People in Golf

2020 PGA Show: Day 2 Thursday; Wrap-Up with Wally Armstrong, GOD’s No. 1 Mulligan!

January 24, 2020 By admin

Always a pleasure to be with Bill Hughes, the 2015 PGA 0f America Bill Strausbaugh Award Recipient and PGA Master Professional.

Day 2 Thursday morning 2020 PGA Merchandise Show! This show has it all!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics: 1-24-20)

Bill Hughes, the Blessing of our Friendship is all mine received with overwhelming Gratitude & Joy! Like the 1899 Golf Goods Mfg. Co. Binghamton, NY hickory-shafted golf club in the forefront of our picture, you, my friend, are authentic, handsomely beautiful, & will be blessed with longevity because the world needs people, inspirational leaders & active hearts like the one you posess! God Bless you & your family! TROML Baby Indeed (an exclamation of Joy and Gratitude)!!!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Pic: 1-24-20)

How better to wrap up the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show than a spiritual Discussion with Wally Armstrong, God’s No. 1 Mulligan! Armstrong, the All-American UF Gator, never won on tour finishing second three times and 5^th at the 1978 Masters, but is the all-time Winner-for-God on tour and after tour! Wally has authored numerous books including “In His Grip” with Jim Sheard in 1977 and “The Mulligan” with Ken Blanchard in 2007. His faith speaks for its self; he just hugs you and loves you to God in the most comforting and extraordinary way!

With Wally Armstrong… talking golf and all things spiritual!

In 1975, Wally’s second year on tour, his eighth year into his relationship with God; the year he finished second in the Pensacola Open he was the president of the tour’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. That year, at the 29^th Pee Wee International Golf Championship, Wally gave a golf clinic to the 269 competitors from around the world. The list of notable junior golfers to attend Wally’s clinic includes Phil Mickelson, Gary Nicklaus (Jack’s son), Laura Rinker and Nancy Lopez!

What a career Wally Armstrong has had on and off the golf course! At age 74 he is growing ever stronger! God Bless Wally Armstrong!

The PGA Show won’t be the same without the always smiling Media Center receptionist Diane!

Well, that’s a wrap for Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando Florida! What a sensation 4-day AGTD experience—the Tour Edge Multi-Media Manufacturer’s Day & playing Lake Nona G&CC and killing it with the new Tour Edge Exotics EXS 3-Wood on Monday—Demo Day Tuesday out at Orange County National; discovering the new Sqairz golf shoes & the Golf Ireland reception and tour at the Golf Channel—Wednesday Day 1 PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center—So many highlights including the Opening Ceremony; the Titleist Partnership presentation with Jim Nantz, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Eric Eshleman; and The Adaptive Golf Panel Discussion led by Ann Ligouri… what a great Show in 2020!

Morocco, France, & British Columbia here I come!

Diane, our friendly, smiling, & extremely helpful receptionist at the Media Center, you will be greatly missed! Have a happy, blessed, and extraordinary long retirement! We love you!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; 1-24-20)

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Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

The Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass: Where Golfers Golf & Golfers Meet for a Tour too!

November 15, 2019 By admin

Always good to be at TPC Sawgrass, especially after being away for the last six months on the 2019 East Coast Golf Journey et al… more special with Binghamton’s “Too-Young-To_Be-A-Legend” Joan E. Davis & other LPGA Amateur Golf Association friends Marilyn & Cindy… unbelievable

& informative Storyteller Tour by Connie… a cart ride out to the memorable finishing holes on the Stadium Course… reachable par-5 16th with water right… water 360-degrees on the par-3 island green 17th… water left on the challenging 18th home hole… walk about the majestic TPC Clubhouse, a museum in its own right… by chance hello & pic with Derek Sprague, past PGA of America President and current General Manager at TPC Sawgrass.

What a day! Thank you Joan, Marilyn, Cindy, and Connie! Play well in Amelia Island this weekend! PS: Yes, that is me in my Tuxedo Junction tux courtesy of Arthur Soljan! Why? Why not when one is in the presence of “the Too-Young-To-Be-A-Legend” Joan Davis and visiting the “White House of the Golf World?” All accessible to the public, free admission, great tour, and Happy Hour in Nineteen too!

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Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

2019 World Am: EnneaGolf Determines AGTD is a No. 3 ‘Accomplisher’ Personality!

August 29, 2019 By admin

So here is the detailed process I went through to get to my Enneagolf personality of “The Accomplisher!” In order of the cards presented and chosen as indicated by my finger in the picture… note that one of three cards presented three times there was a selection of one of those three chosen ones! Very difficult to make selections both on the good/likable me and the not so good/not so likable me! Given the results at the end (presented in order selected) of what I am looking for in golf and life and what I need to do to get there I would say this Enneagolf&life System is highly accurate!

So for those of you who “know” me whatcha think???

