PRESORT STD FREE MAY U.S. Postage PAID COPY 2012 ISSUE THE SOURCE FOR NORTHWEST GOLF NEWS Port Townsend, WA Permit 262 GolfWorld Pacific Amateur is set for Central Oregon The GolfWorld Pacific Amateur will be held Aug. 26-31, 2012 at some of Central Oregon’s best courses like Aspen Lakes (right) and the time is right to sign up for the event. The three-day, stroke-play tournament is open to all players. Over 600 players are expected to play. See inside for more. Professional tours WHAT’S NEW Take a tour of Northwest Washington IN NW GOLF heading up to the Pacific Northwest GolfTEC is on the for pair of events The Pacific Northwest will welcome the move, opens up a LPGA and Champions Tours this summer with a pair of tournaments in the Seattle and new golf teaching Portland areas. First on studio in Lynnwood the tee will be LPGA Safe- GolfTEC, the indoor golf teaching way Classic, leader with facilities around the Puget set for Aug. 17- Sound, opened a new Improvement 19 at Pumpkin Center in Lynnwood, Wash. Saturday, Ridge’s Ghost April 21. Creek Course. GolfTEC has more than 150 Im- It marks the provement Centers in North America, fourth straight with four now in the Seattle area with year the event the addition of the Lynnwood facil- has been held ity. At the Lynnwood site, GolfTEC Photo: Scott Bisch at Pumpkin certified coaches Lyndon Bystrom Fred Couples Ridge after and David McMillon will use the moving from company’s Proven Path system to longtime home Columbia Edgewater. help golfers improve their games. Suzann Pettersen won last year’s event in With the new opening, GolfTEC is a playoff. The tournament features a purse offering specials through the end of of $1.5 million and last year the Safeway May which include $99 for a swing The Northwest Washington area Classic drew 88,000 fans for the week. evaluation and 10 percent off les- is a vast region stretching from the Pacific Northwest players such as Wendy son programs and packages,” said Ward, Paige Mackenzie and Jimin Kang will GolfTEC Seattle Franchise Owner Olympic Peninsula to the greater be part of the field. Brett Allen. Bellingham area. This month, Inside See www.safewayclassic.com for more The new Lynnwood facility will Golf Newspaper takes you on a tour information on the tournament. have events going in conjunction of these locations. You can tee it up Next up will be the Champions Tour’s with its opening, including a swing Boeing Classic, set for the TPC Snoqualmie diagnosis, center tour, competitions at great places like Shuksan (top ridge Aug. 24-26. Mark Calcavecchia won and prizes for various contests. photo) in Bellingham and Port Ludlow last year’s tournament, which features a For more information on the facil- (left) on the Olympic Peninsula. Some purse of $2 million. ity, call 425.412.3999. of the states most outstanding golf The event will draw the top players form courses can be found in these two the Champions Tour, including hometown favorite Fred Couples. Other Pacific North- Kyle Stanley will join regions. Check out our special sec- west Champions tour players Bob Gilder tion inside this month’s issue of Inside from Corvallis and Peter Jacobsen from Umpqua Bank field Golf Newspaper. Portland are expected to compete. The tournament was voted as the Cham- The Umpqua Bank Challenge, set pions Tour’s Player Award winner for 2011. for Aug. 26-28 at the Reserve near For more information check out www.boe- Portland, has added Northwest PGA ingclassic.com. star Kyle Stanley to the field. Stanley, a native of Gig Harbor, Wash., earned his first victory earlier this year at the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Stanley’s victory followed a playoff loss to Brandt Snedeker at Destination: the previous week’s tournament. Stanley joins host Peter Jacobsen as well as FedEx Cup champion Bill Puerto Rico Haas in the tournament. Haas will team up with his father Jay in the In the market for an exotic golf two-man format. vacation? Then look no further than Puerto Rico. The island has a lot of terrific golf resorts like Rio Rules Quiz Mar (pictured right) and some of the best weather you will find Three of four players in a group assigned by the Committee to the 9:00 starting time arrive at anywhere. For more on Puerto the starting tee ready to play (ball and club in hand). Rico and what you can find there, Player #3 arrives in time to play in his proper order please see inside this section of but arrived 2 minutes