Vernon: Watson Always Beats Me

When Jim Vernon takes over the presidential reins of the USGA, he’ll become just the fourth Californian to ever hold the esteemed position. The 58-year-old golf aficionado boasts a friendship with Tom Watson that dates back to their Stanford days. He shared this and several other intriguing nuggets about himself recently with Association staff writer David Shefter.

As a Rules official, have you ever had any bizarre situations come up on the course?

Vernon: Actually, I have been pretty lucky. Most of my rulings have been pretty much bread and butter. To me, being a Rules official at that level you spend 99 percent of your time somewhat bored and one percent in a sheer panic.

I had one [situation] at Oakmont last year [at the U.S. Open] with [Angel] Cabrera on Saturday. He was next to a bunker on one of the par-3s and I got a call on the radio shortly after that whether his ball had moved when he was addressing it. I was right there and was looking at it. I could have sworn it did not move. But I had to go ask him later whether it had and he said no. TV replays showed that it did not. That was one. …You always have to be alert.

Do you have a favorite golf moment?

Vernon: Not really. It’s funny, I have thought about that. I have some great memories in a lot of different contexts. I cherish some of my memories playing golf with my dad and my brother. Certainly I’ve seen some great golf from Tiger Woods when he was in high school to the best at the U.S. Open the last few years.

Considering your tremendous friendship with Tom Watson that dates back to your Stanford days, can you relate any special story about him?

Vernon: I remember Tom’s first professional golf tournament. It happened to be the Kaiser Open at Silverado in Napa. He made the cut. I was there for the last couple of rounds. I remember him coming off the 18th green and I forget what he shot. It was a good round. There was a kid who was probably 10 years old. He and my girlfriend and I were probably the entire gallery for Tom. The kid went up to Tom and said, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ I was so struck by, ‘Here is my good friend and there’s a kid asking him for his autograph.’

I did not go up for [the 1982 U.S. Open]. I am sorry I wasn’t there for that. But whenever he would come to Los Angeles for the L.A. Open, he would stay with me. I had plenty of opportunities to come see him play in tournaments. I do wish I had been [at Pebble Beach] for that one.

I’m sure you’ve had the chance to play golf with Tom over the years?

Vernon: Well, he always beats me. Most of my golf with Tom is always played in Kansas City (his hometown) or at Lakeside [Golf Club]. It’s always a kick to play with him. It makes me appreciate just how good [PGA] Tour players really are. When I was a little younger and playing better than I do now, I could hit some shots like Tom could hit some shots, but he could hit some shots that I just couldn’t hit. Plus, he just hit the good ones a lot more than I did.

Lakeside Golf Club is right in the heart of two major movie studios, Universal and Warner Brothers, so I am sure there are some celebrity members at the club. Do you have any stories or unusual encounters with any celebrities at the club that you can share?

Vernon: You see them, but I don’t play golf with them. We are very protective of what goes on at Lakeside just because of the nature of the people who are there. I have played golf with Joe Pesci. He’s a good golfer, probably low double-digits. He’s fun to play with. He’s just a character. He’s just a nice guy.

Being that you are in the diamond business, what are some key things people should look for when purchasing a diamond?

Vernon: The ultimate criterion is, how does it look to you? I can give you chapter and verse on what you should do to a diamond to make it look good to you, but as a consumer, you need to trust your eyes. The higher the color in the diamond and the cut on the diamond are the two most important things.

My guess is that your wife, Gail, didn’t have to worry about getting a quality diamond as an engagement ring?

Vernon: Gail has done OK (laughing). She has a nice diamond or two. In our business, we have been known for dealing in better quality stones anyways, so Gail has been the beneficiary of that for sure.