#MBWorldAm

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; 8-29-19)

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Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Featured People, People in Golf

The Inspiration of Hugh Royer III Continues at the 2019 Myrtle Beach World Am & Beyond!

August 26, 2019 By admin

With host John Maginnes and guest speaker Hugh Royer III at the 2019 Myrtle Beach World Am.

With host John Maginnes (L) and guest speaker Hugh Royer III (R) at the 2019 Myrtle Beach World Am.

The inspiration of Hugh Royer III and his family continues… I first met Hugh on the practice tee at Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club five years ago in October 2014 while he was instructing a junior golfer… and then again last year at the 2018 World Am giving an inspiring speech about preventing skin cancer and if it happens owning your own healthcare to beat skin cancer no matter the odds or the diagnosis… after 30 radiation treatments and 7 surgeries in 9 months beginning in May 2018 he was back better than ever (in life & golf combined IMO) at the 2019 World Am 19th Hole… the cancer (basal-cell) was a bump on his nose that followed a nerve under his eye to one centimeter of his brain… but no matter the cancer whether basal-cell, squamous-cell, or the more aggressive melanoma… know the truth… all three can kill you… our clothing is our No. 1 protection against skin cancer… use natural/organic sunscreen and apply every 2 hours… last year the lives of 3 million people were changed forever with the diagnosis of skin cancer… this year the projection is 4.25 million… not going in the right direction… protect yourselves, those you love, friends and strangers…

CLICK HERE for Video of Hugh Royer III at the 2019 Myrtle Beach World Amateur!

Pic of Hugh Royer III (L) and Doug Barron (R) at the Monday Qualifier for the 2019 DSGO. Photo Credit: Doug Barron

Hugh competed in the Monday Qualifier for this years’ PGA TOUR Champions Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. He missed making the tournament proper but his friend Doug Barron Monday qualified and went on to win for the first time in his career in only his second Champions event! Sort of a yoga “two suns rising… one in the sky and one in our hearts if we let it…” moment for me… two champions in golf and life… both succeeding on different stages… for now… who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Most likely more inspiration from Hugh Royer and his family… May God Bless them richly!

CLICK HERE for Hugh Royer III, A Chip off the Old Royer Jr….

CLICK HERE for Hugh Royer III at the 2018 Myrtle Beach World Amateur!

#MBWorldAm

#DSGO

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

2019 DSGO: Scott McCarron & His Jenny are Lighting Up the PGA TOUR Champions!

August 16, 2019 By admin

I first met Scott McCarron and his wife, then girlfriend, Jenny I was doing yardages for Scott, the on-course reporter for the Golf Channel early coverage at the time, on the par-5 15^th hole. There are three things I remember vividly about that week—the record 179,022 in attendance on Saturday—interviewing LPGA Founder and Legend Marilyn Smith in her home—and how much fun Jenny & Scott were having in life. They literally lit up the fairway between golf shots!

Now six years later Scott is lighting up the PGA TOUR Champions having won 11 times, one more than Jack Nicklaus, including one Major, winning the Bridgestone Senior PLAYERS Championship one month ago. Of course, Jack played a limited schedule (84 events) and 8 of his 10 wins were Majors! McCarron’s PGA TOUR Champions career, four years into it, is extremely impressive!

I had the privileged of asking Scott a couple of questions in his media center interview (see full transcript below) and his answers were quite revealing! Forest Gump might have had his Jenny in Movie Land but Scott has the real thing in the Golf World for sure. Suffice it to say his answer to why he has been so successful is ‘Jenny, Jenny, Jenny’ and a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and determination!

My follow-up question utilized information from Wikipedia—that he did not transition well from college to the professional ranks… Lesson Learned; never use information from Wikipedia to interview a professional athlete!

Actually it triggered another interesting and revealing line of McCarron response… The truth is always revealing! He flat out quit playing golf and was living life with full gusto on all fronts until disaster washed away the family business. He went to his father and suggested that they rebuild the family apparel business together. That they did just that with Scott playing some social golf to sell hats and shirts.

Scott is likely the only person in his 20s, albeit a competitive amateur golfer at the time, to go to a PGA TOUR Champions event and be inspired to pursue a professional golf career! The long putter took his putting game to a higher level as he won three times in a 21-year career on the PGA TOUR.

As fate would have it I was walking along and heard Scott’s voice booming out from a Security Mutual corporate event. Still inspired from our earlier encounter I went in and again had the privilege to ask him another question after listening for a while.

Jenny was there watching as he once again attributed his success to her and a new outlook on life. I heard him say that he was grateful to be out here competing against the same guys that he competed with on the PGA TOUR. He spoke of pure competition—that competition is competition no matter where it is, when it is, or against whom it is. Competition is competition! That was basically his response to my question asking him to compare his success on the two tours.

