Justin Leonard is still a long way from breaking through on the PGA Tour Champions. But with three top-10 finishes out of five starts so far this season, he is getting closer. Leonard played at home last week, finishing with a score of 67 to place 10th in the Invited Celebrity Championship in Dallas. Leonard stayed at his parents house in DFW for a few nights, which included family dinners every night.
The former University of Texas golfer is gearing up for a better performance this week at The Woodlands Country Club.
Leonard is still adjusting as he makes his 10th Champions start. The course is located just across Kuykendahl Road, opposite the Club at Carlton Woods where the Chevron Championship, last week’s LPGA major, was held.
Leonard said that while he was happy to return to the practice and play routine, he enjoyed his time on television, which began in 2015, when he joined Golf Channel. Leonard will make a TV appearance this year at an event that he is known for, but will avoid other broadcasts in order to concentrate on his game.
The Ryder Cup is my only commitment this year. Last fall, I made a decision. “I didn’t play well in the events I played but I thought I showed enough talent or did enough to be competitive if I put all my effort into playing,” he said. I kind of took a break from my TV work. This year, I will work the Ryder Cup again because I love being a part. The crew has a lot of work to do, especially on Friday and Saturday.
It’s nice to focus my energy on one place. Last year, I tried to do both.
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Justin Leonard, of the United States, looks on at the 13th hole during the pro-am before the PNC Championship, which will be held on December 16, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images).
The 1997 Open Champion has had time to reflect on his TV career and he is struck by how steep the learning curve was.
“There’s not much that you can do to prepare yourself for broadcasting outside of studying journalism in school, which I didn’t. “That’s why I was terrible my first two years of trying to do this,” he said. It’s something the people at NBC Golf Channel and poured into me, helped me improve over time and gave me a number of reps. I learned a great deal along the way. I believe that I can now apply some of the things I learned from watching the top players, their preparation, their practice methods, watching them play practice rounds and watching them compete.
It’s been fun. The transition from playing in 2015 and 2016 to working on TV wasn’t easy. It’s easier to transition back into this, because I’ve been doing it before. But it’s still been a long time. “I didn’t play tournament golf in about six years and for the last four or five years I played very little.”
Leonard recalled a night in 2003 when Phil Mickelson threw batting practice to the then-Double-A Akron Aeros, offering three $100 bills to any player who could hit a home run off him. Leonard remembered a 2003 night when Phil Mickelson offered three $100 bills to any player that could hit a homerun off him. None did.
Leonard heard Mickelson discuss the plan with Jim “Bones”, his caddie at the time. He brought Davis Love III, and Fred Couples to ridicule Mickelson.
Leonard remembered: “He pulls into the parking lot and we are all sitting down, and Bones says, ‘Oh I don’t really know how this will go over’.” Leonard recalled that “Phil pulls into the parking lot and says, ‘Hey guys, what are all of you doing?’. I replied, We’re here to cheer you on big guy.
“We watched the whole thing. Phil was proud that no one hit a homerun off him. Our argument was, “Well, at least you need to throw the ball 50 miles per hour to get enough velocity to make it fly out of the stadium.”
It’s great to create memories, but winning would be even better. Leonard feels that he has made progress this year compared to last, and he is on the right track as the season heats.
He’s also happy to continue working on his craft, which helped him win a PGA Tour dozen times.
It’s great fun. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve covered the Senior PGA NBC a few times, so I knew what it was like. I’m now able to focus on my own game instead of 150 other players, which I used to do when I worked in television. “It’s been fun,” said the golfer. “I have enjoyed the hard work and competing against these guys, and playing on golf courses that I know well. It’s great to be back. I played here in amateur golf five times, and a few Houston Opens.
