Saturday, July 8, 2000
Wally Goodwin the common thread
among Stanford's elite golfers
By Reid Hanley
Chicago Tribune
(KRT)
CHICAGO - Tiger Woods, Notah Begay and Casey
Martin are three of the biggest newsmakers in golf these days.
As different as they are, as different as
are their circumstances, they have a common thread in Stanford
University and Wally Goodwin, its retiring golf coach. Goodwin,
who spent six years at Northwestern before moving to Stanford,
recruited them for the Cardinal and played a role in their maturation
process as golfers and as people.
"Wally was there to help us, basically
into manhood," said Woods, who spent two years at Stanford
before leaving to become golf's dominant player. "He was
there for a lot of changes we were going through, and he helped
us a lot. He was a huge influence. It's a shame he's not going
to be there for kids coming up."
Woods is at Cog Hill defending his Advil
Western Open championship. Martin, who has been locked in a legal
battle with the PGA Tour over his use of a cart, missed the Western
cut after rounds of 77-72-149. Begay, coming off consecutive victories
at Memphis and Hartford, is in England preparing for the British
Open and taking in Wimbledon.
Goodwin, meanwhile, is wrapping up a 13-year
career at Stanford, to be succeeded by former PGA Tour player
Jeff Mitchell. His golf camp ended Friday, and Goodwin will be
moving to his ranch in eastern Wyoming next week, accompanied
by memories of three of his most notable alums.
"They were awesome," Goodwin said.
"They kept me entertained for five years. They had their
moments. It was great to see them grow. I really feel lucky and
blessed."
Woods was perhaps the most heralded college
recruit ever, and Begay and Martin were blue-chippers of the highest
order. They were involved in recruiting Woods, and his arrival
prompted the two to redshirt so they could play with him.
"People ask about getting Notah and
Casey in one year. Getting one would be awesome, but both..."
Goodwin said, shaking his head. "They both had the biggest
hearts you'd ever see. Both had their problems: Casey with his
leg and Notah with his background-he was raised in a hut with
no running water. To get those two guys and have Tiger follow
was not just once in a lifetime but once in a millennium."
Stanford won the 1994 NCAA championship
the year before Woods arrived and lost in a playoff for the title
the only year the three played together. But it was not just the
caliber of their play that made coaching them such a unique experience.
They were unusual young men when Goodwin
recruited them. Martin was the courageous player with a circulatory
problem that threatens his career on every swing. Begay was a
Native American with outstanding talents being put in an environment
totally foreign to him. Woods was the brightest golfing prodigy
since Jack Nicklaus.
Goodwin truly was a life coach rather than
a golf professional. He didn't tinker with their swings. He did
little to hype his threesome. He let them grow.
"He was fun to play for," Martin
said. "He didn't put any pressure on us. I never felt like
I was going to get chewed out, which I think freed us up to play.
"He put together a great team, and
we had a great run. It's really been the highlight of my life
to play with Tiger and Notah and all those guys."
Along with his memories, Goodwin has a belief
that Woods and Begay are capable of something special.
"Notah and Tiger ... someday, maybe
in the next year and a half, will be walking down the fairway
of a major championship with everything on the line, laughing
and having a good time," he said. "They are going to
electrify the golf world."
(c) 2000, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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