Black - Walking with Tigers

2018 by John Black

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.

First digital version

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Print ISBN: 978-1-61296-992-3

PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROSE WRITING

www.blackrosewriting.com

Print edition produced in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to our Dads, Perry and Gib.

Two great guys, who left us too soon.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When I was a junior at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Idaho I enrolled in a Journalism class taught by Mr. Holbrook who was an old-school taskmaster who preached the five W s of journalism and worked his students like we were cadets in boot camp. He made us learn and, because of him, I became a journalist of sorts and wrote part-time to help with college costs. I never knew Mr. Holbrook s first name and was about to look it up for the purposes of this note when it suddenly struck me why? MISTER Holbrook is just fine, thank you!

I always talked about writing a book one day but it was just that talk. Two careers, a family, love of golf and fishing and plain old procrastination kept it from happening.

Then, two remarkable young men whom I had known since they were kids, started a rare adventure and I thought maybe I should get off my tired butt and tell their story. So, I talked to Joel and Geno and we decided to give it a go.

Special thanks to Joel, the book s co-hero. He was open, honest and getting to know him was an honor. Holly, what can I say? You were always there to talk and give encouragement. You made me laugh and brightened the day. Lona, Bob, Jim, JoAnne, Susan, Dick, Barbara, Ed, Rob, and Nick thanks so much! There is no way this happens without your willingness to give time and insights.

To life-long friend Tom Thorpe, thanks for the advice and pointing me in the right direction. Reagan Rothe, you are awesome. Agreeing to take on a book with no ending was very cool on your part.

Then there is Geno, the other co-hero. There is no way to thank you enough. Writing e-mails at midnight, calling between flights when you were dog tired, and giving up a little Holly and Hudson time made the story come alive. There is no way this project comes together without you. You re the greatest!

Finally, the very best of all! My wife, nurse, partner, editor, Microsoft word consultant and all around good gal, Marilyn! So many thanks to give you but maybe most of all, thanks for keeping me from throwing the laptop against the wall when it misbehaved! Love you!

PROLOGUE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 TH , 2016

PUMPKIN RIDGE GOLF CLUB

NEAR PORTLAND, OREGON

6:10 PM

The mission was clear for Jack Maguire as he walked to the 18 th tee on the iconic Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course. If he made birdie, he would make enough money at the WinCo Foods Portland Open to earn his PGA card and become eligible to enter the tour s tournaments in 2017.

However, if the former Florida State University star made par or worse, he would fall short and could only get into tour events through other, more difficult qualifying methods.

The pressure was intense and the Golf Channel s live coverage made it possible for viewers to share the drama. Maguire had put himself into this precarious position by missing very makeable birdie putts on the three previous holes. Now he had absolutely no margin for error.

But there was a good chance he would succeed. Pumpkin s 18 th , the tournament s 72 nd and final hole, is a reachable par five and several players in the field had successfully hit the green in two shots. Maguire had both the experience under pressure and the firepower to do it.

He did not get the ball on the putting surface in two but he did the next best thing by leaving the ball in perfect position for a simple, straight forward pitch shot. Getting the ball in the hole in two more shots seemed likely for a player with Maguire s talent.

The pitch shot seemed perfectly struck but it ran a bit more than planned and ended up some 12 feet from the cup. Suddenly, Maguire s odds of making birdie swung to about 50 50. He began to study his putt and, even through the lens of the television camera, you could feel the tension.

***

15 MILES AWAY

A RENTAL HOUSE IN BEAVERTON, OR.

Joel Dahmen and two friends were sitting in a nearby rental house and the tension was every bit as intense as it was on the green at Pumpkin Ridge. At this exact second, Dahmen sat 25 th on the money list of the Web.Com Tour. If Maguire missed the putt, he would remain in that position and it would be he, not Maguire who would be getting the coveted PGA card.

For most of the year earning the card seemed a cinch for Dahmen. He got off to a fast and consistent start and was earning a check almost every week. Getting into to the top 25 seemed to be a no-brainer and the attitude of Dahmen and those around him was one of quiet confidence. He was headed to the big time, the Mecca of professional golf. There was no stopping him.

Then suddenly things turned ugly. He missed five cuts in a row and took another week off citing fatigue. He had fallen to 22 nd on the money list and it now looked like he had to make the cut in the tour s final event to secure the right to play in the higher paying and more prestigious tour in 2017.

But, it didn t happen. He shot an opening round 73 on Thursday and followed with a demoralizing 74 on Friday. He was suffering on the back nine Friday as the reality of the situation sunk in. As far as he knew, his dream of playing on the big tour was gone.

I had a really big cry with my girlfriend Lona Skutt right out in the middle of the driving range. I was crying the entire back nine holes as I knew I was missing the cut and felt I had let everyone down, said Dahmen.

Caddie Geno Bonnalie was suffering with Dahmen and sharing his pain. It was a helpless feeling. I was watching my best friend suffering with every step and there was nothing I could do to help. Finally, I just hugged him and said I love you man and kind of broke down, said Bonnalie.

Geno s wife Holly had flown to Portland the day before the opening round and she immediately felt things were different. Usually, Joel is calm and relaxed before a tournament but the minute I saw him I knew things were different. He wasn t himself and it was obvious that he was very nervous, she observed.

Joel agreed.

The slump created a pressure I had never experienced. It was different than anything I had ever felt on the golf course and I didn t handle it. I had rented this big house many weeks previously and had invited friends and family to join me for what was to be a major weekend celebration. Now there would be no victory lap. Friday night was a real downer, Dahmen related.

Skutt went to Geno Friday evening because she knew he was adept in analyzing odds and assessing probabilities. Straight up, what are his chances now? she asked. Sadly only about 2%. Too many things have to fall just right, Bonnalie predicted.

But, things brightened a bit on Saturday morning. A supportive text from Joel s father Ed pointed out that he still had a chance if the right sequence of events happened during the weekend. Then, Joel s chances got even more realistic when he learned players 23 28 on the money list had also missed the cut.