Sudden Death (4 page)

Half asleep, Reid picked up the 5:30 a.m. wakeup call and moaned, “Thanks,” to the automated system. Rubbing his eyes, he stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom.

Showering and dressing in record time, he grabbed some badly needed coffee from the concierge and left. The course they were playing today was about 20 minutes away. A bus was leaving at 7 a.m. but Reid didn’t want to wait. He took a cab instead. Reid had a routine for tournament days; actually it was more of a ritual. He took every tournament very seriously, even Pro-Ams. He would have fun today, but he would play to win! He was on the range stretching and loosening up by 7 a.m. He hit 10 balls with every club in his bag. First he hit on the range, then moved to the practice bunker, then finished on the practice green. He was drenched in sweat afterward, so he went to the locker room for a quick shower. The tournament was starting with a buffet breakfast, and although Reid wasn’t very hungry, he knew he should make a showing, so he walked into the crowded dining room. Celebrities and tour players were everywhere. As he entered, someone in the room whistled, others quickly joined in, while still others slapped him on the back and congratulated him.
Well
, he thought, I guess it’s in the morning paper. He looked around and spotted Phil DiBlasio, one of Hollywood ’s hottest comedic actors and Reid’s partner for the tournament. Phil’s dark moustache and goatee along with his dark attire gave him a menacing look that was contradicted by his big smile and nonstop joking. Reid walked over to the table and took the empty chair next to Phil.

“I was hoping you’d join us,” Phil said. “Hey congratulations, that’s some contract you got from Eagle.” “Thanks.” Reid asked a passing waiter for coffee. He was facing the opposite way when someone sat down next to him. He turned and his jaw dropped. His favorite actor, Brian Capo, sat there looking at him. Reid was at a loss for words and just stared. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Eagle. Congratulations Reid, it’s nice to meet you.” “Thank you, Mr. Capo,” Reid mumbled. “Mr. Capo! Ha.” Phil laughed. “You didn’t call me Mr. DiBlasio when we met. I get no respect.” Everyone around the table laughed. “Reid, please call me Brian.” “Okay, Mr. Capo, I…I mean Brian,” Reid stammered. “It’s great to meet you, too. I’ve always been a huge fan of yours.” A loud tapping noise hushed the room and carried all eyes to the podium. “Good morning. May I have everyone’s attention? I’m Bill Taylor, commissioner of the PGA, and I’d like to welcome you all to Augusta. I wanted to take a moment to explain why we decided to break from tradition and play a Pro Am before the Masters. The request has come up in past years and we’ve always declined. This year, we figured why not. We’ll still hold the traditional Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, but the money we’ll raise today for charity far outweighs any reason I can come up with for not breaking tradition. In fact, we decided that we would sponsor the event ourselves and donate the funds to the American Cancer Society. We have a gorgeous day for golf and the course is in perfect condition. Please join me in thanking Craig Jackson, the president of the club, for getting this place ready for an exciting day of golf.”

After a round of applause, he continued. “You will all have plenty of time to have fun, but I would like to get the day started. As soon as you finish breakfast, please go to the tables in the lobby to register your favorite charity. As you know, your winnings today go to the charity of your choice. So enjoy yourselves, have fun and let’s see some serious competition out there. Here’s our schedule. At 9:30 we will have a shotgun tee off. Then a horn will blow at 11:45. Finish the hole you are on, then come back here for lunch. Play will resume at 1:30. After the tournament, you will have time to clean up before we meet for cocktails and our awards dinner. Gentlemen, have fun and as always, may the best team win!”

A round of applause followed and everyone slowly walked to the lobby to register their charity.

Reid and Phil started on the fourth hole. Reid introduced Phil to Buddy, who was carrying both their bags. Phil hit his drive a little off to the right near the tree line but not in trouble. Reid teed his ball and was getting ready to hit when Phil made the mistake of interrupting him. “Come on Reid, this one’s up to you!”

Reid stepped away from the ball, looked at Phil very seriously and said, “Don’t do that again.” “Sorry,” Phil said, grimacing with embarrassment. Reid hit a perfect drive just short of the green. They all started to walk in uncomfortable silence. Phil once again said, “Reid, I’m really sorry. Don’t let it ruin our round!”

“Don’t worry, it won’t ruin our round, but I need to focus. I may not be much fun to play with in a tournament, but I’m a pretty good partner if you want to win.”

