Presidential angle fires up Brady

Jim Nantz has seen Tom Brady’s competitiveness up close.

The CBS sportscaster, honored by the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation as its sportsman of the year at a banquet in Anaheim Saturday night, talked about playing golf with the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots quarterback in May 2006 at Kennebunkport, Maine.

The other members of their foursome were George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. With a friendly wager on the line, the golfers switched partners every six holes, a common practice.

Nantz and Brady ended up as partners for the last six holes.

“I said to Tom, ‘We have a chance at history here,’ ” Nantz said. “How many people get the opportunity to beat two former presidents?’ All of a sudden, that smile and jovial look disappeared and he looked like he would if the Patriots were trailing in the fourth quarter.”

Nantz and Brady won five of the six holes.

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Trivia time

Nantz played college golf at what university? Hint: Fred Couples was a teammate.

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The Queen and I

Last year, during a 63-day span, Nantz called the Super Bowl, the Final Four and the Masters.

To commemorate that feat, Nantz, who is also a friend of George W. Bush, on May 7 was invited to a state dinner at the White House. He ended up sitting at the same table with the president and Queen Elizabeth, who two days earlier was at the Kentucky Derby.

“I sat directly across from the queen, and I could see she wondered who I was. The president explained as only he could. The way he worded it was, ‘He announced the Super Bowl, the national championship of basketball [translation: the Final Four] and then did Augusta [translation: the Masters].’ ”

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Generous gift

Nantz offered his two tickets to NCAA West Regional games at both the Honda Center in Anaheim and the US Airways Center in Phoenix as a live auction item to benefit the youth foundation. The tickets to the four rounds went for $4,200.

How good are the seats? Nantz, assuming UCLA will be playing in the West regional, said, “You’ll be so close to the UCLA bench Ben Howland will be turning around and saying, ‘What are you doing here?’ ”

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Embarrassing moment

Lynn Kretschmar, one of the volunteers helping Melanie Salata with the silent auction before the banquet, noticed a prospective bidder eyeing a Tim Salmon autographed photo. Salmon, the honoree at this event last year, had donated a lot of items.

“I don’t know why we have so much Tim Salmon [stuff],” Kretschmar said. “I guess he had to clean out his garage.”

The prospective bidder, laughing, said: “I’ll pass along your sentiments. Tim Salmon is my brother.”

It was Mike Salmon, the former USC defensive back.

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Out of ideas

Nantz on Sunday was back anchoring CBS’ coverage of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.

Of Tiger Woods, who led by eight strokes after three rounds, he said, “They say broadcasters overuse the word ‘great.’ I’m open to any suggestions for other superlatives to describe Tiger.”

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Trivia answer

Houston.

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And finally

The dais at the banquet included two of Nantz’s closest friends, CBS golf producer Lance Barrow and former golf broadcast partner Ken Venturi, who delivered moving tributes.

In the audience were a number of Bel-Air Country Club regulars, since Nantz is an out-of-state member. That group included Eddie Merrins, the pro emeritus at Bel-Air who on Jan. 17 became only the 16th member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame in Orlando, Fla.

Dick Crane, who went with Merrins to Orlando for the ceremony, said, “Do you want to know how good Eddie is? Jack Nicklaus selected him to teach golf to his son Gary.”

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larry.stewart@latimes.com