Fairways & Fashion by Jeffie
I have a confession to make. I like celebrities, and I like golf. Nowhere else do the two collide better than at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I never saw myself as star crazed, the type of person with an 8x10 glossy portfolio. Well, maybe a 4x5 of Gopher from the Love Boat, but I never donned a blonde wig to lead a Britney Spears fan club, but I knew I liked golf.
It started last year with the Celebrity Challenge at Pebble Beach. I was walking off hole 2 in search of the ladies room when I looked back to see running toward me with arms out wide, wind blowing through his hair, Kenny G playing in the back ground………. Mark Wahlberg. Well, maybe he was really running towards the bathrooms, but Kenny G was playing in the back ground. Golf that is.
Afterwards, still a little star-struck, I stumbled down the fairways path and was about a birdie putt away from Samuel Jackson. With Pulp Fiction lines running through my head I stepped in front of him in hopes of getting a picture or autograph. It was at this moment I realized my husband had the camera and pen.
“Do you want something?” the Jedi Knight asked, as I stuttered, swayed back and forth and clumsily pulled my pockets inside out, sheepishly grinned, touched his arm and said….. “Uhhhhh….hi.”
Thus began my quest to have more encounters with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. This year was no exception. Undaunted by the rain, I thought “It’s raining men… hallelujah!” as I tip-toed amongst the golfers sprinkled across the playing grounds.
At the putting green, I found Jim Furyk calculating his putts with mathematical rigor that would make a slide ruler buff proud and your favorite Geometry teacher quiver. He then proceeded to sink 10 out of 11 putts. As I mimicked Furyks methods in my mind, a wild haired Charlie Hoffman loomed nearby, setting the stage for a week of golf, fun and star-studded style.
On Wednesday, the fashion show… excuse me, golf tournament… got into gear as celebrities sauntered and sashayed across the practice green. Argyle ran rampant at the Pro-Am, from the celebrities to the freshly striped, rain soaked fairways. There was Costner channeling Bobby Jones; Andy Garcia channeling… Andy Garcia, the refined gentleman with berets and other euro accoutrements; Ray Romano and Kevin James sporting His-and-His matching saddle back shoes; and George Lopez with his $400 pants. Vintage golf attire was “hotttttt”, as Paris Hilton would say, sprinkled with dashes of mint green, lavender and hues of indigo. Then there was the always funny Bill Murray a little dressed down this year, giving me the thumbs up for my own fashion selection.
Skipping down the path along Pebble’s first fairway, I was halted and mesmerized by Costner’s character study of Moses. With Carson Daly in the rough outside the ropes, Kevin attempted to part the sea of fans for his fellow golf nut celebrity. Up past the green his services would have been greatly appreciated by Kenny G who ended up pitching over the crowd. Not too shabby.
Seeking another celebrity encounter I headed for my secret path to find a choice spot. As I watched the svelte Davis Love III land his practice shots next to the adjacent pin, I had my next encounter with a celebrity… well, his ball that is. It was a casual encounter, not of the Craigslist kind. I got an apology and a million-watt smile from the hunky surf legend Kelly Slater as his playing partner Huey Lewis took on the task of rescuing him from the sand where the ball came to rest.
Though the weather was a bit dreary, the celebrities continued to shine all week, raising money for charity, interacting with the crowds, and providing a lighter side to the seriousness and focus of the professional play that went on. Whether it was Danny Gans channeling Sammy Davis or Kevin James surfing the crowd, Phil Mickelson wowing the crowd with birdie after birdie, or Bill Murray doing his best deadpan, the AT&T was in full swing this year and the crowd loved it. This golf voyeur will be back again next year for all the excitement and golf couture.