Phil gave Buddy a questioning look. Buddy just shrugged his shoul ders. “Okay,” Phil said. “Let’s win!” They enjoyed the rest of the round, finding a good balance between serious golf and kidding around. Thanks to Reid, they had the lead when they went in for lunch. After a light lunch they teed off on the 14th. Phil played very well, commenting that maybe he should play this seriously more often.

“Don’t get too serious, Phil,” Reid said. “No one will recognize you. On the other hand, maybe that’s a good thing.” “Ow, that hurt. Was that actually an attempt at humor, Mr. Serious?” “Phil, that’s about the best I’ve got,” Reid snickered. “Better stick to golf.” “So I’ve been told.” After 17 holes, Reid and Phil were leading by one. The press was all over them. “Hey Phil, what’s the matter?” a reporter asked. “No jokes today?” “I just figured out that if I take this game seriously, I’m actually pretty good. Too bad it took me 20 years to realize… I couldn’t take the golfpro out of Reid, but he took the clown out of me. Temporarily of course,” he added quickly.

The tournament came down to Phil’s putt on the last hole. He had to sink a four-footer to win. During past tournaments at times like this, Phil worked the crowd, making everyone laugh. Today was different; Phil was totally serious. He also was a nervous wreck.

“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I’ve never felt like this on a golf course. My stomach is in knots. Buddy, please help me read this putt.”

Buddy pointed the grip of a club to a spot about a ball’s width to the right of the hole. Phil looked at Reid for his confirmation.

“This one is up to you, my friend. You can do it, just focus and relax!” Reid didn’t let on that inside he was twisted with anxiety. It drove him nuts that someone else was in control of his winning or losing a tournament. He often wished he could take winning a little less seriously, especially when it was only a Pro-Am.

Phil took his stance and the crowd hushed. After a deep breath he hit the ball exactly where Buddy had indicated. The ball rolled toward the hole and dropped in.

The crowd roared. Phil yelled, “Oh my God, I did it.” He ran over and gave Reid a big hug and said, “I owe you one.”

Reid just smiled and said, “No you don’t, sinking that putt was enough. Nice job.” “Thanks. Okay if I joke around now?” Reid smiled and nodded. Phil immediately loosened up and started joking with the crowd, the press, and mostly Reid. They walked into the clubhouse with Reid’s arm over Phil’s shoulder. The cocktail reception was well underway when Reid and Phil entered the lounge. The gathering included Pro-am players and their families, PGA management, representatives from golf equipment companies and many celebrities. Even the president and first lady were there.

Reid wished he didn’t need to be at this party. He would have preferred just to rest back at the hotel, but he schmoozed with everyone who approached him. He quickly tired of saying thank you, but everyone was congratulating him on the endorsement and the day’s win. Then they would wish him luck in the Master’s.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Enough already, he thought, how many times can I say it? At that moment the president and first lady walked up and congratulated him. “Thank you, Mr. President. It is a privilege and pleasure to meet you, and you, ma’am,” he said turning toward the first lady.

“No, Reid, it is our privilege to meet you!” said the president. “Good luck in the Masters.”

The first lady said, “Reid, I have really been looking forward to meet ing you. We have been fans of yours for years. By the way, honey,” she said to her husband, “he is much better looking in person than he is on TV.”

Reid blushed. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had real ly embarrassed him. The president said, “Reid, I think my wife may be your biggest fan. She has been talking about this trip for over a month. If I may ask, when the tournament is over, could you stay an extra day to play a round with us?”

Buck had walked up next to Reid just as the president asked the ques tion. Reid looked at Buck and asked, “What do you think, Buck? How about a round of golf with the president and the first lady?”

Buck turned toward the president and first lady and nonchalantly said, “Sounds great. How are you, Mr. President?” “Excellent, Buck. It’s great to see you again.” “You, too. And you ma’am, it’s always a pleasure.” They were interrupted by the sound of a musical triangle. Bill Taylor and Craig Jackson were at the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. If you would all take your seats, it’s time to present today’s trophies and awards. We are honored to have some special guests with us this evening. Please join me in welcoming the president of the United States and the first lady to help with the presentation.”

As the room erupted in applause, the president turned to Reid and Buck. “Sorry, duty calls. I’m really looking forward to that round of golf, Reid.” The applause grew as the president and first lady made their way up front. Reid realized as they walked away that Secret Service agents were positioned everywhere.

The president quickly thanked the hosts and the audience and com mented on what a privilege it was to take part in an event of this caliber. “It’s terrific to be in the midst of such a talented crowd. This gathering seems like the ‘Who’s-Who’ of sports and acting, maybe even politics, that is, if
I
qualify,” he said grinning. He then turned the microphone back to Bill Taylor as the audience laughed quietly.