What I realized was that yes, the players are all seemingly the same, competing on the same En Joie Golf Course, in the 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open as they were in the 1972 B.C. Open but Scott McCarron was not, without a doubt, the same person, especially from the inside-out. Jenny and Scott have created something special, something successful, and certainly something inspiration. Others may want to hit the pause button for a moment and go within to find the peace and serenity, the clear and quiet mind to hit the winning golf shots that Scott is hitting!

Jenny and Scott hit the pause button and took the last month off after his Major victory. My thought is that Scott, the 2017 DSGO Champion, will hit the Go-button and follow Bart Bryant as the second consecutive two-time winner of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open… on the PGA TOUR Champions and in life extraordinaire with Jenny…

Transcript Credits: PGA TOUR Champions & Tee-Scripts.com

Q. Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary: What do you attribute your success to on the Champions Tour? I mean, you really lit it up out here.

SCOTT McCARRON: Well, I think there’s a couple things. I felt like when I got to the end of my career on the PGA TOUR, I had a couple injuries and life gets in the way of golf sometimes, and taking that time off really made me appreciate how much I love playing golf for a living.

So when I was coming back to play on the Champions Tour, one, I started working with a new teacher, E.A. Tischler, and that helped out a lot. But just getting back in shape, getting back with some renewed energy.

And I was dating my wife, Jenny, at the time. Wanting to show her I could still play a little bit. And she was pushing me, because there was a time in that 48 to 50 when I was doing some announcing, I was working for Golf Channel, doing a little CBS, NBC, signed a contract with FOX, that I was considering which direction do I want to go. Do I want to give it a shot again in playing golf or do I want to go into the announcing. And Jenny really was pushing me to go back into golf, she knew how much I loved that.

So that was a big push for me to get back in. Okay, if we’re going to do it, let’s really do it. A lot of guys come out here and have had great careers and have tons of money and Hall of Fame and this is kind of a just go out and have some fun. For me it was, okay, if I’m going to do this, I want to be the best out here and I want to practice and I want to play and I want to eat right and work out and do everything I can to be the best player that I can be and be one of the best players out here.

So I feel like I’ve got a lot of prove, I guess. Mostly just to myself, not anybody else. No one else really cares what I do except my wife, but I’m trying to prove it to myself. So I’m setting high goals and I feel if I stay in shape, I can have a good 10-, 12-, 14-year career out here on the Champions Tour.

And the other thing is, you know, when you’re 25 to 28, 35, you’re not really thinking of the end, that you’re going to have to stop playing golf at some time. Once you turn 50, you think, oh, okay, there is an end in sight. I know that and it’s not that far away, so I want to put everything I can into it and get the most out of it and enjoy it and have fun.

I think that’s been one of the biggest things for me is having Jenny travel with me. We have so much fun together on the road that she’s made it a lot more fun than just traveling out here by myself and going through the drudge a little bit. I think she’s been a big help.

Q. Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary: You mentioned the 20s, this is a quick follow-up. Wikipedia has you not transitioning well from college to the professional ranks. Looking back, I mean–

SCOTT McCARRON: I don’t know about not transitioning well. I quit golf for four years. I thought that was a great transition. Yeah, I quit. So what’s the question?

Q. Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary: Just lessons learned from that?

SCOTT McCARRON: You know, lessons learned from that would be when I was getting out of college, my buddies were all turning pro, going to South Africa and playing, Asia. I just didn’t want to do that. I didn’t feel I was good enough. I felt my golf career per se, you know, my lifelong dream to play on the PGA TOUR was over, so I quit. I literally just quit.

I actually just found a picture the other day. I took all my trophies from all my junior golf days, and there were hundreds of them, whatever, and at the time my dad and I started a golf apparel company, so we had this big packing table that we packed shirts on. And I lined them all up, took a picture and I threw them all away, every single one of them. And now I wish I would have kept a few of them, but I literally, at that point the dream was over and I quit.

I didn’t play hardly at all. I only played golf to sell shirts, and I was running some charity events in Sacramento because I had the golf background, but I was doing it to sell 144 shirts and hats and those type of things.

So I played some scramble events 10 times a year for three years and that’s about it. Didn’t play golf hardly at all. Skied. I was flying, got my pilot’s license. Skydiving, kayaking. Started a city flag football team, was playing on two softball teams, playing city basketball, tennis team, traveling, playing racquetball tournaments, open racquetball tournaments.

So I was doing a lot of other things and not playing any golf and it wasn’t until a Champions Tour event at my home course, the Raley’s Senior Gold Rush that I saw four or five guys putting with the long putter. I went home that night, made a long putter, started putting with it.

