Idled by Surgery, Pooley Confident He Can Defend

By Ken Klavon, USGA
Toledo, Ohio - During the third round of last year's U.S. Senior Open, Gil Morgan watched in awe as playing partner Don Pooley had a day for the ages.

Shot after shot, hole after hole at Caves Valley Golf Club, Pooley could not miss. He was in the proverbial zone, Pooley recalled Monday at Inverness Country Club while helping to tout Senior Open Media Day.

A birdie here, a birdie there and suddenly Pooley was on the precipice of the unattainable with two holes to go. A birdie-par combination on those final two holes would score a 63, something no player had ever done at a Senior Open. Two birdies would tie Christina Kim's USGA mark (62) set in 2001.

More important, either outcome would place Pooley atop the leaderboard heading into the final round.

That meant momentum.

And confidence.

On No. 17, Pooley set up what would be his ninth birdie opportunity. He stabbed at the 10-foot offering, watching the ball pick up speed as it raced toward the hole. The adrenaline rushed. The ball kissed the back of the hole, popped up, then was engulfed by nothingness.

"Walking off the green, Gil says, 'Do you play the lottery?' I said no, I don't. He turned back and said, 'Well, maybe you should,'" said Pooley to a room filling with laughter.

Almost a year later, it's academic now. Pooley, 51, did fire a record-breaking 63 in that third round and eventually outlasted Tom Watson in a grueling five-hole sudden death on the final day to win his first major. He became just the sixth player to take the event in his first attempt.

"It was a long road getting there last year," said Pooley.

In more ways than one. The victory ended a drought that had dated 15 years, one month to his Memorial Tournament win while on the PGA Tour. For years, it seemed as though Pooley was just another name lost in the sea of weekly hopefuls in the agate section.

When he approached his 50th birthday, and with the Senior Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) on the horizon, he set some goals. He wanted to play well enough to avoid qualifying school (which he didn't) and be as competitive as possible. The Q-School experience withstanding, Pooley persevered and got through it.

Relying on his Christian faith, he started the 2002 season in a positive mode. His game did not.

In early spring, he took time off and sought the services of Dr. Bob Rotella for help on his mental approach. The visit produced instant results.

At the Senior Open sectional qualifier in Nashville, roughly a month before the championship, Pooley beat out 111 other players for one of the five spots. Hence, by going on to win the Senior Open, he became the first sectional qualifier to ever be crowned champion.

Now, coming off Jan. 3 surgery to his left shoulder, Pooley won't have to worry about qualifying again. He is now exempt into the championship for life. "It sure will be nice not to have to qualify," he said.

If there is a question mark, it would undoubtedly be whether Pooley will be ready. He hasn't played a round since last year, and has only worked on his chipping and putting. No full swings, though, because of the shoulder.

"The rehab is coming along fine," he said. "The doctor said it would take about five months from Jan. 3 ... I'm getting real close [to playing again]."

He did enter the Champions Tour's Columbus Southern Open in late May, an indication that he's rearing to get going.

There are still goals to pursue. The last player to repeat was Gary Player in 1988. Pooley would like to overwrite that last sentence. But he will have his work cut out for him on the famed Inverness Club course that will play 6,983 yards, par 71.

He'll have to battle the intangibles, of course. First and foremost, such as the added pressure of being defending champion. Also, Craig Stadler, who won the 1973 U.S. Amateur at Inverness, will be playing in his first Senior Open. Hale Irwin, an icon on the Champions Tour, tasted success there too by winning the 1979 U.S. Open.

Pooley deflected the subject with aplomb, only saying that he's aiming to be ready, even though he hasn't played at all this year.

"This is the premiere event on the Champions Tour," he said. "You can ask any player on the tour and they'll tell you this is what they look forward to."

It seems so long ago that Pooley was battling "the best player of my generation" in Watson during what surely goes down as one of the all-time best sudden deaths. "People have come up to me and said it was one of the greatest [championships] they've seen played," he said.

The victory no doubt put Pooley back on the map, even if he did lose his direction for a bit.

"You all want to talk to me now," he said, when asked how his life has changed. "There are more interviews - TV, radio, newspaper. I've gotten a lot of opportunities."

And one more beckons come June 26-29.

Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org.