late (9:02:00). What is the ruling? See answer on Page 2. Inside Golf Newspaper. Printed in U.S.A. • • • INSIDE GOLF NEWSPAPER • • • ©All Rights Reserved • Page 2 • • InsIde Comments • • Inside Golf - May Issue 2012 • Chi Chi Rodriguez: There will never be anyone like him on or off the golf course When you think of golf in Puerto Rico, there is only one thing that comes to mind. Where is Chi Chi Rodriguez hang- ing out and how can I meet him. Of course, Puerto Rico is known for Bob Marlatt its vast beaches, warm temperatures, Publisher terrific golf resorts but it is also the home of one Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, who teve Steve Turcotte put Puerto Rico on the golfing map with Editor-Advertising his play on the course and his schtick off S the course. On a recent trip to the Caribbean is- Turcotte Kathy Marlatt land, which roughly measures the size of Operations Manager Connecticut, our group was on Chi Chi Puerto Rico Open Tournament Director watch from the beginning. In the airport, Sidney Wolf. “This is a great way for the there was a Chi Chi sign promoting golf. fans to see him in person and up close Contributing Writers In a golf magazine, there was Chi Chi and give him a great reception.” Jeff Coston, Kathy DeNeui, Mike Peluso, again promoting the Puerto Rico Open Chi Chi does it all for golf in Puerto Brett Wilkinson which was going on the same week our Rico. He is the spokesman of the island Cartoonist: Harold Bluestein group was in town. nation’s golf television commercials. He But where was Chi Chi? is an ambassador for the Dorado Beach Subscription rates: Amazingly, turns out Chi Chi was wait- Resort and he seems to find time for $17-one year and $30-two ing for our group when we made our first anyone who crosses his path. Chi Chi Rodriguez golfing stop at Dorado Beach Resort, Chi Chi doesn’t seem to forget a face years (U.S. funds). a lavish three-course setup which runs or name. In fact when we were chatting onto golf early becoming a caddy. To Unsolicited articles and photos are wel- along the ocean. As we stepped out of him up at the Dorado Beach Resort and practice at an early age, Chi Chi would come, however we will accept no liability the van carrying our group, a short guy in found out that I was from the Pacific take a branch from a guava tree, turn it for their loss or damage, and will only a white hat and a sharp golf outfit walked Northwest, he asked how Tacoma-native into a golf club and then a metal can and return them if prior arrangements have toward the door. He stuck his hand out and former PGA Tour player Ken Still use it as a golf ball. By the time he was been made with the publisher. and said “I’m Chi Chi, it’s great to have was. “I loved playing golf with Ken,” 12 years old he shot 67. you guys here.” said Chi Chi. “He was always one of my Chi Chi Rodriguez is Puerto Rico golf. Courier Address When you meet the 76-year-old Chi favorites to play a round with.” He is like the pied piper. As he walked 460 Dennis Blvd Chi, one of the first things you realize is When you look at his background, around the grounds of the Puerto Rico Port Townsend, WA 98368 that this man is a golfing icon in Puerto it’s amazing to think that Chi Chi was an Open, kids and adults followed him, want- Rico and across the world of golf for that eight-time winner on the PGA Tour and ing autographs or just to talk golf. And he Mailing Address matter. Don’t believe it, just take a look at then a 22-time winner on the Champions had time for everyone who wanted his P.O. Box 1890 Port Townsend, WA 98368 what the Puerto Rico Open did for him. Tour. He stands just 5-foot-7 and tips the signature or who wanted to talk golf. They asked him to play a ceremonial scales at 150 pounds. Yet, he won 30 There is indeed no one like him. There Phone nine holes before all of the other players times on pro tours - all this despite being never will be again. (360) 379-4080 in the final round so he could play in front born into a poor family in Puerto Rico, of his hometown fans. where his father earned as little as $18 Steve Turcotte is editor of Inside Golf “Puerto Rico is very fortunate to have a week as a laborer and cattle handler. Newspaper. He can be reached at sdtur- E-mail Address [email protected] a guy like Chi Chi to call their own,” said Yet Chi Chi managed to get turned [email protected] www.insidegolfonline.com INSIDE GOLF Newspaper is a trademark of Northwest Publications, Inc.