Tiger Woods heeds lessons learned at Stanford

SF Gate/SF Chronicle by Ron Kroichick, Chronicle Staff Writer 9/20/09

Tiger Woods' long trail of triumphant moments includes several in Northern California - stirring comeback in the 2000 AT&T at Pebble Beach, historic romp in the U.S. Open later that year, memorable playoff victory over John Daly at Harding Park in '05. Woods' appearance in next month's Presidents Cup offers another chance to burnish the NorCal chapter of his career.

But his history in our little corner of the world stretches deeper. Remember, he lived in the Bay Area for two years as a student at Stanford in the mid-1990s - two years that shaped Woods in ways beyond propelling him to fame and wealth as the world's best golfer.

He already was a much-hyped phenom, with three U.S. Junior Amateur wins and one U.S. Amateur title, when he arrived as an 18-year-old freshman in the fall of 1994. But to the seniors on Stanford's golf team - who had won the NCAA championship in the spring and were standout players in their own right - Woods was a scrawny target.

Notah Begay III considered it his duty to treat Woods like any other freshman. This meant he carried the bags on road trips (at least initially) and found himself in the worst seat on the van and airplane and worst room in the team hotel.

Begay chuckled as he reflected on those distant days, given Woods now travels in a private jet, owns a luxury yacht and could buy an entire hotel if he wanted.

"We felt like we were entitled to give Tiger a hard time," Begay recalled last week. "Now he's having the last laugh."

Woods lived in coed freshman dorms and realized he was in a different realm when one roommate took apart his computer and put it back together, just for kicks. Current Stanford coach Conrad Ray, a college teammate of Woods', said Woods enjoys telling that story, much as Ray likes telling the one about a Woods roommate who was hardly awed by Tiger's burgeoning stature in golf circles.

He took a call one day from a guy named Greg with an Australian accent, then forgot to pass along the message. As Woods was leaving for the Masters in April 1995, the roommate remembered - and Woods realized it was Greg Norman, one of the world's top players, calling to arrange a practice round at Augusta National.

Amusing memories aside, Woods offered an uncommonly animated answer when asked how his two years at Stanford shaped him.

"I look at those as two of the greatest years I've ever had - being away from home for the first time and learning how to cope with things, how to learn, how to grow," he said. "We were all in the same boat together trying to get through it together.

"I'll never forget the intelligence people had and their perspectives on so many different subjects, the things I was exposed to. It certainly did shape me, no doubt about it."
1995 Stanford golf team photo

Read the full article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/19/SP4N19O6OI.DTL.

Photos from Stanford photo archive.

Tiger Woods joins former teammate Notah Begay in Skins Game

Tiger Woods ('96) joined his friend and former Stanford roommate Notah Begay ('95) in Notah's Skins Game benefitting disadvantaged Native American youth held today at the Turning Stone Resort in central New York state. Also playing in the Skins Game with its $500,000 purse is former Masters champion Mike Weir and Camilo Villegas.

After the event the PRNewswire reports:
Native American Youth True Winners
VERONA, N.Y., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 golfer, outshot an all-world foursome that included Camilo Villegas, Mike Weir and Notah Begay III to win the second annual Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation Challenge. Taking nine skins and $230,000 during the 18 holes played on Monday, Woods successfully outplayed both the field and the challenging Atunyote Golf Club course at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y. The tournament raised at least $750,000 for the Notah Begay III Foundation.

"Today the whole thing was about bringing awareness to what Notah is trying to do," said Woods shortly after the Challenge concluded. "It's great to see what he's doing. He's put his heart, soul and passion into it." Here's the complete story about the event.

The one-day event raised $750,000 dollars for Notah's foundation giving back to his Native American heritage as the PGA Tour's only full-blooded Navajo.

General info about the event can be found at this local website and at Notah's website --- notah.com.

Tribute to Bob Rosburg ('49) on 50th anniversary of his PGA win

Bob Rosburg came from six shots back on the final day in 1959 to claim the Rodman Wanamaker Trophy. (Photo: The PGA of America)

The PGA of America offered "A Tribute to Rossie" By Roger Graves, PGA.com Contributor

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Bob Rosburg's PGA Championship triumph at Minneapolis Golf Club.

The table was set, and Bob Rosburg had the dates circled on his calendar. Fifty years after "Rossie" won the 1959 PGA Championship at Minneapolis Golf Club, he was planning to commemorate his Minnesota milestone at Hazeltine National Golf Club during the 91st PGA Championship at the age of 82.

However, the articulate Rosburg passed away on May 14 from injuries sustained in a fall two days prior outside a restaurant in Indio, Calif. But Rossie's victory half a century ago, in the first stroke-play PGA Championship conducted in Minnesota, will be remembered, celebrated and commemorated at Hazeltine National when the world of golf converges this week.

Rosburg, a native of San Francisco who resided in La Quinta, Calif., in recent years, chuckled earlier this year when recounting his 1959 PGA Championship triumph. He certainly earned his major title with closing rounds of 68 and 66 to finish a single swing superior to Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders. But when reviewing his '59 victory during a taped interview, Rossie acknowledged that he was "very fortunate" to win the 1959 PGA Championship after coming from six shots back on the final day.

"I've always said timing is everything in golf, and I was on the good side of timing at the PGA Championship in 1959 after being on the other side of timing at the U.S. Open earlier that year (at Winged Foot Golf Club)," recalled Rosburg, who didn't hit a single practice shot all week due to the scorching heat. "Looking back, I probably should have won the Open and not the PGA (Championship). I had a good final day at the PGA (his 66 was the low round), but Jerry Barber bogeyed the last two holes and kind of gave it to me. I had finished a little earlier, and Jerry looked like he was going to win it. I was surprised when he bogeyed the final two holes."

Rosburg used a similar, late-charging strategy to nearly win the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. In those days, the final 36 holes of the U.S Open were played on Saturday, but a rainstorm pushed the fourth round to Sunday. On another blustery day, Rosburg's 71 matched the low round of the day by host PGA Professional Claude Harmon and longhitting Mike Souchak, but third-round leader Billy Casper posted a final-round 74 to edge Rosburg by one shot at 282. Ten years later, Rosburg missed a three-footer on the 72nd hole and finished in a three-way tie for second at the 1969 U.S. Open, one stroke behind Orville Moody.

Casper remembers Rossie as a superb putter and a supreme competitor. He also recalls Rosburg's sense of humor and sense of golf history, which served Rossie well during a 30-year career as a roving on-course reporter during ABC-TV golf telecasts.

"Rossie and I were both considered pretty good putters and we were both from California, so we had some things in common," notes the 78-year-old Casper. "During those years, the greens on most courses we played were scraggly and slow, so we were always figuring out a way to punch the ball with our putters. After Bob finished second at Winged Foot, I was happy to see him win a few weeks later in Minnesota at the PGA Championship (where Casper tied for 17th)."

At Winged Foot, Casper made headlines with the unique strategy of laying up short of the deep bunkers on the par-3, 216-yard third hole each day. Rosburg never let him forget the ploy.

"Bob was mad at me. He says, 'You beat me by one shot and laid up on the third hole every day.' Every time he saw me, he mentioned it," says Casper. "It was a 2-iron or 4-wood to the green, and I hit a 5-iron or a 6-iron short of the green and pitched up every day. Fortunately, I pitched close enough to hole four putts and make par every day.

"Rossie thought that was crazy, but he mentioned it on television several times years later when he would be part of the U.S. Open telecast for ABC. He never forgot that."

At the age of 12, Rossie earned local acclaim when he defeated retired baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb in a club championship match at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. After losing to the 12-year-old prodigy, Cobb was seldom seen playing at Olympic. The son of a doctor, Rosburg went to Stanford and earned a degree in humanities after leading the Cardinal to the 1946 NCAA Golf Championship.

The complete article can be found here at the PGA.com website. A 5-part video interview with Bob Rosburg in 2008 was completed by the Stanford men's golf program and can be found here: http://stanfordmensgolf.com/stanford_greats/bobrosburg.htm .

The first part of this video interview is included below in which Rosburg talks about trouncing Ty Cobb at age 12 & recalls his Stanford teammates & winning the 1946 NCAA national championship:

Joseph Bramlett finally able to compete again

Senior Joseph Bramlett is on the mend and finally able to compete again. A major step back to the 2nd team All-American caliber play Joseph had in 2007-08 was his recent qualifying once again for the US Amateur to be played at Southern Hills Aug 23-30. Joseph finished 2nd in sectional qualifying to teammate Jordan Cox with a 138 total at the Peninsula Golf and Country Club in San Mateo, CA.

