Thursday, August 30, 2001
Lietzke keeps family at top of leaderboard
Senior rookie in Kroger Classic this week By Michael Perry The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — The Senior PGA Tour has been part of Bruce Lietzke's grand plan since the late 1980s. Before his children started school, Lietzke's whole family would travel with him on the PGA Tour. But when son Stephen attended kindergarten in 1989, Lietzke cut back to roughly 17 to 20 events a year (the average is closer to 25 to 30).
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IF YOU GO
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• Today: Pro-am, 8 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.; Super Seniors pro-am at Beckett Ridge Country Club.
• Friday-Sunday: First round begins at 8 a.m. Friday, and 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• TV, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m Friday, PAX-TV Network; 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, CNBC Network.
• Pro-am pairings
• Friday tee times
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Lietzke said numerous players now tell him: “Ten years ago, I thought you were stupid, you weren't motivated, you didn't like to play golf. I thought you were crazy. I understand what you've been doing all this time. I understand and admire you for it.”
He turned 50 on July 18 and already has finished in the top 10 in three of four Senior events. Lietzke won
his third tournament (Aug.12, 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn.) and tied for second in his fourth (Aug.19, Novell Utah Showdown).
Stephen is beginning his senior year of high school in Dallas (Bruce coaches the golf team). Daughter Christine is starting her sophomore year.
Until both go off to college, Lietzke plans to continue playing about 20 tournaments. After that, his wife, Rosemary, will accompany him on the road again and he'll play 26 to 28 times a year.
“My calendar first gets filled up with family activities,” he said. “Until these kids get out of high school, my family will still be first.”
One way to achieve exempt status for the Senior PGA Tour is to be in the top 31 on the all-time money list for all tour events combined (PGA, Senior PGA, Buy.com).
Lietzke, who has 13 career PGA victories and whose career earnings are close to $6.9 million, would check every year with tour officials to make sure the Senior PGA Tour had no intention of doing away with exempt status for money leaders.
“I did all this math 12, 13 years ago when my kids started school,” he said. “I've been thinking about this for a long time.”
Something else that enabled Lietzke's plan to work: He can take weeks off at a time and still swing the same way when he returns to competitive action.
He's never changed his grip, swing or club specifications. He just needs to hit balls before an event to warm up his “golf muscles.”
“The guys who are out on the practice tee are looking for something better,” Lietzke said. “They're looking to hit a hook because they don't like their fade, or they're hitting a fade because they don't like their hook. Or they're looking for 10 extra yards on distance.
“I'm not looking for that. I don't want a better swing. I want the exact same swing I had last week and, in my case, it's the exact same swing I had 25 years ago that allows me to go home and not touch a club. I haven't worked on anything new in 25 years.”
Kroger Senior Classic pro-am pairings
Kroger Senior Classic Friday tee times
Cincinnati.com golf page
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Lietzke keeps family at top of leaderboard