The next day I called in sick to work, went out and practiced a little bit and I said, I like this. You know, I’m going to have some fun with this. I started playing and I signed up for some amateur tournaments just for fun and started winning them and enjoying it. And almost won at 25 the U.S. Mid Amateur. I think I made the quarterfinals at the U.S. Mid Am and that was it. I came back and told my parents, I said, “I’m done working, I’m going to go play golf for a living,” and that’s what kind of got me back into it.

Obviously a different transition than most guys. I don’t know how many guys on the PGA TOUR played the Mid Am, but again, being away from it as long as I was again gave me an appreciation to when I got back into golf, how much I really did love it.

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Pic; 8-16-19)

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2019 Masters Memories: Tiger Woods Wins His 5th Green Jacket & 15th Career Major!

April 14, 2019 By admin

Nothing better than being back at The Masters and hanging out under the old oak tree by the clubhouse!

The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday practice rounds and Par-3 Tournament were memorable for a lot of reasons but in the end just a prelude to Tiger’s redemptive win—perhaps the biggest of his amazing career which now stands at 15 Career Majors and 81 PGA TOUR wins!

2019 Masters Monday: Walking the Second Nine at Augusta National Golf Club!

2019 Masters Tuesday: Walking the First Nine at Augusta National Golf Club!

2019 Masters Wednesday: Jack, Gary, & Tom Playing in the Par-3 Contest!

Plus, of course, a memorable night of merriment with the Tourism Ireland folks at the historic Benjamin House!

2019 Masters Thursday: Golf Ireland Party Hosted by Tourism Ireland!

Tiger Woods, 2019 Maters Champion! Photo Credit: Google Search.

I was there at the 2019 Masters to see history being made! Tiger Woods winning his fifth green jacket, 15^th career major, and first since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines—nearly eleven years ago! I was there to see Tiger making history in 2008 too! In fact, my time on tour beginning back at the 2008 Honda in February 2008 pretty much mirrors Tiger’s Major Timeout Period!

The Comeback of Tiger Woods is legendary, historic and redemptive! There were the crushing lows on and off the golf course. The injuries—overcoming the broken leg and knee injuries that came to a head in 2008 and the back injuries and successive surgeries. The foretelling triumphs—six wins in 2009 including Arnold & Jack’s tournaments—ZERO wins in 2010 and 2011—three wins in 2012 including Arnold’s, Jack’s, and his own tournament—FIVE wins in 2013 including THE PLAYERS Championship and the WGC Bridgestone Invitational –ZERO wins in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017—won the Tour Championship at Eastlake in September 2018 amidst a fairway of followers on the par-5 18^th fairway—and the first Major of the year, the 2019 Masters Invitational Tournament in April 2019.

Tiger hugging lady, daughter Sam nearby and Andy in blue shirt in background! What a thrill to witness history! Photo Credit: Unknown.

Once Jack and Gary hit their ceremonial tee shots first thing Thursday morning, the golfing competition for the 2019 Masters began. As the week progressed, the headlines of the Masters Section of the Augusta Chronicle told the story of the previous day’s round:

Thursday, Round 1: “Ahead of the Pack;” Bryson DeChambeau who birdied six of the final seven holes and Brooks Koepka who had the only bogey-free round of the day both shot 6-under 66s. Patient Rahm right where he needs to be; shooting a 3-under 69, his best opening round in three Masters appearances. Ian Poulter keeps it all together for a top-five start (4-under 68, T4). Dustin Johnson shot 68, tied for fourth place. Back-nine charge (birdied 4 of the last 6 holes) nets Mickelson 67. Patient Aphibarnrat catches fire late with eagle on No. 13 and back-to-back birdies on Nos 15 and 16; final six holes in 4-under. McIlroy to regroup after 6-bogey round. Patient approach working for Fowler (70, T11). Hovland shoots 72 to lead amateurs. Top-ranked Rose struggles in first round (75). Spieth struggles (75). Day’s back (70). Corey Connors (Monday Qualifier at and Winner of the Valero Texas Open and the last to be invited to play in the Masters) enjoying unexpected appearance (70). Adam Scott shoots opening-round 69. Poor finish (bogeys 3 of final 4 holes) mars Howell’s round. Reed begins defense with 73. Kisner scrambles to stay near top of leaderboard (69). Iron play hurts Mize (77). Justin Harding shines in first round (69). Woods satisfied with his start (70, T11).

Tiger hugging Mom! Andy in the background! Redemption on many, many levels for Tiger! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)! Photo Credit: Unknown.

Friday, Round 2: “One Slammed Leaderboard;” Five Major Winners share top spot at 7-under (Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, Francesco Molinari, and Adam Scott) share top spot, with Tiger close behind (one stroke). Koepka rights the ship late (66-71). Day bounces back, grabs share of lead (70-67). Oosthuizen shoots 66 with hot putter to grab tie for lead (71-66). Molinari makes move in bogey-free round (70-67). Scott hopes to stay consistent (69-68). Woods one shot from top (70-68).

