Tampa, Florida					Thursday, September 09, 2010

The Prophets and the New Man from Zimbabwe
Monday, February 23, 2004
TAMPA—On the practice tee a day before the start of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am Golf Tournament at the TPA of Tampa Bay, veteran tour player Jim Colbert, an old personal friend I was watching practice said, as a thin youngish man in black finished his work nearby and headed off the communal tee: “Tom McEwen, meet Mark McNulty. He’s from South Africa where you and your wife (Linda) have gone so often and he’s here to make his mark on our Seniors Tour. He brought an extra empty suitcase from South Africa to carry home all the money he’s going to make.’’ There were laughs and handshakes but I knew about McNulty. He’d won 55 tournaments in all in his career, 17 on the European Tour and was going to start sooner in America but got the shingles. That painful skin malady that is so nagging had kept him away from golf for awhile, but here he was in Tampa ready go again, and to prove he was a cinch to do well on the Seniors Tour Jim Colbert was saying he’d be. Well, I write this four days later and McNulty has won its first Seniors event, yes, the Outback Pro-Am, his debut tournament by a stroke over a late charging Larry Nelson with first-tournament rounds of 65-67-68 on a tough course but in glorious weather to put his first new $241,000 of this new career in that new South African suitcase. Putting, his forte, did it, Colbert would say. “We got a real one here, believe me, in McNulty.’’ Colbert knew. He’s won plenty on both PGA Tours, has served on all of the committees, designed and built golf courses and golf developments and has even seen his long-maligned Kansas State University football team have a terrific year (2003). Colbert won nine tournaments on the “other’’ tour, has now won 19 on the Seniors, and doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body. And, Colbert was right about McNulty. A cool one, is this South African ) out of Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls, Nick Price) with an Irish citizenship who lives outside of London, who will indeed win more and will be popular on this Mulligan Tour, this Second Life Tour, this neat over-fifties Tour of generally good guys, those mellowed by age and experience, and the bonus shot at another career in which to start filling full a Seniors suitcase. Low handicap player and Outback CEO Chris Sullivan had his organization take over this favored, good weather and February early stop in Tampa at this fine PGA course at Cheval Country Club. The course was pretty much built for this event GTE then Verizon sponsored until this year when Outback made it a Pro-Am and gave it new life, new purpose, new money, a genuinely top-notch partner in Outback, whose corporate headquarters is in Tampa. Indeed, the bigtime Outback Bowl (college football) is also played in Tampa. And notably, the Seniors started here in 1981 at Carrollwood Golf Club as the Michelob-Egypt Temple Shrine Tournament here Budweiser-Michelob distributor Art Pepin backed financially. It cost him, but he stuck with it and now his son, Tom, has continued his sponsorship Outback these days as the Seniors became bigtime. Don January won that first ever Seniors in Tampa in 1981 when Arnold Palmer could not hold a seven stroke lead he took to the final nine holes. Tony Mattera, a volunteer officer of the Seniors all of its years in Tampa, as the final round of this 2004 (Outback) Seniors was concluding Sunday with McNulty winning his first new-era dollars, watched with me Sunday at the ninth green remembered it all with: “Sure, sure. Art Pepin (the late) saved the tournament its first year. He got Arnold to play, to come over from Orlando, and he had his winning check, a big cardboard markup, in a chopper over the 18th at Carrollwood ready to lower it to Palmer until we all saw Arnie was blowing the shot at a victory,’’ said Mattera. I was there too, when Pepin called the pilot and told him to go back to the airport. He said he’d write a winning check if he had to for January if he won it. And he did have to do that. It was the worst blown lead in Palmer’s great career. But, Palmer came back again and again in other Februaries to make this Seniors in Tampa work, as Art’s son, Tom Pepin, and the Outback carry it on in a big way, televised by the Golf Channel. But, that was then and now is now, and McNulty won the 2004 tournament, his USA debut, as Colbert hinted he may, as had veteran Seniors player Bob Murphy hinted as well.	