So you like to play Golf! How would you like to be a Pro Golfer on the PGA Tour?
There are only a few things you need to do, like completing the PGA Associate Program or PGA Golf Management University Program (PGM). Then you must pass the PGA’s ability test, a background check and have worked at a Golf Course for at least 6 months. Several PGA Tour events offer four Pro spots via an 18-hole qualifying event, which usually occurs on Monday of tournament week. And that’s all you have to do!
File: Oakmont Country Club. jpg – Wikipedia.
For Evan Post, it was not only his goal, but his lifelong dream. Evan was a very talented golfer and was heavily encouraged by his father who was an avid golfer and sport fisherman. That may be why Evan’s older brother was named Marlin and his younger brother was named Palmer! When Evan was nineteen, he married his grade school sweetheart Megan, who had a twin sister named Mandy. Their older sister Marie, was married to Evan’s brother Marlin.
Sadly, though, when Evan and Megan were just twenty two, she was killed in an accident involving a DUI driver. Now, whenever he faces a difficult golf shot, he hears Megan’s voice say: “You are the magic Evan, you just have to believe in yourself”! And sometimes he envisions her, shaking her head back and forth, saying: “I’ll always love you, Evan”! Evan is a master at long, accurate drives and iron shots, but often struggles with his putting. He’s generally on line, but often leaves his put short, or hits it too long, leaving himself another even more difficult putt!
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One day, Evan got the break he had worked so hard for! In a little over a month and a half he would get a chance to make the Pro’s at a qualifying event during “The 1983 United States Open” at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, June 16th – 20th. With what could perhaps be a once in a lifetime shot at his dream, Evan began practicing everyday, especially his putting! His brother Marlin, who was also a pretty fair golfer, was right there alongside him. Marlin would always say: “I’ve got your back, Evan”!
In the week leading up to Oakmont, Marlin talked Evan into going to Maple Creek golf course, which was a little further away, but had some very challenging holes. Evan had never played there, but Marlin felt it would be a good way to prepare. While playing the back nine holes, they spotted an old man through an opening in the trees, who looked like a golfer from 50 years ago! He was wearing knickers, a vest and a hat like the British wear while driving their MG sports cars! They saw him several times, but every time they took their eyes off him, he was gone!
Evan decided to ask the Pro Shop owner about it when they got back to the clubhouse. Marlin knew the owner well and introduced them. His name was Jimmy Deans, like the sausage guy, except with a “s”. Jimmy said: “So, I finally get to meet our other naturally talented golfer”! Evan thanked him, and Jimmy went on to explain: “We all agree that you should be on the Pro Tour, Evan, but over 40 years ago another great golfer roomed these links”. “Perhaps one of the best putters ever, he won 27 Amateur Championship Titles, some of them right there at Oakmont, but he never got a chance at the Pro’s”. Evan: “You can only be talking about Yancy Brown”. Jimmy: “That’s right and this was his home course”. Evan: “ I didn’t know that”!
Jimmy continued: “If you look on the back wall there, you’ll see a memorial with his hickory golf clubs, some of his trophies and his picture”. He played nearly every day until he died at the age of 67 “1872 – 1939”. “You know, he died up there on the 18th hole”! “They didn’t find him until the next day, and they built a rock memorial right by the tree he was sitting against”! Evan: “Marlin showed me the memorial, it’s really nice”. Jimmy: “Even though he never made the Pros, they knew him and he played with the likes of Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood, Sr.”! And in 1935, when Byron Nelson became the Pro at Ridgewood Country Club, he and Yancy became good friends”. Although Byron got Yancy to try the new steel shafts, Yancy wouldn’t give up those old hickory shaft golf clubs”!
Jimmy: “Anyway, they found his golf clubs right there beside him”! “The only club that was missing was his trusty putter, the one with a slight crack in the shaft”. “We searched the entire area for months, but it was never found”! “We believe someone must have taken it before Yancy was found”. “To this day, golfers claim to see him searching the course, looking for his putter, but it’s really just an illusion”. Evan: “Well, the guy we saw sure looked real”! Marlin: “We’ll be playing here again tomorrow; we’ll keep an eye out for him”! Jimmy: “Just get your brother ready for Monday, Wiseguy”! Marlin: “He’ll be ready, Jimmy, he’ll be ready”!
On the Friday before Oakmont, Evan and Marlin were playing Maple Creek again. When they completed the 18th hole, Evan walked over to pay his respects to old Yancy at his stone memorial. As he turned to leave, he saw something sticking out of the bushes beside it. At first he thought it was just a stick, but when he pulled it out, it was an old hickory putter! Could it be Yancy’s? Could someone have returned it?
