star. He has been known to grace the leader board from time to time and has four wins of which to be proud. Yet, he is rarely seen or talked about in coverage of tour events. In fact, the majority of the times I have seen him included in television coverage are when they show the "lighter side" of the tournament. Typically, a 60-yard chip shot from behind a tree to an impossible pin placement with no green to work with.

This is not because he isn't an amazing golfer. He finished 30th on the money list in both 1997 and 1998. Though winless in those years, Magee had six top-ten finishes in 1998 with his best being 2nd at the Muirfield Memorial Tournament. He is obviously a consistently good player, so why do we not know Andrew Magee as well as the Mickelsons, Duvals and Calcavechias? Is it as simple as winning a few of the bigger tournaments or being higher up on the money list? Or perhaps it is something else.

During the 1997 Memorial Tournament held at Muirfield Country Club in Dublin, Ohio, I was fortunate enough to meet Andrew Magee and his family at his host's house on the Friday of the tournament. He was with his wife, Susan, and two young sons, Campbell and Oliver, and was trying to relax after an unnerving day of rain delays. When the day had finally been called, he was left in the middle of the fairway of the 14th hole for his second shot.

Although we only spoke for a few minutes, steering completely away from golf and especially the day's events, he was very cordial and easy to talk to. That few minutes, to me, was equivalent to a lot of media exposure because I got to see past Andrew Magee the golfer, to the person he truly is. He is a very nice guy who remembers names of those only recently introduced to him. I would have thought his mind would be on the day's events, yet he seemed more interested in having fun with his children.

I guess it was similar to the way we learn about a golfer through the biographies on television and in the magazines when he wins an important tournament, only even more real.

On television they interview him and show him with his family. You learn personal things about him and begin to see him as a realistic figure instead of an ideal athlete to try to emulate on the course. Then, you begin to cheer for him like a friend, family member or local team, hoping he wins, simply because you know him or at least feel like you do.

I still have my favorite golfers, including some of the big boys. But now, after meeting a guy who actually has a shot at winning something of which most golfers can only dream, I find myself resisting the temptation to hope the established tour-star has it in him to pull off another win. Instead, I want to see the amateur or local-boy, or even someone known but not well-known, pull it off and reap the spoils of victory.

I love to find out what people like that have put in to accomplish their first big win. Perhaps it's just too hard for me to identify with someone who seems immortal.

I understand that what I'm thinking while the tournament is going on isn't really going to affect it's outcome, but then, why do any of us yell at the television during sporting events? The next time you see a tournament coming down to the wire, think about all of the contenders before you choose your favorite.

While it would have been something to see Payne Stewart win the MCI Classic for a third time, think how nice it was to see a guy like Glen Day get his first PGA Tour win. And in a playoff, no less! I guess there is a story behind everyone, and while it may be fun to see a great story continue, I think it's even better to watch a new one unfold.