The Inspiring Story Behind Scott Stallings' Rookie Win

Way back in March, when this was happening...  I wrote this:

c/o BNET/Chief Executive Golfer

March 17, 2011 - A couple of days ago I finally got a chance to check out  Chief Executive Golfer,  a blog written by PGA Tour rookie, Scott Stallings, for BNET, the CBS interactive business network.

The PGA Reshuffle: What Happens When You're Not Making Money was what caught my eye.  It was Scott's most recent post, and as I read it... then read his previous posts... I was captivated by the narrative.  It's Scott's personal story and it brings to life his dreams... and his disappointments... many of which are certainly shared by touring pros everywhere as they attempt to build sustainable golf careers.  I'd first heard about Scott... and his blog... via an interview he did for The Grill Room, with Golf Magazine senior editor Alan Bastable. 

Scott started the blog a couple of years ago and writes regularly.  His early posts find him grinding along on the Nationwide Tour.  He describes the frustration when he narrowly missed getting on the PGA Tour in 2009 and the joy of finally getting there in 2010.  He talks about the crazy travel schedule, the relationships he has with his caddie and swing coach, the money issues and missed cuts... and the sheer unpredictability of it all.   For the casual golf fan... and even for avid fans... I suspect many of the stories in Scott's blog would be a revelation.

c/o stallingsgolf.com

Scott is a preachers son, raised in Oak Ridge, TN.  His quintessential Middle American innocence and unaffected enthusiasm come through clearly in his writing.   He travels 300 days a year with Jennifer who he first met when they were both... in kindergarten. They started dating in seventh grade and she's now his wife.  Though she's as beautiful as any of the PGA Tour wives mentioned in the reality show story (of last March),  her look is decidedly more "winsome, storybook princess" than "fierce bad girl glamazon".

Jennifer manages the couple's complicated, constantly changing itinerary and acts as devil's advocate for her sometimes overly optimistic husband.  She's also a talented photographer... and a prolific blogger in her own right.  Life on the Road is where Jennifer chronicles the unconventional touring pro lifestyle from a partner's point of view.  Like her husband she describes the hardships as well as the joys and paints an engaging, eye-opening picture.

c/o PGATour.com

Scott missed the cut for the Honda Classic so right now he and Jennifer are in rain soaked Bogota, Colombia for the Nationwide Tour's Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open. Scott's currently in a tie for 22nd as the last group finishes their second round and the third round gets underway. Rules don't allow for play on Monday so the the tournament... and the next move for Mr. and Mrs. Stallings... will be decided this afternoon, on the completion, it's hoped, of 54 holes.  Theirs is far cry from the lifestyle of the top players.

c/o stallingsgolf.com

For Scott Stallings and other PGA Tour rookies... and for all of those trying to reach the PGA Tour through the Nationwide Tour or regional and developmental tours... the stakes, week-in and week-out, are arguably far greater than they are at the top, where players have status that allows them to worry much less about keeping their jobs.  To my mind, these rookies... and aspiring rookies... have a far more dramatic story to tell.  A good showing has got to mean more... and a heart break must be far more heartbreaking... when the specter of starting over at Q-school is hanging over one's head.

If these stories can be heard over the cacophony that surrounds the glamorous lives of top players, I'm sure they'll find an enthusiastic audience... even in this fragmented golf media landscape.   In fact, with the proliferation of new online golf platforms and multimedia golf entertainment networks, a well produced web series starring Scott and Jennifer Stallings might not be that much of a stretch.  In the meantime check out Chief Executive Golfer and Life on the Road for an ultra-engaging glimpse into the lives of the real rookies of the PGA Tour.

In a one-hole sudden death playoff today, Scott won the 2011 Greenbrier Classic. 

Life Unscripted - The Real Rookies of the PGA Tour

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One of the more talked tweeted about off-the-course golf stories of the past week was the strategically placed rumor? report that a group of PGA Tour wives were pitching a reality show.  The topic was timely and the packaging was perfect. It came just as our voyeuristic hunger for the unscripted adventures of attractive people reached new heights. Thank you Charlie Sheen.

Various elements of the PGA Tour wives reality show story have since been denied, and the golf talk on Twitter has reverted back to its default: Tiger Woods. Though he's not playing this weekend Tiger was being talked about... a lot... by fans and detractors, by fellow tour players and golf icons of the past.  And by many writers, bloggers and journalists who are as fascinated as his fans and who know the value of his name in a headline.

Tiger was omnipresent on Twitter this weekend where tweets like "I keep thinking of Tiger Woods whenever someone mentions #tigerblood" were popular.  Once again, thank you Charlie Sheen.

When you look at who's commanding attention in today's fragmented, pop-culture obsessed, search-engine-optimised media landscape there's a pretty good chance it won't be the one with the most relevant message... or the most important story.  Kelly McParland addressed this idea today in a pensive piece for Canada.com's National Post. Seeking anonymity? Join the PGA Tour. is the sobering title and in it he ruefully declares, "Golf needs Tiger like a politician needs votes".

Travelers Championship = An Awesome Week in CT

The umbrella green at dusk via @TravelersChamp

The 111th US Open is now part of golf history, memorable for the myriad records broken by Rory McIlroy... and for the young Ulsterman's uplifting story. Rory's rapid redemption... after his final round letdown at the Masters... gave hope to golfers everywhere.

Those who participated in the event... particularly those who worked for months (and years) behind the scenes... are probably feeling a sense of relief.  I'd imagine there's also a touch of melancholy...like the one that always follows the holiday season.  For many down at Congressional Country Club, today probably feels kind of like the day you take down the Christmas tree. Here in Connecticut however, our golf event is just getting underway.

The 59th installment of the Travelers Championship began today with the an opening ceremony on the first hole of TPC River Highlands. Later in the day 28 PGA TOUR professionals played with amateurs in the the Aetna Tournament Players Pro-Am.  One of them was Scott Stallings the affable PGA Tour rookie who blogs about his life as a touring pro at Chief Executive Golfer.  I wrote about Scott and his enchanting wife Jennifer (who also blogs!) back when the season was starting.  A couple of hours ago Scott tweeted from the "hardest hole on the @PGATour".  Welcome to CT Scott and Jennifer.

Sinister Steampunk Flying Machine Is Actually a Golf Channel Camera

Flying Machine Stamp ....  via Stampers Best

Nineteenth century French writer Jules Verne didn't play golf.

After all, he was nearing middle age by the time the first course came to France, and I'm guessing he was too busy building his "Father of Science Fiction" legacy, writing the retro-futuristic tales of space travel, submarines and sea monsters we all read growing up.

Out of his fantastic imagination came giant dirigibles, soaring, steam-powered clipper ships and idiosyncratic ornithopters with flapping wings.

But Monsieur Verne passed away in 1905, about the same time the Wright Brothers took the twelve second flight that ushered in the era of modern aviation and streamlined aircraft.

So... not surprisingly... the appearance of a malevolent-looking, multi-propellered flying machine hovering over PGA Tour golfer Scott Stallings as he practiced at Bay Hill last week turned quite a few heads; the tech press was buzzing about it... so were the sports blogs.  As it turns out, the aeronautic arthropod was simply a camera-carrying drone to be deployed by the Golf Channel to capture a player's eye view of the action on-course.  ~ In our era of fragmented audiences and increased competition, innovation is increasingly important even when it appears to come from the mind of a nineteenth century Frenchman.