Thursday June 18, 2009

Big Stage at Bethpage

Big Stage at Bethpage
This morning we had Michael Sims on my radio show. Sims is an upstate native and a former Clemson golfer who called in live from Bethpage Black, site of the U.S. Open. Sims is caddying for current Clemson golfer Ben Martin, who may have been the first amateur from South Carolina to ever make it past local and sectional qualifiers.

Michael gave us an idea of just how bad the weather was and just how difficult the golf course is playing.

Martin played two holes this morning and was one over par but faces a 20-footer for birdie on his third hole when play resumes at 7:30 in the morning. Play was suspended for the day because of the course had over an inch of rain.

The United States Golf Association is known for unique pairings and I love the fact that they paired three former Clemson players to play together in the first two rounds. Kyle Stanley, Lucas Glover and D.J. Trahan were scheduled to go off at 1:03 this afternoon but will play around the same time Friday for their first round.

I spoke very briefly with Clemson golf coach Larry Penley and assistant coach Jonathan Byrd about the pairing and both were obviously full of pride. Penley said Sims sent him a picture of Stanley and Martin practicing together and told him of how beautiful their Clemson golf bags looked up there on the range.

The field is limited to 156 players and four are Tigers.

This got me thinking about Clemson athletes and former athletes making a big splash on the big stage.

In football, Clemson has had a bunch of its former players in the NFL and several have excelled on the biggest stage. Former Tigers have won Super Bowls, played in Pro Bowls and have been named All-Pro. Dwight Clark was the Offensive MVP of the league and William Perry was one of the most popular players in league history. However, no Clemson player has ever been inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Maybe Levon Kirkland or Brian Dawkins could change that.

In basketball Larry Nance was an All-Pro who won the slam dunk contest. Horace Grant was a big part of a few of Michael Jordan’s NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. But no Clemson player has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In baseball we have seen former Tigers win World Series titles and several have played in the MLB All-Star game. But like football and basketball, no Hall of Fame yet for any former Tiger.

Men’s soccer has had national team members and former Tigers have played in the World Cup but I am not sure any have been considered among the best in the world yet.

Maybe Shawn Crawford’s gold medal in the 200m in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece might be the biggest performance by a former Tiger on the big stage. Crawford also won a silver medal in Athens in the 4x100m relay and a silver medal in the 200m in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Clemson has had former swimmers compete at the national level but no huge international moments yet. Women’s basketball, women’s soccer and rowing have not seen a former athlete have their big moment so far either.

We have seen a couple of former women’s tennis players make a fairly big splash in professional majors but no wins just yet.

So maybe Clemson golf is the sport that may give us the best of the former Tigers on the big stage.

Jonathan Byrd is not playing this week but he has been a factor in a couple of majors and won the 2002 Buick Challenge, 2004 B.C. Open and 2007 John Deere Classic.

Of the four former Tigers teeing up at Bethpage Black this week, D.J. Trahan has had the most success in terms of wins. Trahan won the 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic and the 2008 Bob Hope Classic. Lucas Glover has also won on tour and has been under consideration for Ryder Cup teams.

Some who have followed this program closely over the years feel Kyle Stanley might have the highest upside of any former Tiger. He is the longest hitter of the bunch and is considered an incredible ball striker. Stanley decided last summer that he would leave school after the 2009 season and turn professional. He is playing this week as an amateur because he was exempt as an amateur through local U.S. Open qualifying. Stanley will turn pro Monday.

Martin is a Greenwood, SC native who also hits it a mile. He will return to school next season and will be the leader of the 2009-10 golf squad. Like the other playing this week, Martin has a very bright future as a professional when he decides to turn pro.

Clemson has had varying degrees of success in athletics and many of its former athletes have gone on to bigger and better things. I think you could make a case for several sports and several athletes but Clemson golf is on center stage this week and the future of former Clemson athletes as professionals look brighter in golf than any other sport.

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Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
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*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness.