Dec 22, 2018 By Mike Dudurich for The 3 min read

I read a story this summer that really resonated with me and I saved it because I wanted to share it with you at some point.

Today seems to be a perfect time with professional golf in its two-week offseason and the lousy 2018 season for western Pennsylvania golfers thankfully over.

You may remember the name Len Mattiace, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and a guy who lost in a playoff to Mike Weir in the 2003 Masters. He also had a great chance to win the 1998 Players Championship but flew the 17th island green on Sunday afternoon.

Nice guy who was not smiled upon by the golf gods on a couple occasions.

He was playing a casual round with his father-in-law at the Pawtucket Country Club in Rhode Island back in 2002 and two other members. Mattiace had one of those days and when the group reached the final green had a short putt for a 9-under par 60.

As he waited his turn to play, it was mentioned that if he made the putt, Mattiace would break the long-standing course record of a gentleman named Les Kennedy, who was a legend in that area. Mattiace heard that statement and three-putted from less that 8 feet to finish with a 62 and keep the record intact.

In an interview years later, Mattiace explained the situation this way.

“It didn’t feel right,” he said. “Les had that record forever. As a Tour player, I didn’t need my name up there alongside a guy who had it forever. It wasn’t necessary for me to do that. Les’s record means a lot to a lot of people at Pawtucket.

“Here’s why we don’t want the course record,” Mattiace continued. “The PGA pros at the clubs like Pawtucket who have them, the Tour professionals have the utmost respect for those guys. They’re so important to the game. They support the game and grow the game. They interact with the members every day. It is out of respect. We think the world of those guys.”

A cool story, one that reminded me of a similar story here in our backyard.

In the 1999 Palmer Cup matches, the annual battle between the Tri-State PGA pros and the West Penn Golf Association amateurs at Latrobe Country Club, Bob Ford was hot. The Oakmont Country Club pro had every part of his game clicking and, with four holes to play, had the course record in reach.

That record was, and still is, 60, authored by Arnold Palmer in 1969, who was playing in the group ahead of Ford.

Ford double-eagled the third hole, put together a string of birdies and was 9-under par through 14 holes when the match ended. His playing partners wanted Ford to keep playing to see how low he could go.

But Ford never considered doing such a thing. He put his ball in his pocket and caught up with Palmer’s group and watched him finish.

“Not in front of the King,” Ford said. “It never entered my mind.”

Knowing Ford, he wouldn’t have gone for the record even if Palmer hadn’t been there.

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Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the season with your family and loved ones.

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Do you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special? Let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.