Sunday, July 3, 2011

AT&T National a Great Event for Fathers and Sons

by Roz Roberts III

If you've been out to a PGA Tour event lately, you'll have noticed that the PGA Tour has been making a concerted effort to reach out to younger fans.  At most tournaments they host a youth clinic in which young golf fans can get up close to a PGA Tour player or two.  But where the PGA Tour has been really successful in reaching young fans is with their players being approachable and available to fans for autographs and photos.

Over at marplenewtown.patch.com they published a post on the AT&T National tournament and how it was such a great event for father's and sons.  If you follow our blog or know anything Michael Thompson, you won't be surprised to find that he is mentioned specifically in the article.  Here's a brief snippet from the post by Joseph Santoliquito:

Perhaps no one received a bigger thrill than the number of kids that filled the galleries. Seated in the 18th-hole gallery absorbing every shot were a pair of precocious onlookers, 13-year-old David and 10-year-old Michael Asch, the sons of KYW radio anchorman Jeff Asch.

David’s personal favorite was Rickie Fowler, a stylish young golfer who was decked out in ostentatious orange from head-to-tie on Sunday—including his orange shoes and tee. Fowler, who’s never won a PGA Tour event, suffered through a bad front nine on Sunday that took him out of contention.

“I play golf and learned from watching the pros this closely that golf isn’t an easy game to play and you need patience,” said David, an eighth grader at Wissahickon Middle School. “I don’t have a lot of friends my age that are into golf, but I like the game and I like playing it. This is my first golf tournament and it’s great. I’m having a great time. But I wanted to see Fowler win because he is a young guy and he’s never won before. I was hoping to see him win his first PGA event.”

Michael, David’s younger brother, received a little more from the event—an autographed Ping cap from Michael Thompson’s caddy, who came over on the first tee and handed the cap to young Michael, telling him he may need it if it rained later. It was a forever keepsake for someone watching a major golf event live for the first time.
...
Perhaps a lasting image of the AT&T National didn’t come on the course, but rather in the 18th-hole gallery. It was Michael Asch in his Phillies’ Cliff Lee T-shirt and his new autographed golf cap nestled in his father’s arms resting quietly as the day was winding down.

It was a great day for Watney and agreat day for fathers and sons.

The full article can be found here and is well worth a read:

Nick Watney Wins the AT&T National at Aronimink:  But the PGA Tour event was a great time for fathers and sons

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