NIKE Dad Tiger & NIKE Son Charlie celebrating his 5th Masters Win! Andy in the background! Photo Credit: Unknown.

Harding in the hunt at 6-under (69-69). Poulter stays in striking distance (68-71). Mickelson chases victory, history (oldest winner of major). Rahm nears top of leaderboard at 5-under (69-70). Schauffele roars for tourney-best 65 (73-65). Zach Johnson’s miscue (hit ball with driver while taking a practice swing on the 13^th tee) worth a good laugh. McIlroy seven back of leaders. Top-ranked Rose misses cut for first time. Woosnam calls it quits- again. Four amateurs (Takumi Kanaya, Viktor Howland, Alvaro Ortiz, and Devon Bling) make the cut. Past champion Langer makes weekend again. Friday frustrating for DeChambeau (66-75). Spieth rebounds from rough start in Round 2 (75-68). 1987 champ Mize misses cut. Howell cards best round at Masters (73-67). Reed gains ground Friday (73-70). After a wild round, Kisner still in hunt (69-73).

Saturday, Round 3: “Molinari (-13, 70-67-66) stays the course,” British Open champ leads Woods (-11), Finau (-11). Trio of 64s make history—Stellar Saturday puts Webb Simpson in contention (-9, 72-71-64)—Finau in final group after record-tying 30 on front nine (-11, 71-70-64)—Cantlay nearly ties tournament record (-6, 73-73-64). Woods in hunt for fifth Masters (70-68-67). Even after all this time, Tiger’s vibe draws patrons.

Tiger Woods eagles the 18th on Saturday at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open. Andy in background with arms raised for ‘Victory!” Tiger would birdie the 18th on Sunday to force a playoff, birdie it in the Monday 18-hole playoff to force sudden death and then par the 7th, the next playoff hole to WIN! Photo Credit: Unknown.

Dustin Johnson is still lurking (-8, 68-70-70). Ian Poulter keeps himself in mix (-9, 68-71-68). Kuchar rallies with back nine birdie streak (-8, 71-69-68). Rookie Harding hangs on (-8, 69-69-70). ‘Hiccups’ hurt Schauffele in 70 (-8, 73-65-70). Day (-6, 70-67-73), Scott (-7, 69-68-72) can’t get moving. Fowler patient, but must start fast today to stay in contention (-7, 70-71-68). Rahm loses ground with Saturday 71 (-6, 69-70-71). Mickelson laments missed opportunity (-6, 67-73-70). Oosthuizen slips, stays in hunt (-8, 71, 66-71). Koepka has shot at another major (-10, 66-71-69). Looks like a no-go on repeat for Reed (+1, 73-70-74). Cold putter costs Howell (E, 73-67-976). Kisner loses ground in third (-2, 69-73-72).

Amateurs: Hovland still learning course (-2, 72-71-71)—Aggressive style pays off for Kanaya (-1, 73-74-68)—Ortiz goes through up-and-down round (+1, 73-71-73)—Bling shoots his best round yet (+2, 74-73-71).

Weather moves up tee times for final round. Players will go off both No. 1 and No. 10 tees in threesomes. The first groups will go off at 7:30 am, and the leaders will tee off at 9:20.

Hello from Founders Circle in front of the Clubhouse at Augusta National!

Happy Masters Sunday! WOW, what an exciting Masters! Wet Monday & Tuesday practice rounds; a sunny day on Wednesday for the Par-3 Contest; Koepka & DeChambeau opening 66s on Thursday; Schauffele’s 65 was the low round on Friday but still was one stroke shy of the record 5-way tie for the lead after 36 holes at 7-under between Oosthuizen, Molinari, DJ, Scott, & Day. Tiger’s 70-68 start had him at 6-under as well. There was a late half-hour weather delay but everybody finished. Saturday brought a record three 64s by Cantlay (T14), Simpson (T5), & Tony Finau (T2) though Molinari (66) leads Finau and Tiger (67) by two strokes at 11-under going into Masters Sunday. A memorable Masters finish is already guaranteed with golfers going out in pairings of three off both the first & tenth tees starting at 7:30 am to beat approaching severe weather! Let’s hope we beat it with good wishes for all golfers to play their best! Who will win the 2019 Masters? My hope is Tiger Woods! How about you? (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post; Saturday, 4-13-19)

Sunday, Final Round: “Hear Him Roaring!”

Final Group off No. 1 at 9:20 am: Francesco Molinari (-13); Tony Finau (-11); and Tiger Woods (-11).

Penultimate Group off No. 1 at 9:09: Brooks Koepka (-10); Webb Simpson (-9); and Ian Poulter (-9).

DeChambeau aces the par-3 16^th hole; his first-ever hole-in-one! Molinari going for a record-tying 50^th consecutive non-bogey hole, bogeys the 7^th and Tiger birdies for a 2-stroke swing to get within one stroke of Molinari. Both birdie the par-5 8^th hole.