Evan showed it to his brother. Marlin: “That could be Yancy’s old putter”! “But how did it get here”? And, why now”! Evan: “I need to give it to Jimmy”! Marlin: “Okay, but not before Oakmont”! “You should stick it in your bag for luck”! Evan: “Do you think it’s real”? Marlin: “I don’t know, but someone must have wanted you to have it”! So, Evan stuck it in his golf bag, and they made a pact to keep it a secret between themselves and not tell anyone.
The next day, on Saturday, some of the family met for dinner at their favorite restaurant. There was Marlin and Marie, the teenage brother Palmer, who would be caddying for Evan, Megan’s twin sister Mandy, and of course Evan himself. As they sat at the table, Evan noticed an old man at a table to his left. It looked like the man he had seen on the golf course. He asked Marlin to take a look and he agreed that it could be him, but said he was inclined to agree with Jimmy about it being a vision. Evan couldn’t let it go however, and he had finally annoyed everyone at the table! “I feel I need to say something”, said Evan! “He could be a relative of Yancy Brown”? Marie: “You can’t just ask him if he is the great Yancy Brown”! Evan: “How do you know about Yancy Brown”? Mandy: “Everyone knows who Yancy Brown was”! Palmer: “Maybe the greatest putter ever”!
The man appeared to be getting ready to leave and Evan knew he’d regret not talking to him”. So, he walked over to the man’s table and said: “Hello sir, do you mind if I pay your check for you”? The old man: “No, that’s very nice of you”! Evan: “May I ask you a question”? The old man: “Sure, if I can ask you one first”! “What are you going to do with the club”? Evan was a bit shocked to learn the man knew about the putter he’d found. Evan: “Well eventually, I should probably turn it in”. The old man: “But not before Oakmont”! “You should keep it in your bag for luck, or magic, or whatever it is that you believe in”! “But always remember Evan, there is only so much magic in any club, the rest is up to you”! “Now what were you going to ask me”? Evan responded with a little chuckle in his voice: “I was going to ask you if you had some Yancy Brown in you”! The old man: “Perhaps a better question would be… do you”?
When the man had left, Evan sat back down at the table and was quiet. But soon, like a chorus by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, they all said: “WELL”? Evan: “He knew my name”! Then he tried to secretly tell Marlin that the man knew about the putter. Marlin: “Oh it’s okay, they all know about the putter”! Evan: “What”? And one more time, the Choir sang: “Keep it in your bag”! Marlin: “I don’t understand how that old man could have known about the putter”?
***
Monday, June 16th 1983 was a beautiful day for golf and the Qualifying Event. Evan played well on the first couple of holes, but the rest of the front nine turned out to be less than impressive. He realized he had been playing it too safe and knew now that the other golfers were far too good for him to continue to do that.
Going into the back nine, Evan found himself down by 4 strokes. That was when he knew he must play more aggressively or lose his big chance. Suddenly, his signature long drives and near perfect iron play were back! In fact, he was on the green with a chance for a birdie on every one of the last five holes. On the 14th hole, Evan stared at the two putters in his bag! The fancy new putter he’d purchased earlier that year and Yancy’s old cracked hickory shaft putter. He decided to search for the magic in Yancy’s old hickory club! The crowd watched as he used that old putter to score birdies on each of the 14th, 15th and 16th to gain a one stroke lead!
On the 17th hole Evan was once again in position for a birdie. His closest competitor, Milton Wohlers, who he’d played beside all day, would eventually finish the hole with a birdie. Evan was facing a putt of about 24 feet for a birdie, much shorter than the previous 3 holes! With confidence and Yancy’s old hickory putter, he sent the ball on its way, but it hit the edge of the hole and skipped over, stopping some 18 feet on the other side. All the excitement had quickly faded! It took two more putts to finish the hole one over par, with a boggy. He was behind by a stroke, again! He couldn’t help thinking what the old man had said: “There’s only so much magic in a club, the rest is up to you”!
As the two golfers approached the terrifying par 4, 423 yard, 18th hole, there was no room for error! Part way down the long narrow fairway were huge Oak Trees on either side, with their large branches stretching out over, leaving a tight passageway for even the best shot! A ways further down, toward the right side, was a pond that covered a swath almost as wide as the fairway itself! And just short of the green were three menacing sandtraps, situated toward the center and left side! It was a final hole designed to challenge the Pros, that would provide a fitting end to the Qualifier!
These were the times when Evan would hear Megan’s voice saying: “Believe in yourself, Evan”! But as he pulled his long driver from his bag, he couldn’t help remembering his father telling him: “You can play your very best, and when you win, they’ll remember it, and talk about you for years”! But if you don’t win, the only thing they remember is: “you lost”!
