| Minor-League Golf Draws Celebrities as PGA Tour Event Withers
For Nationwide Tour golf pro David Hearn, the chance to win $121,500 and a BMW X5 this week in South Carolina is secondary to the opportunity to catch up with an old neighbor: Wayne Gretzky.
With celebrities like Gretzky and actors Joe Pesci and Luke Wilson competing alongside second-tier pros in the BMW Charity Pro-Am, the Nationwide Tour stop has become one of golf's most popular events. In contrast, the AT&T Classic, which also started yesterday, has become little more than a blip for the top-flight U.S. PGA Tour and will need a new sponsor next year.
Hearn was raised five blocks away from the boyhood home of hockey's all-time leading scorer in Brantford, Ontario, and Gretzky's number, 99, is incorporated in the 28-year-old golfer's e-mail address.
``I grew up watching him win Stanley Cups,'' Hearn said. ``So it's exciting for a guy like myself to be out on the course and see him around.'' |