Sunday Second Nine where The Masters begins… and ends!

Tiger bogeys No. 10; falls two strokes behind.

Poulter (-7/12) and Koepka (-9/12) in the group ahead both find water and double bogey the par-3 12^th hole. Koepka recovers with an eagle on No. 13.

Molinari (-11/12) and Finau (-8/12) playing with Tiger both find water and double bogey the par-3 12^th hole. Tiger pars and is at even par for the round and is at 11-under same as Koepka after his eagle on No. 13.

Finau would birdie three of his last six holes and finish at 11-under in a four-way tie for fifth with Molinari, Jason Day and Webb Simpson.

Jon Rahm nearly aces the par-3 16^th hole, then his playing partner Justin Thomas does!

Cantlay, the low am in 2012, eagles the 15^th to lead the Masters at -12 through 15 holes.

Schauffele birdies 13 and 14 to tie Cantlay at 12-under.

Cantlay, who was 9 strokes back going into the weekend, bogeys the 16^th , bogeys the 17^th and pars the 18^th to shoot a Sunday 68 and finish T9 at 10-under par.

Molinari and Woods birdie the par-5 13^th hole to get in a 3-way tie for the lead with Schauffele who fails to birdie the par-5 15^th hole and settles for a par.

It was at this point that I realized the gum-chewing, red mock turtleneck, vintage his Masters win in 2005 was going to win his fifth Masters!

Jason Day birdies the home hole to post 11-under and becomes the new clubhouse leader.

Dustin Johnson birdies the 17^th to get to 12-under.

Now there are five golfers tied at 12-under: Woods, Molinari, Koepka, Schauffele and DJ.

Schauffele makes a 7-footer for par on the 16^th and pars the 17^th and 18^th to finish at 12-under and tied for second with DJ (who pars the 18^th) and Koepka (who finished with all pars except a birdie on the 15^th after his eagle on the 13^th).

Woods reaches the par-5 15^th in two swings and two putts from 40-feet for a birdie and the lead at 13-under.

Molinari also finds water and double bogeys the 15^th, the other par-5 on Augusta National’s second nine; after clipping a tree limb with his approach to the green. He would shot a Sunday 74 and finish T5.

Tiger nearly aces the 16^th and taps in for a deuce and a two-stroke lead with two holes to play and nobody behind him with more holes to play than he.

The 14-time Major Champion and 80-time winner on the PGA TOUR pars the 17^th and takes his two stroke lead to the 18^th tee. His drive is right on 18 and he fans an 8-iron short right; chips up and two putts for the safe bogey and Masters Win!

Though tied for 47^th in fairways hit (67%), Tiger was No. 1 in greens hit in regulation for the final round and for the week at Augusta National.

His 14-year gap between Masters Wins surpasses Jack’s 11 years previous record.

Tiger wins his first major after trailing after 54 holes.

Watch out for Tiger—he is back, completely back and ROARING!

2008 PLAYERS: Tiger Woods Admits Jack Nicklaus Forever Better than Me

But remember he once said Jack is the all-time best but that was said a long time ago…

Congratulations Tiger Woods on winning your 5^th Masters, 15^th Career Major, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom!

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM! 1:35 PM – Apr 15, 2019

Andy Reistetter is feeling blissful at Augusta National Golf Club.

April 14 at 5:23 PM · Augusta, GA ·

What a Masters! Congratulations Tiger Woods! Exciting, riveting, & historic!

Ian Harris

April 14 at 2:33 PM ·

Andrea Reistetter Harris Michael P. Reistetter Daria Anne Hirtz anyone know this guy?!

Andy Reistetter you had the best seat in the house! God is good eh?

Fred Shaheen

April 14 at 2:32 PM ·

Great to see local boy Andy Reistetter in the background as Tiger celebrates his win at the Masters. Who has it better than you Andy?

‎Malinda Schindler‎ to Andy Reistetter

April 14 at 2:37 PM ·

I see you Andy!!!!

‎Melissa Teske‎ to Andy Reistetter

April 15 at 9:15 AM ·

I wasn’t too far off when I referred to you as Mr. Hollywood – there you are, standing in the midst of it all at The Masters – a historical moment!

‎Michelle Perski‎ to Andy Reistetter

April 15 at 9:29 AM ·

I saw you on tv! Congrats to Tiger! And way to go Andy, following your dream all these years!

Joan E.Davis

April 15 at 5:59 AM ·

I have to say…Andy Reistetter I love this picture of a man and his mother with so much expression and passion..and YOU in the background….what an awesome life you lead to be able to witness these things…see you soon!!!

Monica Glickman

April 15 at 8:53 AM ·

What an amazing moment for you Andy to be standing right there. Wow!