Milton teed off first, hitting a good shot just short of the Oak Trees, in great position for his next shot! Then Evan placed his ball on the tee, concentrating as if he was in some mystical trance! Collectively, everyone took a deep breath and held it! The silence was deafening! When that ball left the tee it sailed down the fairway like some type of rocket! It split those Oak Trees, flew over the pond, heading straight for the green! It finally landed just past the sandtrap on the very edge of the putting surface! It had to have gone close to 400 yards! The crowd roared and clapped, and even the Pro tour golfers who had come to watch the final hole, were awe-struck with amazement!
Evan had put himself in position for at least a birdie; possibly an eagle! His ball was on the edge of the green, sitting just over 70 feet from the cup! But Milton’s second shot got him closer to the green. He chipped his third shot onto the green and it ended up about two feet from the cup to set up an easy Par! As the crowd watched, Palmer approached Evan with his clubs. Evan stared at the two putters in his bag, with each seeming to say: “Choose Me”! But the magic in that old hickory had faltered on the last hole… When he pulled the new putter from his bag, he could hear Megan’s voice saying: “You are the magic, Evan”!
Evan stood over that ball and briefly looked up at the sky one last time! As his putter met the ball, it seemed destined to be a putt worthy of old Yancy Brown himself! Breaking to the right, then back toward the left, it picked up speed and went straight into the cup! Someone broke the silence and yelled: “Unbelievable”! “He did it”! “He sank it”! Of course, what they could have just said was: “Let the fat lady sing, it’s over”!
Now, I don’t know much about time warps or any of that, but in the minute or so before everyone commenced on Evan, time somehow seemed infinitely longer to him! The moment seemed strangely silent; he looked toward the fans and there was that old man! Evan tossed him the ball and the old man caught it! Then, as if heaven-sent, Megan was there too. With a beautiful smile and tears of joy, she gave him a wave and blew him a kiss! Then for the first time ever, she shook her head up and down in approval and he could read her lips: “I’ll always love you, Evan”!
Suddenly, he felt something touch his hand! It was like he’d been awoken from an unbelievable dream! He was instantly surrounded by a very large, elated crowd! Palmer, was the first one to shake the hand that had sunk the unforgettable putt! From that day on, Evan Post knew that dreams can come true, if you only believe in yourself!
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One day in the week following Oakmont, Evan walked into the clubhouse at Maple Creek. When he came in the door Jimmy Deans said: “There he is, our favorite Pro”! “Congratulations Evan”! “I can’t decide which shot was better, Larry Nelson’s 62-foot birdie on 16, to beat Tom Watson or your 70-foot eagle on 18”! “So. what brings you in today”? Evan: “I’m not sure if Marlin had told you, but I think I may have found Yancy Brown’s lost putter”! “I found it on the 18th hole, near his rock memorial”! “If it’s okay, I’d like to put it with his other clubs”. Evan started back toward Yancy’s memorial wall display. Jimmy: “Yeah sure, none of us thought you’d actually use it”!
Evan was a little taken aback by the comment and he asked Jimmy what he meant? Jimmy: “Well, Yancy didn’t really die up there on the 18th”. “Hasn’t your brother talked to you”? Just then Evan noticed that the other clubs in Yancy’s display didn’t look anything like the putter he held in his hand! Evan: “These clubs don’t match”! Jimmy: “That’s because your brother Marlin made that putter for you, himself”! Evan: “What”! “I’m going to kill him”! Jimmy: “Not so fast Evan, it was a pretty ingenious scheme for a guy who was named after a fish”! “He needed to do something to make you finally believe in yourself, and it worked”! “He always knew you had the magic, Evan”! Evan: “I guess he had my back once again”!
Evan couldn’t help smiling, but he still had one more question! He wanted to know who the old man was? Jimmy: “That’s a good question, Evan”! “Your brother asked me the same thing”. “I only wish I knew”! “I thought I was clever when I said it was Yancy looking for his putter”! But it turns out that Marlin’s plans didn’t include any old man”! “He’s a bit of a mystery to all of us”!
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In the years that followed, Evan had great success on the Pro Tour, but he would never see the old man again. Although, when Evan won his first major event, a rather odd thing occurred! One of the event organizers handed Evan a golf ball and said: “An old man asked me to give you this, he simply told me to tell you: “You should keep it in your bag for luck”!
Evan would win several major titles and even started his own line of golf equipment! Two of his best selling items were the “Evan Post Monster Driver” and the woodgrain look graphite putter called the “Yancy Brown ‘PRO’ Classic”! Far and away, however, the most popular items were in his women’s line called: “Megan’s Magic” and it was all designed by his new wife, Mandy. □
