83-76.
No, those aren’t my two rounds from a local amateur tournament, though my efforts would probably closely resemble that.
Image: Flowski/Flickr
That 159 two-round score was the product of former NFL Great and future hall-of-famer Jerry Rice, who missed the cut in his first professional tournament—the Fresh Express Classic on the Nationwide Tour.
Rice is just another on the long list of former athletes who thought they could make it in golf. Johnny Bench and Mike Schmidt tried. Michael Jordan has always talked about it. Few of them ever even make a cut.
The former San Francisco 49ers receiver got into the Nationwide Tournament on a sponsor’s exemption—of course, finishing 151st in a 152 man field.
This was nothing more than a marketing ploy, obviously. When he’s quoted as being “happy” with a second round 76, you know he doesn’t belong on the Nationwide Tour, even on a sponsor’s exemption.
It would have been much more sensible for Rice to play on a smaller regional mini tour…in Portugal. Seriously. They have great golf in Portgual. Why not?
If Rice, 47, wants to practice a few years and give the Champions Tour a shot, then more power to him. But, Jerry, stay away from the Nationwide Tour. You’re being ridiculous.
April 20, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Agreed. I think I heard that Roy Hobbs was looking to give the Champions Tour a run.
April 21, 2010 at 7:08 am
Rob,
Anyway, what a load of crap it was for Rice to play in this event. The Nationwide Tour is where guys get their big break. There was real professional sitting at home because Rice was in the field. Shame on the tournament director for granting an exemption to someone for the sake of selling tickets. I’m sick of celebrity golf exhibitions. I can watch on the bad golf I want on the first tee at my local public course. Rant over. Go Dawgs. How about Mettenberger?!?!
Have your human calculator skills diminished? 159 not 169
April 21, 2010 at 7:43 am
Just goes to show you – making a 6 foot putt when you need to is just as hard as making a catch in the middle of the field with a linebacker gunning for you.
April 21, 2010 at 8:44 am
I write too much these days to be able to do math…159 it is.
May 19, 2010 at 7:37 am
[...] In his second Nationwide Tour event, Jerry Rice fired a 92-82 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Two weeks ago, Rice shot an 83-76 in his debut Nationwide event. I briefly wrote about that train wreck here. [...]