Tonight I just got back from the Kenny Loggins concert put on by the Insperity Championship in Houston, Texas. Music is a great way to bring people together for a good time to reminisce about your past experiences. Mark Wieibe, Jim and Jill Rutledge were telling stories about their childhood, where they were when a certain song was playing, which made for a very enjoyable evening. You get to know people better in a relaxed environment where there are lots of food, drinks, and entertainment. Somehow, this is a good point to reminisce about my journey
through the past six years. I feel so grateful for all the nice people I’ve met through being involved with the Champion’s Tour. When I started out I was just getting out of the insurance business where I was like a caddie learning everything I could by tagging along following John Vitt all over the Chicagoland area trying to make a sale and a good impression. So when I played my first event, I was apprehensive to get started, however, I was determined not to be in a situation where I was like a second fiddle. Fortunately, I have been able to climb the charts throughout the past five years, steadily getting comfortable with the competition where I can play relaxed to better display all my hard work through good play. The competition is very stout. Every week someone gets hot shooting great scores. On the tour today there are so many new players that are coming up you really have to be at your best to compete. This year we have had 18 new winners, of which, the last three events have had new winners which is the first time in Champion’s Tour history that there have been three consecutive first timers to win. This statistic shows how competitive the events are and how great the talent is coming up through the ranks.
For the first time since I started playing the Champion’s Tour I have qualified for the top 30, which is a great milestone, due to all the great players that continue to play well in spite of age or illness. Golfers are truly gifted and I’ve really enjoyed playing with Hale Irwin, and all the great players because even at my age you can learn about yourself and keep improving. The true joy of playing the great game of golf is that no matter the age or deficiency you can get better in so many areas of the game that it never gets boring. As I’ve aged, I’ve spent more time keeping in shape working my body out, forcing myself to push a little harder and smarter to stay healthy to improve my game. On our tour, the great equalizer is health, and most of the attrition on the tour comes from illness or injury. So most players pay careful attention to staying in shape to enjoy a longer career.
Therefore, I would love to thank all my fans for sticking it out with me and helping me with words of encouragement. All my friends, coaches and family from my childhood like Tony Evans that have followed me with an unabiding love and concern for my well being. I couldn’t have made it without all your help. So thank you so very much for getting to this point in my life where the future looks so bright. All the best for a great week. Chip