Thanks for all the Facebook Comments—they are included below the Photo Gallery!

Jeff Hughes Jr. I’ll see you out on the course tomorrow…I’ll be escorting a player through all 18 holes

Melissa Teske Ok Mr Hollywood – looking good!

Anthony Quagliata Tiger!!!

Peter Benn gonna be an early start mate

Debra Cottrell Looking great!

Byron Bos You made every highlight package in the world yesterday

Ian Harris Jon Harris you notice this guy in the background?!

Andrea Reistetter Harris Andy Reistetter. awesome!

Edward M. Reistetter Favor!

Andy Reistetter God is Great! Andrea Reistetter Harris Michael P. Reistetter Daria Anne Hirtz Ian Harris WOW, you guys don’t miss a thing! Who taught you how to watch golf like that! I know! George, Andy, & Leonard!

Tom Lamphere Who is he Fred??

Andy Reistetter Thank you for the kind words Fred Shaheen & Robin Fellows! Tom Lamphere, let’s tee it up up at Ely Park this summer!http://www.elyparkgolfcourse.com/

Robin Fellows Lol! You don’t want to see my golf game. Its lame. I only like and use 2 clubs. Driver and putter. Not because I go from tee to green. No. I’m an idiot with a wedge. Lol!

Tom Lamphere Are you Larry’s brother???? He bought my Grandparent’s house back in 1977…

Michael J. Corrao History in the making Andrew “We Did It Mom”!

Larry Sansky Great photo bomb

Debra Cottrell What a great day for golf ⛳️

Tessa A Mollric Amazing day for Golf !
Oh the power of love courage , forgiveness and redemption.

Valerie Tidwell So glad you were able to be there for this historical moment.

Bev Mosteller-Bertok Amazing! Glad you were there to witness history! Great day for golf!

Michael McMillan Oh wow!! That’s amazing!

Jane Spicer So exciting!

Connie Cossar And the crowd goes wild !!
So happy for him

Jeff Hughes Jr. I thought that was you in the blue…i was standing right next to you

BJ Smyth Andy I spotted you behind Tigers family on tv today. I see you got the clip

Debbie Howard Benzley Wow look at you front row…so happy you got witness history!!

Bill Willhoit I told my wife it was you when I was watching! Great to see you in action.

Tom Brewster Funny I was watching you as it was happening. This was definitely one of your Forrest Gump moments.

Karen K Hayt So so HAPPY ❤️❤️

Scott Robbins You show up in all the good places!

April Ann Wow

Kim Hastert Love IT

John Henebry Wow ! Andy and you got to be there !! How great was that??

John Henebry Forest Gump

Sam Keiffer Thought I saw you

Monica Glickman Wow, thanks for sharing!

Andrea Reistetter Harris

Andy Reistetter Tiger’s last major win, 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines and yours truly, Forest Gump of Golf, was there too!

Matthew Cyberski I thought that was you! Amazing you were that close to sports history of the games living legend!

Kim Hastert Awesome sauce with a cherry on top.
I just realized that you are just in the picture Andy Reistetter
Bonus cool points.

Peter Harris REALLY AWESOME and HISTORIC……..POWER OF PERSISTENCE

Peter Harris Andy…….You Witnessed Sports History……REALLY SPECIAL…..

Marie Lyon Carney The sound of silence and them came the roars and cheers! So happy for you that you got to be there.

Leslie Hale Weed I immediately recognized You Andy Reistetter!
Wow! Awesome!! ⛳️

Susie O’Dell I met his mom on a Mother’s Day at TPC Sawgrass. She was sitting under a tree reading a book waiting on Tiger. I complimented her shoes and then realized who she was. Very pleasant. I told her I too was waiting for her son.

April Ann I used to hike at Torrey Pines to the beach.

Nick Brewster Photo bomber!

Corry Schiermeyer I saw you while watching on TV. How exciting and awesome!

Keith Chesk and you want to be at Ely when your at the masters!!! lol

Andy Reistetter Keith Chesk Oh no, have to be at Augusta National for The Masters! Love Ely Park for its spectacular views, sporty design, tasty spiedie salads but its only social golf!

Joanne Reistetter Ehrlich Andy, I had to share this great pic.

Pat Wilson Hi Andy I saw you whilst watching it live here in Australia. I got pretty stoked.
Good stuff mate
⛳️ ⛳️

Edward M. Reistetter How come you did not get a Tiger hug? LOL!

Andy Reistetter Good catch Malinda Schindler! Thanks for sharing!

Javier Cabanellas

Lisa Bennett-Fish

Katherine Deen Way I sent you a few screen shots last night of this. Did you get them? They are good!

Andy Reistetter Right on Melissa Teske from someone who knows LA Baby!

Andy Reistetter Woo Hoo Tiger did it Michelle Perski! I am following, yes I am! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!!

