I'm hoping for the eggs and tomatoes to start flying!
1501 Lee Highway · Suite 200 · Arlington, VA 22209 ·
703.841.0600 · fax 703.841.1115
email: bba@bobbeckel.com
I mean, uh, never mind...
[Leland] Beckel arrived [at the 13th Women's Mid-Amateur in 1999 at Cherokee Town and Country Club, Dunwoody, GA] with one goal: win five matches. If she could achieve that, she would continue a summer progression that saw her win two matches at the Southern, three at the Western and four at the Trans-National. Beckel, who played professionally on mini-tours from 1992-94 before regaining her amateur status, reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Women's Amateur last summer and was one of nine-mid-amateurs (age 25 and over) to qualify for match play at the Women's Amateur in August. She eventually fell in 20 holes to Celeste Troche of Paraguay.
Now if she could only fight off the yips. That old demon snuck back into Backless putter while shooting an 82 in the first round of stroke play. A top from club member and championship general chairman Joseph Ester acted as a temporary fix. Beckel, the wife of CBS political analyst Bob Beckel and mother of 5- and 4- year olds, easily qualified for match play and posted victories over Brenda Williams (4 and 2), Pam Harnack (1 up), Kraus (2 and 1) and Melanie Curtin (4 and 3).
What came next might go down in the annals of not only Women's Mid-Am history, but USGA history, as one of the great comebacks of all time. Against two-time Curtis Cup player Pat Cornett of Mill Valley, Calif., Beckel hit only two greens on the front nine and trailed by 5 down. It easily could have been six as Cornett missed a three-footer that would have won the par-4 eighth. At the turn, a Texan - quarter finalist Creekmore, not Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw - gave Beckel a brief pep talk. A Cherokee member also offered some encouragement.
"They told me, 'Swing at the damn ball. You've got to get it together,' " Beckel said. "I felt like I just wanted to not make it embarrassing. I know how to play golf and I know I don't shoot 42 (for nine holes). I ate a protein bar and drank some water and started feeling much better."
Cornett helped out by missing a three-footer to lose the 10th, but Beckel's putter heated up as she drained the birdies at the 11th, 13th and 15th, the last coming when she nailed a 7-wood from 188 yards to reach the 436-yard hole in two. She two-putter to square the match. Beckel also won the dogleg right, par-4 12th with a par when Cornett's tee shot found the right fairway bunker, and she grabbed her first lead on the toughest par 4 on the course, the uphill, 401-yard 16th, with another par. "I could feel the momentum and it was swinging my way," Beckel said. " I had left the ugly twin sister on the ninth hole."
A brilliant 21-foot birdie from the fringe by Cornett at the 17th squared the match again, but at the 18th she popped her drive barely over the pond and into some bushes marked as part of the hazard. She extricated her ball with an 8-iron but then pulled her 3-wood left of the green, allowing Beckel to win.
......
Said Beckel, "I didn't think about the front nine anymore and started to say to myself, 'These (spectators) are not going away. There's a lot of match left. You have some integrity here. You need to get it together.' (Club member and caddie) Chuck (Kuhn) was able to help me with that."
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Well, well. His kids are now 8 and 7. Hey Bob, if they missed the oral sex discussion during Sinkmaster's years, I guess the kids are about to get a lesson about daddy.
I can see them at show and tell discussing what they did over the summer. "Well, daddy got extorted for 50 grand by the woman giving BJs while mommy was gone. She wasn't paying enough attention to his putter."
Who has a wife named Leland?
Golf in New Albany, OH
Donated by Russell Gertmenian
Esimated Value: $400.00
Golf for three in New Albany, Ohio. Golf Magazine ranks
this course 28th in the United States and 48th in the
world.
Golf Lessons from the GU Golf Coach
Donated by Georgetown Women's Golf
Esimated Value: Priceless
Golf lesson with the Georgetown Women's Golf Coach, Leland
Beckel. This includes a one hour session at the Columbia
Country Club.