Fans drawn to likeable champion
FARMINGTON – The fans followed him faithfully, they cheered him on and the road the emotional roller coaster with him through the final few holes of the 84 Lumber Classic on Sunday. In the end, those fans stood and cheered and yelled for Jason Gore when he held up the winner’s trophy on the 18th green.
So what makes Gore so appealing to golf fans, especially those who lined Mystic Rock Golf Course?
Some of those fans spoke up on Sunday and several admitted they fell in love with Gore when he made his now famous underdog charge at this year’s U.S. Open. Gore was in contention after three rounds there before fading on the final day.
“I liked him when I watched him at the U.S. Open,” Justin Bitner said. “After what he did there as an underdog, how can you not like a guy like that? Plus, I read a story about how he was down on his luck last year, and how he bounced back. I thought that was pretty touching.”
“Any time a guy goes through the kind of hardship he went through at the U.S. Open, to be so close and then to have it taken away from him, that had to be a lot of pressure for a player like that,” Lonnie Nicklow said. “Bouncing back and winning here is a great redemption story.”
“He came so close at the Open, it was just awesome seeing him win here,” Barb Trautman said.
Barb Kushner was actually at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and saw Gore close up.
“I saw him when he came in that final day,” Kushner said. “He fell out of contention, but we were still pulling for him. He three-putted the final hole and we all felt bad, but he still had a big smile on his face afterwards.”
Another unidentified fan made it clear he liked Gore because of his connection to the Pittsburgh area. Gore’s mother lives in Monroeville.
“He’s a Pittsburgh kind of guy, so you have to pull for him,” the boisterous fan yelled.
Gore’s pleasant, fun-loving personality hits home with fans, too.
“He’s such a likeable guy,” Kushner said. “He’s like John Daly, a real connectable type of person. We love him.”
“He’s just a personable guy,” Trautman said. “He’s in the mold of Craig Stadler, John Daly, Fred Couples, and guys like that of the world.”
“He seems like a real cool guy,” Bitner said.
Fans can relate to Gore’s story of a golfer who almost gave up the game earlier this year, and since then threatened to win the U.S. Open and on Sunday found himself drinking champagne with Joe Hardy on the 18th green after his victory.
“He’s a great story, and he seems like a real down-to-earth man,” Nicklow said.
“When you see him, you can tell he’s a genuinely good guy.”
Now with a PGA Tour win under his belt, Gore’s popularity is sure to soar even more.