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Golfers meet with military veterans ahead of Boeing Classic
(News Tribune, The (Tacoma, WA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TACOMA, Wash. _ The quips were worn, but welcomed. Every word of instruction was monitored closely.
Thirteen Champions Tour professionals, in town for this week's Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, made a visit to the American Lake Veterans Golf Course on Tuesday morning for a visit with military veterans _ offering encouragement, listening to war stories and, of course, giving a few golf-improvement tips.
"This is very humbling, and we need to taste this some time," said Mike Goodes, a Champions Tour rookie who finished second at last week's Jeld-Wen Tradition in Sunriver, Ore.
"Some of the guys were telling me stories about how they were almost shot to death, but couldn't wait to get back to Iraq. Me, I'd hide behind a rock somewhere. That is why I admire these veterans so much. What we do (play golf) out here is just for fun."
For the third consecutive year, the same five pros _ Ed Dougherty, Allen Doyle, Lonnie Nielsen, Dana Quigley and Jim Thorpe _ put on a 90-minute shotmaking clinic for an estimated 200 veterans who crowded around the driving range to watch.
Quigley and Thorpe talked about driving the ball, Doyle gave instructions on short-iron play and Nielsen spoke of the importance of shaping shots, and used a hybrid iron to demonstrate.
That is when the wisecracks took center stage.
Nielsen, 55, is at least four years younger than his contemporaries, and made sure to let them know that before he started hitting shots at the practice facility.
"I'm the only guy with a full backswing in the group," he told the crowd.
A couple of balls into the session, someone requested that he hit a shot with a lower trajectory, which he did.
And, as Doyle quickly pointed out, Nielsen had to use a "shorter backswing" to do it.
This is a unique event on the Champions Tour. Andy Bean and Brad Bryant have put on a clinic for veterans in Hawaii, but with their own resources. On Tuesday, a few high-ranking officials from the Champions Tour were on hand, as were fellow pros Dan Forsman, Bob Gilder, John Harris, Scott Hoch, Tom McKnight, Leonard Thompson and Bruce Vaughan.
"It's fun for us to do it, and great for us ... to let the veterans know how much their services mean to us," Nielsen said. "They all seem happy to see us and enjoy the time we spend with them. In fact, a guy came up and told me he was working on the tip I gave him last year.
"This year we brought a lot more guys with us, and next time we'll bring some more."
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CHIP SHOTS
_Former PGA and Champions tours player Ken Still, of Fircrest, was part of the festivities, handing out hats to the veterans. He's had a longtime involvement with the course. His wife, Linda, sang the national anthem beforehand.
_Goodes, of Browns Summit, N.C., was awarded a sponsor's exemption into the Boeing Classic on Aug. 12. Five days later, he recorded a career-best second-place finish at the Jeld-Wen Tradition, which has landed him 25th on the money list. But he has extra incentive this week to play well. "I'm in every tournament but Pebble (Beach), so I need a top-10 here," Goodes said. "I have a lot of motivation."
_The list of withdrawals grew Tuesday to eight golfers, including one of the tour's biggest names. Craig Stadler will not play this week for undisclosed reasons, joining Fulton Allem, Wayne Levi, Jimmy Powell and Des Smyth as golfers who pulled out Tuesday. The five alternates now in the field are High Biaocchi, Phil Blackmark, Fred Gibson, Lon Hinkle and David Ogrin.
_Seahawks defensive back Jordan Babineaux won the tournament's closest-to-the-pin contest, landing his ball 55 inches from the cup and edging Champions Tour professional Tim Simpson (60 inches).
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(c) 2008, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.).
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