Swinging the sticks like the PGA Tour pros do isn't as easy as it looks.
Not even for legendary athletes in other sports.
“It’s kind of like when I was an NFL quarterback and I would see people who were trying to play catch,” former Buccaneers quarterback Steve DeBerg said with a big chuckle. “I’m in awe of the skill level that the professionals have to play the game of golf.”
The list of pros turned "Joes" at the Valspar Championship's "Pro-Celebrity-Am" was as impressive as the colorful hat DeBerg wore on his head at the charity golf outing.
Hall of Famers like Mike Schmidt and Derrick Brooks were in the mix with some current members of local pro teams, including Alex Cobb and Vincent Jackson.
And as you’d expect, even for charity, they all wanted to win
“This is the only thing I have left, is what I say, that really challenges you,” former New York Yankees pitcher Goose Gossage said. “It’s the biggest thing I missed when I first got out of baseball was the challenge of facing big league hitters.”
Among those getting the competitive juices flowing: the NFL's Barber twins. After former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber posted an impressive seventh-place finish in the Valspar's charity run over the weekend, it was Ronde’s turn to get a little revenge on the golf course.
“I’m going to be hitting balls into him all day and tell him to hurry up,” Ronde Barber said. “He doesn’t play much golf. He’s got a job and a lot of kids. I think he’ll struggle out here today.”
“I left him in the dust pretty quickly,” Tiki Barker said, referring to his strong finish in the HSN Cares Par4Miler in support of Moffitt Cancer Center. “Probably by 15 or so strokes.”
One look at Tiki’s swing would lead you to believe he was right.
Regardless of their play, Barber and the rest of the celebs were all smiles for the only thing that mattered: the $25,000 they raised for the International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics.