With my entrepreneurial spirit refreshed by Web.com earlier in the day I checked out what was going on outside the Clubhouse after play on Friday. I had a front row seat for the Military Appreciation Ceremony featuring remarks from Captain Wesley McCall, Commanding Officer of Naval Station Mayport, and a special presentation by Jim Furyk where he gave the key to a mortgage-free home to a deserving military man and his wife. Jacksonville is a huge military town and the sense of pride and patriotism was prevalent everywhere including American flags replacing the various national flags above the practice facility. Somewhere in that Olympic Spirit of Golf I am sure to find a bit of patriotism but in some sort of fourth dimension of peaceful coexistence?
How could I leave a front row seat on such a beautiful evening? I hung around for the free Blues Travelers concert. John Popper was brilliant on the harmonica with heartfelt vocals. Music surely activates our spirit in so many wonderful ways. Will golf inspire a new definition of the Olympic Spirit?
As I mentioned this week seemed to kick-off my “Journey to Olympic Golf.” While there are still 15 days until I tee-off at Glen Echo CC wearing knickers and playing my authentic and professionally restored hickory-shafted clubs there are only 11 days left before I leave home for St. Louis. An unexpected gesture came from comedian-turned-caddie-turned-ESPN reporter Michael Collins who videotaped a feature interview of JTOG. We had a lot of fun, me sitting, him standing eye-to-eye laughing as I explained how I am trying to raise $100,000 for The First Tee. Simple math is 1,000 friends contributing $100 each but I only have like 10 friends (just kidding of course as we are off to a good start to having 100 donators by Tee-Off). I’ll let you know when the video is posted! Michael and I happened to be paired with Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz and his friend Frank, a.k.a “Triple F” (Foltzy’s Friend Frank). So many of the talented people at the Golf Channel whether in front of the camera or behind it or whether on the golf course or in the truck have given me so many great ideas on how to orchestrate this “Journey to Olympic Golf” that I want to thank them all! Hopefully I make it back from Rio de Janeiro for the PGA Show in Orlando in m id January and will buy you all a beer. If not then I am in Paradise South somewhere (Paradise North is Ponte Vedra Beach) and you will have to come find me. For the record Foltzy is eligible age and talent wise for the Champions Tour and I am thinking Michael and him would make a good player-caddie team. A double Lee Trevino walking down the fairway! I use to be able to hit this green when I aimed for the middle of it. I aimed at the back right Sunday hole location and pulled a ‘Goydos.’ Where else but TPC Sawgrass do you see not one, but two, or any weddings on a Saturday during a professional golf tournament? Puts a whole new meaning to the term “Moving Day.” It was my first wedding (okay I was watching from the veranda within earshot) in six years at TPC Sawgrass. I was at Bea’s 90th birthday party but never a wedding. The ceremony was fairly brief though I remember the priest sharing something about love being two souls finding one another and realizing how special and precious an occurrence that is. Of course I was thinking about golf and the Olympics finding one another after 112 years. Match made in Heaven and let the games begin… in a little over 1,000 days from now. All I need to do is find one new friend a day…
Chesson Hadley raises his hat to signal victory in the 2013 Web.com Tour Championship on Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass.

The sea of blue shirted volunteers for this week's Web.com Tour Championship. A spirited team of friends that will accompany me on the "Journey to Olympic Golf."
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