In an article written in the San Jose Mercury newspaper, Joseph talked about what it's like to compete again after his injury battles.

"I'm excited to get back to competition," said Bramlett, a long hitter who tore ligaments in his right wrist. "When bad stuff happens to you, you tend to grow. I appreciate the game so much more. When I make double [bogey], it's not the end of the world." "It's just fun getting out and competing again," Bramlett said. To read the article click here.

GolfWeek writes about Joseph Bramlett and his injury problems

4/15/09
GolfWeek Online Magazine
Ron Balicki



Stanford’s Joseph Bramlett could be the poster boy for an old saying: if it weren’t for bad luck, the Cardinal junior would have no luck at all.

Bramlett entered Stanford after a highly touted junior career, especially after he became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at age 14 in 2002.

He didn’t disappoint as a freshman, earning second-team All-American honors after posting seven top-10 finishes, including a victory in Puerto Rico, and a 71.5 stroke average in 13 events.

He ended his inaugural college season with a tie for 39th at the NCAA Championship while helping Stanford capture the team title. After an opening 78, his next three rounds (68-70-69) counted in the team score.

In the fall of his sophomore season, Bramlett had three top 25s in five starts. But in January 2008, while working out in the school’s weight room, he slipped and fell, injuring his right wrist. He missed the entire spring and didn’t play again until July.

So when the current season got under way in the fall, Bramlett was filled with anticipation and high expectations. More -- to read the complete article click here.

Notah Begay is featured in Sports Illustrated Article

Feb 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated features this interview with former
Stanford All-American and PGA tour member Notah Begay III ('95).


The soccer ball seemed more like a lottery ball, bouncing lightly in the air, from knee to foot, from foot to knee. A 10-year old
Navajo girl kept the juggle drill alive while PGA Tour pro Notah Begay watched her team practice on a soccer field outside Albuquerque last fall. “Her dad is an alcoholic; she lives in poverty,” said Begay, a fullblooded Native American, who described the girl’s skills in a recent telephone interview. “Two years ago she couldn’t juggle once. Now she can do it 30 times without the ball ever touching the ground. This is her outlet, her escape.” The girl is part of a four-year-old soccer program that
Begay started and helps fund for the children of the Pueblo of San Felipe in New Mexico, where median household income on the reservation is $29,800 and 38% of the population lives below the poverty line. And that was before the recession.

“I think about disparity all the time, making the type of money that professional athletes make, and yet probably 95 percent of my family lives at or below poverty,” Begay says. “It’s worse now for everyone.” Begay grew up on the Isleta reservation, a dozen miles south of Albuquerque, in a house with a futon as the only piece of furniture; and yet he got out—one
leap at a time. As a kid he jumped a chain-link fence to get to a municipal golf course, where he cleaned bathrooms in exchange for playing privileges. By 2001, at only 28, Begay had won $3 million on the Tour. Back trouble has bedeviled him in recent years, but with four victories and $5 million in career earnings as he enters his 13th PGA season, he gets it: He’s one of the lucky ones — especially now.

“There is guilt because I can have what I want when I want,” he says. “I haven’t seen a credit-card bill or mortgage statement in God knows how long because I have people who take care of that. But I know life is paycheck to paycheck in Indian country. The economy hits the poorest first, and hits them the hardest. It makes you think.”
L ife on the Tour can have an almost Stepford-like sameness, but Begay remains wonderfully different, a man grounded in his unique perspective.

Before Obama made personal accountability more hip, Begay understood the math of circumstance. “I’ve been put in a category because I’m from a certain place,” says Begay, who can recite by heart the suicide rate (3.3 times the national average) and high school dropout rate (twice the national average) on reservations. “And 80 percent of Native American
kids who do make it to college will drop out by the second year. From an economic standpoint, that’s not a very good use of your resources.” Begay has a plan, though. Through the consulting arm of his nonprofit Notah Begay III Foundation, he is pushing his own economic stimulus package to increase revenue streams in Indian reservations with
new infrastructure, including the development of golf courses next to existing casinos.