Murph grew up near Tampa at Mulberry, a phosphate town where his dad was a phosphate engineer and from where he went to the University of Florida then to a brilliant golf career. Well, again, on this last day of this continuing Seniors event, here came to the 10th tee a fascinating foursome involved in so much golf history hereabouts--Fuzzy Zoeller, Mark McCumber, Wayne Levi, and Murphy. They, those in this pairing, were always ready to talk, even in the middle of a final round. The marvelously relaxed Zoeller was in the middle of a seven-straight birdie run and on his way to possibly shooting record 59 as he moved to the tenth. He would win up with a 61 after bogeying the final hole but he made himself a bundle of money. Indeed, on that 10th tee, I remarked that if he won it would be a tribute to clean living, and he replied; “Sure, sure, sure.’’ We had seen him at every Pro-Am social event the Outback would schedule that week. Zoeller has found a way to blend the good times with good golf, an envied characteristic. Then, on that 10th.,, when I called to old friend Mark McCumber, he said quickly: “I still got the trophy. It’s in my case. Won’t ever forget it.’’ I don’t remember the year, but a bunch back, McCumber had gone form 116th to about 8th on the money won list but Golf Digest did not vote him the Most Improved Player of that season. I knew him well. Jacksonville is his home. We’d played the game together and he and his brother designed the wonderful Avila Golf Club here for Bobby Sierra, a course on which people like Eddie DeBartolo, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Fred McGriff, Lou Piniella, Vince Naimoli and Warren Sapp now live. “When Golf Digest didn’t give him that Most Improved award,’’ said McCumber, “you gave me one from you and The Tampa Tribune (where I was the sports editor for so many years). I appreciated it. It is in my trophy case. And, yes, I told Digest about it. Thanks, again.’’ thanks.’’ Neat memory, eh? Then, Murphy and I talked about when he set as a Florida Gator senior a course record at respected Palma Ceia Country Club (61) that stands still, and with which he won the bigtime amateur Gasparilla Tournament in Tampa, but he and I had to pool what little money we had to buy a cheap celebration meal later at Al Gomez’s little restaurant here. And we talked about my going with him on his triumphant return to a Mulberry High assembly after he won the national amateur championship. And we talked about his mom and dad who had come over from Bartow again to watch him play in this Seniors. They are 88 and 85 and spent some time here with Tommy Bean, father of golfer Andy. Tommy had a little nine-holer at Mulberry where Andy, also in this Seniors, had learned much of his early golf. Then, still standing there on that 10th Sunday, was Wayne Levi, a former player at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he played well enough to join the big time Tour and do well. I mentioned the time he met me for a lunch-interview at the University Club in Tampa and he showed at the swanky (then) men’s club where I had to borrow a coat and tie for him. He told me then and reaffirmed it this Sunday that at the time, he did not own a coat or a tie. Indeed, I had to tie his tie. He did now know how. Yeah, he has a couple now. By the way, Murphy left the this 2004 Tampa/Outback Seniors (67-74-66) $27,200 richer, not bad for a Mulberry High graduate. Zoeller with his that closing 61 was $102,500 wealthier, while Levi with money enough for a new coat, winning nearly $15,000. But, on that Sunday afternoon, as these seasoned golf achievers of some Tampa area golf history, played on from No 10 tee to earn what they earned, my gallery companions, son Rick and his WFLA-TV-8 boss, Eric Lamb, went to check on more pro-friends, oh. . . . such as Gary Koch, Seniors winner last week, Gary Player, Jim Dent, Jerry Pate, and, of course, the soothsayer, Colbert. They all made expenses. Was a right about McNulty? Asked Colbert. As always , Jim Colbert, who, by the way, had a decent tournament himself, except for a 76 in the middle of a 67 and a 71, if not a tourney of the value of McNulty. But, we know Colbert will be all right himself. Guarantee his money bag will be full enough by the year’s end, but not so full as the new man from Zimbabwe—smooth Mark McNulty. #####
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