Andy Reistetter See you soon Joan E.Davis! Great commentary! Someone should give you a microphone!

Nancy Reistetter Ryan That’s my cousin Andy is blue

Andrea Reistetter Harris awesome Andy Reistetter!

Nancy Reistetter Ryan I even saw you when they televised this moment
Wow were you close!!!!!!

Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2019 Masters Thursday: Golf Ireland Party Hosted by Tourism Ireland!

April 11, 2019 By admin

Thursday of Masters Week is ‘Meet the Irish’ night at the historic Benjamin Hall House in Augusta! One of the best parties of the year hosted by Tourism Ireland! With so many friends in Ireland there will be a ‘Golf Journey to Ireland’ in the near future for Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary! (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; Thursday, 4/12/19)

Thanks for all the Facebook Comments—they are included below the Photo Gallery!

[Show slideshow]

Suzanne McCourt Hey! How’s The Masters?!!

Lisa Bennett-Fish My father wanted to go to Ireland as we are Scot/Irish! Galway bay!

Genie Brady Ireland is beautiful! Went to Dublin in 2004. Would love to go back someday

Keith Chesk That ain’t rly!

Joanne Reistetter Ehrlich You will love Ireland. We are watching the Masters. What a beautiful course.

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

2019 DSGO: Jack Nicklaus heading to Greater Binghamton for the First Time Ever!

April 2, 2019 By admin

PJ, Lopez, Annika, & now the Golden Bear himself, Mr. Nicklaus is coming to the 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in my hometown of Binghamton, NY! Congratulations John Karedes, David Pessagno, et all for landing the BIGGEST name in golf! Keith Urban performing on Friday night too! Over the top! Word on the street is Jack is working with Barry Goldstein & may actually compete in the Champions DSGO event? Or it may just be the great fishing in the Susquehanna River? April 2nd, this is for real! Soooo excited! The Golden Bear returns to the Valley of Opportunity, aka the Valley of Spiritual Growth! (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with DSGO Link; 4/2/19)

Jack Nicklaus receives the PGA TOUR’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship while Tiger Woods Admits Nicklaus is “Forever Better than Me.”

Jack at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship!

That was the closest I ever got to Jack Nicklaus. No picture but I did get the program autographed. Historical Moment for two reasons: Jack is honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award of the PGA TOUR and Tiger admits in writing that Jack will always be “Forever Better than Me!”

The 2019 Friday Night Concert is Keith Urban!

CLICK here for tickets and more information!

Facebook Comments:

Barry Goldstein Greatest of all time Jack ❤

Andy Reistetter Barry Goldstein Yeah! Understand that you can’t comment! Be a great story… from Parkside to Greenside; life & golf!

Barry Goldstein He’s as good a human being as he was a player.

Lisa Bennett-Fish Fantastic!

Pete Kinney Awesome news! May have to make the trip up.
He never played in the B.C., despite promising Alex, (many times), that he would. I was privileged to hear one of those conversations, at the 1980 PGA, in Rochester. Not the Bear’s fault, as no player had more of a limited schedule, (due to putting his family, before his career), which is very admirable, for sure.

Christine Pavlisak Wow,my favorite!

Andy Reistetter The DICK’S Sporting Goods Open along with UHS and Dr. Bai Lee are thrilled to announce the Honorary Host for the 2019 UHS Golf Expo will be World Golf Hall of Fame Member !⛳️

This will be the 18-time Major Champion’s first visit to Endicott!

Joan E.Davis I WILL BE THERE!!!!!

Filed Under: Featured People, Greater Binghamton, NY, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

My Johnny Miller Story; Last NBC Broadcast on Saturday, February 2nd!

February 2, 2019 By admin

My Johnny Miller story… 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach… stayed in Pacific Grove… hitchhiking into work with NBC Sports… who pulls over to the side of the road to give me a ride… Johnny Miller… nice guy, was interested in me and what I was doing… he signed my hitchhiking sign! Best part was that as a former U.S. Open Champion he parked in Lot 1 and it was a short walk to the compound! Congratulations Johnny Miller on a WGHOF playing career and an outstanding golf broadcast career! ALL THE BEST for the rest of your life! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!! (Andy Reistetter; Saturday 2/2/19 Johnny Miller’s Last Broadcast; Facebook Post 2/2/19 with 2 Pics)

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf

AGTD Experience: Day 1 of the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida!

January 23, 2019 By admin

Some fun pics from Day 1 at the 2019 PGA Show! Morning of Forum Stage presentations. Afternoon of wandering the floor seeking storylines of this historic PGA of America event! All told I found 16 storylines to be posted in separate posts. One of the best PGA Shows in my last twelve years! Enjoy the pics! (Andy Reistetter; 1/27/19; Facebook Post with 40 Pics).

[Show slideshow]

Filed Under: Featured People, People in Golf