“We have to have more than hope,” Begay says. “For years, that’s all we had.” He returns to the New Mexico reservations a dozen times a year to watch over his youth soccer and golf programs and to consult with local
businesses. Begay served a seven-day sentence for DWI in 2000, and he admits it took him a while to “trade my partying days for community service. I realize I can’t change everything for everybody. But whether you’re rich or poor, you have 24 hours in a day. That’s your resource. As an athlete, you ask yourself, What do you do with it?” Be part of a revolution.

Hall of Famer Charlie Seaver shares thoughts about Stanford golf

Editor's Note Oct 2008 - Recently the Stanford men's golf team received a copy of a 1990 letter written by Charlie Seaver, charter member of the Stanford Hall of Fame, in which he responded to questions about his Stanford golf memories in addition to his other experiences playing golf. This letter was written to Gordon Ratliff who has done extensive research into the history of Stanford golf editing a book entitled Stanford Golf Clippings published in 1996.

The transcribed contents of the letter which include references to Lawson Little, Hogan, Hagen, Watson among others are included below. A scanned in version of the letter can be found at the following website: http://www.stanfordmensgolf.org/SeaverLetter.htm

Saturday, 8/19/90

Dear Gordon (Ratliff)

Sometime back you sent me a letter and enclosed information about golf at Stanford that you plan to include in your second book. You also requested that I provide pertinent data about earlier people, events, etc, of the 1929-1930 era that I can recall regarding Stanford.



1) I started playing golf with my father & teacher when I was 9 years old. He was a fine golfer and student of golf having won the Southern Calif. Amateur in 1920 and the Trans Mississippi Championship in K. C., Mo in 1908 when that Tournament was considered #2 in the U.S. Also, because my Dad was such a great golfer I enjoyed many opportunities to play with leading professionals including Hogen, Diegel, Farrell, Sarazen, MacDonald Smith, Bobby Jones & others. All this added up to be a valuable learning experience.




2) Lawson Little & I were the Freshman team leaders in 1930; we had a very strong team. Lawson beat me on the 37th hole for the 1st University Championship & I won the 2nd on the 38th. Great Competition. Eddie Twiggs had come down from the Olympic Club to coach the team - a very fine gentleman & an impeccable stylish dresser. He was an amateur member of Lakeside & a good but not great golfer.

3) The Stanford golf course was laid out & built by William P. Bell (Willie). He was a good friend & had built a number of golf courses in Southern Calif. where we both lived. Prior to attending Stanford I had played in 2 exhibition matches at fee golf courses he constructed at Sunset Fields - S. E of LA. – once with Hagen & Johnny Farrell & then with Hagen & Diegel. Also the brothers Olin & Mortee Dutra played as my guests in a quiet exhibition match shortly after the Stanford Course opened & then we went to the stadium for the Stanford - Dartmouth football classic. Ernie Cadell of Stanford was the star of the game & later became a Pro football player of fame & great ability.

4) In the thirties and forties when possible I used to play in the Alumni golf Matches. It was great experience - played with Sandy Tatum , Warren Berl, Chares (Bud) Finger. Later for years Stanford’s Golf Coach. Also Jim Rheim, Kent Winton, Chuck Van Linge & Grant Spaeth.


On one memorable occasion when playing Tom Watson we were in the middle of the fairway on #1 past the left bunker & at least 20 yards in front of our respective playing partners. My ball was about two yards ahead of Tom's. So while we waited for the others to hit their second shots I looked at Tom & said, "You had better check your ball. I think its dead”. He looked closely at his ball for an instant & then looked back at me & that broad boyish grin came over his face. We both laughed, but not a word was said. After that I did not think my ball was within 15 yards of his on any tee shot for the rest of the round.

5) I did not know Bennett & knew Van Gorder only slightly. I know nothing about Sylvia Potter Cain. I did not play with either Douglas or Joseph Grant but remember Douglas who was a great good friend of my father's. Douglas however was here at Cypress Point to congratulate me when with Mike Fetchik we were leading the Crosby the first day with a best ball of 58; - later he won in 1964.

6) I knew Almon Roth, the Stanford Comptroller to be a serious but pleasant person. He always looked & dressed well and looked every inch a banker.

7) There is a picture somewhere in the Stanford golf files - circa 1929-1930; - showing 6 or 8 Stanford University golfers with highest handicap 2. Also I played a lot of golf with Dink Templeton the famous track coach & with the even more famous Ty Cobb at Stanford.

Hope this helps - all the best Charles Seaver.