Bill announced the fourth, third and second place teams. He congrat ulated them and handed them trophies and checks made out to the charities of their choice.

He finally announced the winning team of Reid Clark and Phil DiBlasio. Phil went to the podium and thanked the PGA for putting together such a fine tournament. He announced that with his new partner, Reid, he was able to do two things he had never done before. “I played serious golf and I won. Yeah, that’s right, I won! I still can’t believe it.”

The president handed him an oversized check made out to his founda tion, which helped construct new homes for deserving families.

Bill Taylor cut the applause short by tapping the microphone. “Reid, please accept this check made out to the The Inner City Sports Foundation.” As Taylor handed Reid the check, a photographer snapped a quick picture. “Folks, I think the ICSF is a pretty special program,” Taylor continued. “In fact, I have been a contributor since its inception. Reid, would you be kind enough to explain ICSF and AllSport to our audience?”

Reid stepped up to the podium. “Nothing would please me more, Bill. First, I’d like to thank you and the PGA for this contribution to our program.” He held up the check and more pictures were taken. Then, he began immediately, making it evident that this was not a new speech. “Buck and I started The Inner City Sports Foundation a couple of years ago for many reasons, the first and most important being the kids. ICSF provides underprivileged kids, who show professional or Olympic potential, a shot at making something of their lives. Without ICSF, many of these kids would probably never reach their potential. In fact, most would lead a life on the streets or far worse. Another very important reason was that our great country has had a huge untapped resource. With our vast population and the freedom we have, this country should be the world leader in every sport. ICSF will help raise the bar in American sports by providing professional training to kids who will truly make a difference. Until now, these kids did not typically get a chance to bring their talent to our country’s teams. Now, with ICSF’s help, many of those same kids will be the next superstars in American Sports. Our scouts travel the country, looking for kids who have the ability to excel with the right support and training. The training for some is on an individual basis. For others, it takes place at AllSport, the foundation’s camp in the Catskills. AllSport has regulation fields, courts, pools, rinks, gyms, and tracks for practically every sport. The camp owns a huge lake for water sports. We’re close to a river for whitewater kayaking. AllSport even provides training for winter sports at our own mountain. Naturally, there’s also a magnificent golf course and a state-of-the-art golf training facility. I designed it with some friends, and if I must say, we did an excellent job,” he added with a smile. “It’s a long, demanding course and takes a lot of thinking to score well on.”

Reid saw a hand raised in the middle of the room and pointed toward it. “Yes sir, you have a question?”

An older gentleman stood up and said, “Yes Reid, thank you. I like the sound of AllSport and I might want to contribute. Can you tell me how you find kids that fit the requirements?”

“Sure. We advertise and place recruiting brochures and posters in all kinds of places. The ads and brochures encourage hot athletes or their families and friends to call. Our recruiters follow up. We also receive hundreds of letters and e-mails every month from athletes who think they have the right stuff. I make sure every letter gets a response. Does that answer your question?” “Yes sir, thank you,” the man responded as he took his seat. Reid continued. “Pro athletes from every sport volunteer their time as trainers. At any given time, there are about one hundred pros teaching at AllSport. Some of the athletes in this room have been a big help already. In fact, let’s see a show of hands of anyone who has worked with our kids at AllSport.”

Hands were raised throughout the room. Reid saw a hand go up at a table just in front of him. He waved and said, “Hi Michael.” He scanned the room, slowly pointing to the people with their hands up. “Folks, look around you. If you have questions about our program, these are the people to talk to. With their help and many others like them, AllSport will raise the competitive level of American athletes and teams everywhere we compete.” Reid paused as the audience applauded. He raised his hands in request for quiet and continued. “Athletes, celebrities, corporations and philanthropists in general have made sizeable contributions. The money is used to build, maintain and run the camp, also to employ the staff necessary for recruiting new kids and flying them to and from the Catskills. Most of the kids lead extremely underprivileged lives at home. While they’re at camp, they have to train harder than they ever have before. The kids are immediately taught that they were very lucky to have been chosen by the foundation. They have to stay out of trouble and lead clean lives if they want to stay in the program. AllSport has now been open for two years and is starting to show results; our kids are being offered scholarships and getting chosen for Olympic teams. It’s really incredible; many of them would probably have ended up in jail or drug rehab. Instead, they’re headed to college or the Olympics, and in some cases, directly recruited by pro teams.”