BOCA RATON (Fla.) — Aspen is heaven if you’re looking for a place where there is a thick layer of snow that covers the ground, creating a beautiful backdrop. You can then snowboard, ski or do any other activity that requires temperatures to dip into the 30s.
Justin Leonard, who lives in the Rocky Mountains and enjoys some hiking and biking, decided that this wasn’t his Nirvana when he turned 50 and returned to a more intensive golf schedule.
Leonard needed to find a new base of operations, preferably one where the grass would be green all year round. The epicenter of golf beckoned.
Leonard, 51, has now competed in 21 PGA Tour Champions events since moving to Tequesta (Florida) in recent months. He is now in the second round Charles Schwab Cup playoffs at the Old Course, Broken Sound, for this week’s TimberTech Championship. He finished tied for 13th two weekends ago at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, Henrico Virginia.
After seven years of broadcasting, he is back in the sun to work on his game.
Leonard, speaking of Florida before his pro am round on Wednesday, said: “There is so much wonderful golf here.” “I don’t play much, I practice more or I’ll play with my son or by myself. It’s a wonderful place to be weather-wise.
Leonard mostly watched the crowd of 50-and over from afar, as he pursued his second career as a sports analyst. He was curious to know what attracted so many golfers in the latter part of their careers. Some were even older than the typical retirement age.
His first impression of the tour was that it allowed a group men who were once at the top in their sport, to continue having fun without the intense competition and pressure. In many ways, it is a scaled-down version the PGA Tour.
All of those things have been true. Leonard, who has won 12 times on PGA Tour including the 1997 British Open and was a part of the U.S. Ryder Cup winning team in 1999, where he holed a birdie putt from 45 feet on No. The Americans rallied to finish with a 17-foot birdie putt.
Leonard was working on the Senior Championship outside Washington, D.C., as a broadcaster, when he visited the range Tuesday. Leonard saw 40 men waiting for the tee-off at 3 pm. He was in groups of two or three.
“It is completely stacked and I am like ‘Are You kidding Me?'” “‘Are you kidding me?'” he asked. These guys are working harder than ever. There is a lower vibe to this tour but the competition remains as strong.
The majority of guys continue to work hard because they have habits that helped them get where they are in golf. These things won’t disappear.
Leonard is once again the youngest player on tour but this does not guarantee instant success. Leonard warned that it would take some time to get used to the game after spending so much time in recent years talking about it instead of playing. He was right. He has not won on the senior circuit but this year he finished runner-up in the PURE Insurance championship in California, and tallied five top-10s.
Leonard qualified for a playoff by placing 28th in the rankings, earning him approximately $832,000. Leonard is not playing for money. He made just under $34 million in the PGA Tour since 1994, when he turned pro.
He said, “I feel that I am where I want be.” “I wouldn’t say that the results are quite right. It’s just a matter of getting used to the tournament week rhythm and relearning certain things.
“There are a few things where old habits creep in and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, that’s no longer me.’ It’s been an enjoyable process. “I’ve enjoyed the process of balancing golf with other things I do and my family.
Family was also a major factor in the decision. Leonard’s daughter, Amanda, was happy to see the move, as she attended Benjamin School and grew up in North Palm Beach. Luke, their son, is a student at Benjamin School and a golfer. He is therefore a teammate with Charlie Woods whose father is named Tiger.
The move of the Leonards to South Florida coincided with Luke Leonard’s rise in golf. Justin Leonard said that when he lived in Colorado, his clubs were “put on the shelf” for 7 or 8 months.
Justin commented, “His skiing skills are actually quite good.”
It was.
Luke played with Charlie Woods for the first round of a junior club championship last spring. Tiger was also a spectator.
Leonard said, “It’s cool,” in the spring. It was great to watch him. “It was fun to watch him.” I loved watching Charlie, because he did a great job, and talking with Tiger about junior golf for nine holes, as well as the little things we notice in our children that they should work on.
Justin just keeps working. The resources are much greater in the new area. Daniel Berger, Eric Cole and others are among the people he sees. He “picks the brain” of Shane Lowry, Patrick Cantlay and others.
He said, “There is always someone around.” You pick up little things, like how people use their launch monitors and what data they provide. “Those types of things.”
Leonard claims he is hitting the ball further than ever before, not only with his driver, but also with his irons.
It’s time to bring together the mental and physical side of his game.
He said that it was fun to find ways to focus less on results and more on the process. “I’ve had great results sometimes, and other times I forget about them and fall back into old habits. “Just trying to be consistent in that manner.”
