June 09--Blackhawks senior adviser Scotty Bowman has born witness to greatness. And we're not talking about Guy Lafleur and Nicklas Lidstrom.
He has taken part in some of golf's most memorable rounds as a walking scorer, recording yardage, scores and some stats. A closer look:
Tiger Woods, 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach: "I was with him for that final round, when he finished 12 under par. He played with Ernie Els. I had met Tiger at a banquet at the end of 1999. We were on stage, all taking pictures. After his round at Pebble, I was in the scoring trailer, sitting behind Tiger. He turns around and sees my name tag and says: 'Scotty, what are you doing here?' It shows you their level of concentration during the round. They don't gaze around. They're not spectating. Once they get into the zone, they only think about their game."
Jack Nicklaus, 2005 British Open at St. Andrews: "Jack played with Luke Donald and Tom Watson. It was his final (British Open) round, on a Friday. He made one bogey and 16 pars ... and he birdied 18. He was so relieved. After they finished, he talked to Luke in the scoring area and said: 'You have a terrific game. Just be patient with your progress.' It was a little pep talk."
Arnold Palmer, 2005 U.S. Senior Open at NCR Country Club near Dayton, Ohio: "It was his last game (final time at a senior major) and he was in a bunker. Arnie found a little kid who was 6 or 7 and said: 'You should take this shot for me.'"
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
