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Do IT this week: Layering
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 09:32 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2009
BEACHWOOD, OHIO: California and Florida have been the habitats of choice for John Cook in his lifetime.
But Cook, 51, who is in the field of the 70th annual Senior PGA Championship that begins today at Canterbury Golf Club, is not one to forget his connections to the Buckeye State, including seven of his early years in Akron.
''It's great to be back, I love Ohio . . . its always a joy to come back,'' Cook said Wednesday after a practice round at Canterbury. ''It's such a great sports state. They appreciate anything from baseball, football, basketball, golf, whatever. The state of Ohio gets behind their native sons and I appreciate that.''
Cook was born in Toledo in 1957 and moved to Akron at age 3 when his father, Jim Cook, took a job with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. At age 10, he moved to California with the family, but returned to Ohio when he began playing golf at Ohio State in the mid-1970s.
As a Buckeye, he was a three-time All-American and helped OSU win the 1979 NCAA Division I national championship.
He then played 28 years on the PGA Tour (1980-2007), and won 11 tournaments, while residing much of that time in Rancho Mirage, Calif. His best year on the tour was 1992, when he finished third on the earnings list and was runner-up in both the British Open and PGA Championship.
Cook, who now resides in Windermere, Fla., joined the Champions Tour late in the 2007 season. He won the circuit's AT&T Championship in 2007 and 2008, and has won $2.3 million on the tour for players 50 and over.
His fondest memories of Akron revolve around Firestone Country Club, where he played growing up and later as a member of the PGA Tour. In addition, his father was the longtime tournament manager of the World Series of Golf at Firestone in the 1980s and 1990s.
''Firestone has a great history with my family, with my father,'' Cook said. ''Just growing up, . . . 5, 6 or 7 years old, playing in their junior program. And watching the great professionals play way back when. Firestone was a big part of my life growing up.''
Canterbury will be a big part of his life this week — just as it was in 1979. He won the United States Amateur in 1978, and advanced all the way to that event's match-play final at Canterbury in 1979. After some grueling early matches, he had nothing left in losing the 36-hole final to Mark O'Meara 8 and 7.
''By the time I got to Sunday, I kept pressing the gas pedal, but nothing was coming out. I was done. I was cooked,'' Cook said. ''And Mark played very well. I didn't have enough in me to fight him off.''
Thirty years later, Cook is back at Canterbury, a tradition-laden, well-manicured course that has not changed much and has never resorted to trickery to challenge players.
''The golf course is in as good a shape as I've ever seen anywhere,'' Cook said. ''These are some of the best fairways I have seen. It's in wonderful shape, a classic old golf course.''
Just like back in 1979, Cook will be taking on some of the best players in the world at Canterbury.
This time, they are in their 50s, rather than their 20s, but players such as O'Meara, Bernhard Langer, defending-champion Jay Haas, Bob Tway, Andy Bean and Hale Irwin have enough skills left to provide a competitive and entertaining four days.
''It will be interesting,'' Cook said. ''The guy that hits a lot of fairways this week is going to be the guy that's going to be the one to beat.''
Notebook
Canton's Gary Robison, the director of golf at Canton Brookside and former director of golf at Firestone Country Club, tees off with the first group off the first tee today at 7:30 a.m. Jim Logue, the former director of golf at Canton Brookside, tees off at 12:30 p.m. today, also off the first tee. . . . The field of 156 players includes 23 golfers who have won major championships. Those 23 players have combined for 41 major titles, led by the eight of Tom Watson. . . . The tournament was last held in Northeast Ohio in 2002. That's when Fuzzy Zoeller won by 2 shots over Hale Irwin and Bobby Wadkins on the South Course at Firestone. . . . The 2010 tournament is scheduled for Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.
BEACHWOOD, OHIO: California and Florida have been the habitats of choice for John Cook in his lifetime.
But Cook, 51, who is in the field of the 70th annual Senior PGA Championship that begins today at Canterbury Golf Club, is not one to forget his connections to the Buckeye State, including seven of his early years in Akron.
''It's great to be back, I love Ohio . . . its always a joy to come back,'' Cook said Wednesday after a practice round at Canterbury. ''It's such a great sports state. They appreciate anything from baseball, football, basketball, golf, whatever. The state of Ohio gets behind their native sons and I appreciate that.''
Cook was born in Toledo in 1957 and moved to Akron at age 3 when his father, Jim Cook, took a job with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. At age 10, he moved to California with the family, but returned to Ohio when he began playing golf at Ohio State in the mid-1970s.
As a Buckeye, he was a three-time All-American and helped OSU win the 1979 NCAA Division I national championship.
He then played 28 years on the PGA Tour (1980-2007), and won 11 tournaments, while residing much of that time in Rancho Mirage, Calif. His best year on the tour was 1992, when he finished third on the earnings list and was runner-up in both the British Open and PGA Championship.
Cook, who now resides in Windermere, Fla., joined the Champions Tour late in the 2007 season. He won the circuit's AT&T Championship in 2007 and 2008, and has won $2.3 million on the tour for players 50 and over.
His fondest memories of Akron revolve around Firestone Country Club, where he played growing up and later as a member of the PGA Tour. In addition, his father was the longtime tournament manager of the World Series of Golf at Firestone in the 1980s and 1990s.
''Firestone has a great history with my family, with my father,'' Cook said. ''Just growing up, . . . 5, 6 or 7 years old, playing in their junior program. And watching the great professionals play way back when. Firestone was a big part of my life growing up.''
Canterbury will be a big part of his life this week — just as it was in 1979. He won the United States Amateur in 1978, and advanced all the way to that event's match-play final at Canterbury in 1979. After some grueling early matches, he had nothing left in losing the 36-hole final to Mark O'Meara 8 and 7.
''By the time I got to Sunday, I kept pressing the gas pedal, but nothing was coming out. I was done. I was cooked,'' Cook said. ''And Mark played very well. I didn't have enough in me to fight him off.''
Thirty years later, Cook is back at Canterbury, a tradition-laden, well-manicured course that has not changed much and has never resorted to trickery to challenge players.
''The golf course is in as good a shape as I've ever seen anywhere,'' Cook said. ''These are some of the best fairways I have seen. It's in wonderful shape, a classic old golf course.''
Just like back in 1979, Cook will be taking on some of the best players in the world at Canterbury.
This time, they are in their 50s, rather than their 20s, but players such as O'Meara, Bernhard Langer, defending-champion Jay Haas, Bob Tway, Andy Bean and Hale Irwin have enough skills left to provide a competitive and entertaining four days.
''It will be interesting,'' Cook said. ''The guy that hits a lot of fairways this week is going to be the guy that's going to be the one to beat.''
Notebook
Canton's Gary Robison, the director of golf at Canton Brookside and former director of golf at Firestone Country Club, tees off with the first group off the first tee today at 7:30 a.m. Jim Logue, the former director of golf at Canton Brookside, tees off at 12:30 p.m. today, also off the first tee. . . . The field of 156 players includes 23 golfers who have won major championships. Those 23 players have combined for 41 major titles, led by the eight of Tom Watson. . . . The tournament was last held in Northeast Ohio in 2002. That's when Fuzzy Zoeller won by 2 shots over Hale Irwin and Bobby Wadkins on the South Course at Firestone. . . . The 2010 tournament is scheduled for Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.
Comments
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Kandi, SL
Posted 07:52 PM, 05/21/2009
Is there anybody out there who DIDN'T play with Cookie in Firestone Juniors? And who didn't BEAT him consistently? ;)
