The PGA Tour: Stories of Firsts
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First off, I don’t play golf. Though I have been on more golf courses than most. Always on foot and most likely on the cart path. Traveling light and staying hydrated. Watching players that are usually really good at the game. Maybe once inside the ropes. On mostly hot and sunny, often humid and worst, buggy American summer afternoons. It’s kind of a grind. The game of golf. It’s a long game. And everyone loves a clutch shot.
I don’t play golf because the first time I ever teed up a ball in regulation, at a suburban Montréal, Canada country club in the 1980s, I shanked it. It was the shot I'd had nightmares about the night before. Completely horrible. Especially for this teenager, in front of her golf class buddies. All of whom were consistently hitting the fairway, far. I wasn't good at all. And most importantly, I wasn’t having fun.
Meanwhile, and in contrast, my brothers, especially Julien, 6 years my junior, were receiving accolades from far beyond the club. In the form of all-star team invitations and crystal, of course. Watching them play (and win!) was part of the family’s cadence of life. They were talented competitors. And being part of that was way more fun.
This memory is one of the earliest I can recall about my competitiveness. Over the years, it has shaped my definition of and approach to leadership: to genuinely inspire, empower and support others to find and maximize their strengths so that together, we can create the exceptional change we seek.
Julien (Senior, 17) & Alex (Freshman, 14)
I don't play golf, but I love golf stories. And I am blessed that my life is filled with beautiful tales of golf. Thanks to Julien's incredible career as a collegiate and professional golfer and for a decade, as a PGA Tour caddie. Thanks also to his impeccable choice for his "the One", Mallory Blackwelder. Yes, the daughter in the Blackwelders of Lexington, Kentucky y'all! Worth, Myra, Myles and Mallory are all golf professionals. They each have been on Tour. And they are each passionate storytellers. It's so much fun!
No golf story of mine would be complete without a shout out to golf legend Myra Blackwelder. My mother-in-law-once-removed. Mimi. She is the first ever female full golf scholarship recipient at the University of Kentucky. She is the LPGA Rookie of the Year for 1980 and slayed 13 seasons on Tour, while raising 2 children with Worth, carrying all the bags. Pause. There is more. She now dedicates her life to teaching golf and creating programs that aim to make golf more accessible to the American youth. Her most recent initiative, USA Golf Development Program, recently got some shine when USGA CEO Mike Whan announced a significant funding initiative for those interested in the game that otherwise don't have the means. There is a lot of work to do to bring equality and sustainability values to the forefront in the golf industry agenda. This funding announcement is a step in the right direction. And I am confident we can do more.
The Barbasol is a family affair. Last weekend, I found myself in Lexington, KY once again, for what we call in the Trudeau-Blackwelder family, "the Barbasol reunion". It's the one weekend a year where the road takes the Tour to the KY-Trudeau's hometown for a smaller-sized community friendly tournament. It's a calendar date we traditionally gather around.
This year, we would meet a new family for the first time. That of our caddie's new boss, Trey Mullinax.
So many stories in the game of golf. I learned that Trey's mom Kristy and I share the same nickname. I learned how young Trey picked up golf after a devastating football injury. I learned why everyone loooooves Chip. I heard about struggles and successes, and superstitions too. Maybe even created my own "mindfully grounded barefoot walking practice" because I made most egregious of rookie moves by picking the wrong shoes! I learned that memories of Eagles (or beagles, like Mads calls them!) last forever. I double high-fived Chris like a kid in the crowd at 18 after that clutch putt the whole world now knows and loves. I sobbed in Dana's arms, the first Mullinax-Trudeau-Blackwelder famclub I then found after the win. And I just learned about a silver coin.
To experience all of that on my first time ever following a leader, that then won with my brother on his bag made Sunday and the whole weekend simply unforgettable. It was definitely the most fun I ever had on a golf course. One that brought us loads of intimacy to build upon. Next time, we pause to remember and rejoice together.
Sunday. I saw my brother reach a pretty significant and cool milestone in his career in golf: his first PGA Tour victory. In reality, I have been watching him crush dreams all of our lives. But for that one moment, to see him at the top of the game, and to recognize him as literally the best at his craft on the field, after being resilient, patient and excellent all those years was mega special.
And completely bananas. Y'all getting to the British overnight after a win like that on that Sunday is no joke. And it takes a village. And in this village, one of my jobs is to celebrate out loud. So I prose, because onlyew can reach this moment, yet millions can be inspired by these stories.
And I cheer, usually loudly. Bravo!
When Alex texted me: "How's our boy?", my answer was: "Brahhhhhhh, he is built for this." For real. Competition, discipline and dedication.
The game of golf. It's a long road. And everyone loves a clutch shot.
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Extra! Monday. By pure luck, we were on the same flight for Julien the first leg of his trip to Edinburgh.
Once we reached cruising altitude, I pulled out my iPad to curate a collection from all the pics I took over the weekend. I had promised everyone a link and I did not want to disappoint the famclub! He pulled out 3 yardage books from The Old Course at St. Andrews. To study his notes from his previous visits, ahead of getting there and walking the course the following morning. Hours of grind. Years of it. We spent the rest of the flight talking about altheticism, maps, and math, through the lens of his experience, as, I'd say, the best caddie in my world.
Now that, was fun.
You are exactly where you need to be. Keep going. The fun is only just beginning.
As we move on to the excitement that is the British, one final content offering about the 2022 Barbasol Champion: Trey's Golf Channel interview immediately after the round. #purpose
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Caroline Trudeau is a freelance storyteller, technology consulting executive and experience innovation strategist. She is available for hire.
Related content: Mallory Blackwelder's To The LPGA Tour And Beyond.