Tournament players highlight
Published 10:59 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Greater Seattle Champions Classic (GSCC) is the newest addition to the West Coast swing portion of the PGA Champions Tour, which includes Portland and Pebble Beach, Calif.
In May, local GSCC officials got a chance to speak with one of the tournament players. Billed as “the most regular guy in the tournament,” Mark Johnson, 51, of Helendale, Calif., is a father of two who drove a Budweiser truck for 18 years. Johnson’s parents got him started in the game at age 9. He turned pro in 1998.
“I’d start my route at 4:30 a.m. and deliver 600 to 1,000 cases of beer, finish around 2 p.m. and go out and hit balls,” Johnson said, via teleconference at a recent GSCC media luncheon. “By the time you deliver 1,000 cases of beer, you don’t feel much like practicing.”
Johnson’s victory at the Toshiba Senior Classic in Newport Beach, Calif., in March moved him to the top of his game. Johnson’s quick rise in the PGA ranks has been “a dream come true” for him, but hasn’t really affected the “regular guy” who loves spaghetti and Garth Brooks.
“It’s changed my life. The Champions’ Tour has been a dream I wanted to get to since I turned 45. It’s been a lot of hard work, playing against young kids,” Johnson said.
Johnson turned pro at age 40 and entered the tour at age 50.
“America is a great place and things like this can happen with hard work and dedication,” he said.
Visit www.greaterseattlechampionsclassic.com for tickets starting June 1.
