McGee stays as close to the game as he can
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EAST PALESTINE -- Like the rest of us who are starved for any kind of sports programming on TV, former PGA Tour golfer and East Palestine resident Jerry McGee spent part of his Easter weekend eagerly consuming the Masters final round replays shown on ESPN and CBS.
"I had fun watching Tiger's win from last year again," McGee said, referencing Tiger Woods' thrilling victory last season in which he ended an 11-year drought without a major championship. "I was rooting for Brooks Koepka, but it was nice to see Tiger win again. It makes you realize how much you miss the game."
McGee probably misses live golf more than many others as the PGA Tour continues its hiatus during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The four-time PGA Tour champion and father-in-law of LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam had been confined mostly to his house due to health issues even before the pandemic reared its ugly head.
"I've had quite a few health problems the last couple of years that have kept me home. I've been quarantined long before all of this started," McGee said.
McGee said he has been unable to play golf for nine years, but still is an avid follower on television.
"I miss playing it like heck," McGee said. "I watch as much as I can on TV every week. I record what I can't watch live. Not being able to watch live tournaments over the last month has definitely left a void. But they have suspended the season with good reason. There is no reason for them to return until it is safe for the players and tournament officials."
Reliving past Masters moments brought back a flood of memories from McGee's own experiences at Augusta National. McGee competed in the Masters five times, with his best finish being a tie for fifth in his first appearance in 1972, the same year Jack Nicklaus captured his fourth green jacket.
"I remember playing with (nine-time major champion) Gary Player in 1970 and he told me that whatever else I did on tour, I had to make it to Augusta," McGee said. "He said there was nothing else that compared to it and he was right. When I got there in 1972, I remember being awestruck at the undulation of the golf course. TV doesn't do it justice. I also remember how green and immaculate everything was. I never saw a single weed."
McGee said that watching contenders at the 2019 Masters deal with Augusta's famously difficult 12th hole brought back vivid memories of his first experiences with the intimidating 155-yard par-3.
Swirling breezes, combined with a water hazard in front of the green, have made the tee shot a vexing one for thousands of golfers over the years. The hole was one of the key turning points in Woods' 2019 victory, as four of his closest competitors all hit their tee shots in the water and made double bogeys.
"It was crazy watching all of that unfold," McGee said. "That tee shot was one of the most difficult I faced in my career. I remember playing a practice round there in 1972 when the wind was calm. I put my shot a foot-and-a-half from the hole and I thought to myself, 'This isn't so bad.' I got there the next day and I checked the flag at 11 to see what the wind was doing. The flag at 11 was blowing back towards me but the flag at 12 was blowing dead downwind. That's when I really got a taste for how unpredictable that hole is. I wound up putting my tee shot in the back bunker but fortunately I was able to get up-and-down for par."
McGee then reminisced about his first PGA Tour victory, which came on April 20, 1975, at the Pensacola Open, the week after the Masters. He finished at 13-under-par to hold off Wally Armstrong by two shots.
"One of the main things I remember was going out to eat with my wife Jill before the tournament that week," McGee said. "We ordered oysters and I found a pearl in one of mine. I guess that was a good omen. The victory just made we realize all of the things that have to go your way over four days to win a golf tournament. A lot of times you can be playing your best golf, but you just get unlucky along the way."
McGee recounted an encounter he had with fellow Ohio State University alum Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara following his victory.
"Me and my wife were sitting at a table and Jack and Barbara come over," McGee said. "Barbara handed us an envelope with clips about me from the Columbus Dispatch that they cut out. It was a small gesture, but I thought it showed what kind of class Jack and Barbara had. They are wonderful people. You couldn't ask for a better champion to represent the game than Jack."
McGee went onto record three more PGA Tour victories as well as a win at the 1982 Tri-State Open. He also took home top-10 finishes in the 1976 and 77 PGA Championships and lost a playoff to Raymond Floyd at the 1976 World Golf Championship.
Looking back on his career, though, he said his biggest thrill was the chance to represent the United States at the 1977 Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in England.
McGee went 1-1 for the tournament as the U.S. defeated the team of Great Britain and Ireland 12 1/2-7 1/2. It was the last Ryder Cup before players from continental Europe were allowed to compete.
"Outside of my family, playing on that team was the greatest thrill of my life," McGee said. "To be one of 12 golfers picked to represent your country, I still get chills thinking about it. The crowds and the atmosphere at a Ryder Cup are different than anything else in golf. It's the only time so see a crowd openly rooting against you."
From his couch, McGee avidly follows the current stars of today's game like Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. He believes that the game has never been better.
"I think the tour is in phenomenal shape right now," McGee said. "It's incredible how skilled the players are and how good the equipment is. The clubs I had look like butter knives compared to what these guys are using. These young players are also great with the fans and understand what the tour is all about. The game is in great hands."
McGee said the biggest difference in the game now compared to when he was growing up is the strength of junior golf programs.
"These junior golf events are run like PGA Tour events now; they do such a good job of preparing golfers for competition on the highest level. When I came on tour, you kind of took things one step at a time. You were just worried about winning enough money to stick around before you started to think about winning tournaments, much less majors. These guys now are getting on tour ready to win from day one. That's a credit to the strong junior golf programs."
The revised PGA Tour season for 2020 is scheduled to start the week of June 8 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Should professional golf return this year, the most likely scenario is holding tournaments without fans, an experience that McGee went through once in his career.
"I played a tournament in New Jersey once where there was a big storm Saturday night that knocked down a bunch of trees," McGee said. "We came back on Sunday and played the final round without fans. I can't say that it really affected the way I played, but it was a very weird experience to not have anyone cheer after a shot. I'm sure its going to be an adjustment for those guys."
As of right now, the PGA Championship has been rescheduled for August, with the U.S. Open following in September and the Masters in mid-November. The British Open has been canceled. Whatever golf looks like upon its return, McGee is confident it will still be an enjoyable experience.
"The first two majors shouldn't be that affected, but the Masters is going to be completely different in November," McGee said. "The grass is completely different that time of year and you are not going to have the normal springtime atmosphere. But Augusta has done such a great job over the years of putting on a world-class golf tournament that I'm sure they will find a way to make it work. I can't wait to see what they come up with."
Golf notes
• Sorenstam was scheduled to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on March 23, but the ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic. Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion on the LPGA Tour, is married to McGee's son, Mike.
• McGee finished 15th on the PGA Tour money list in 1979 and took home $167,000. For comparisons sake, Rickie Fowler won $3,945,810 for a 15th place finish with 2019.
• McGee joined the PGA Tour in 1967 and retired from the tour in 1981.