Now, It’s an Easy Ride for Crenshaw

Ben Crenshaw, two-time Masters champion, did something unusual Sunday.

He played golf.

He played with fellow pros, with ropes lining the fairways and greens and people in the gallery.

For a man who has won 19 times on the PGA Tour and collected $7 million in earnings, that might not sound so unusual. But for a man who hasn’t made the cut in a tour event since June 1998, Sunday represented a welcome change--even if it was in the Shark Shootout, an event that featured 12 pairs of golfers and guaranteed three days of competition.

“I believe this is the only way I can do it,” Crenshaw said, laughing. “To have a partner, with no cut.”

He laughed some more.

“I just haven’t played in so long. I’m so far behind. It’s fun to be out, though. I enjoyed this very much, this week.”

Just playing golf. It’s the one thing the man responsible for leading the U.S. team in the most important event in the golf world found little time to do over the past two years.

No one earned the rousing cheers that went on and on after the stirring U.S. Ryder Cup victory at The Country Club in September more than Crenshaw.

While some players wondered if they could be troubled to devote a week’s worth of their time without serious financial compensation, Crenshaw basically sacrificed two years of his career.

The proof is in the annual summary of events. 1998: 15 tour events entered, two cuts made. 1999: 13 tour events, no cuts.

“When you’re captain in this country, there’s so much to tend to,” Crenshaw said. “My wife and I worked so hard for two years. The site meant the world to me. That was [the] first great golf course where I ever played. I had a lot of things that I wanted to do.

“I didn’t play many tournaments. Last tournament I played was the PGA tournament in Chicago [in August]. I just had my mind on so many things.”

That meant not playing much golf. He played in half as many tournaments as most of his peers. Missing the cut meant he got in only two official rounds at each site.

“I miss trying to put yourself to the test, seeing if you can hit shots that you used to,” Crenshaw said. “It shows me how far I’m behind. God, I’m just so lacking in play.”

It showed on the results board. Crenshaw paired with Bruce Lietzke, and they posted the highest score on each of the three days.

Yet no one was more warmly received than Crenshaw. Over and over, people took the time to thank him. No need to explain what for.

“You did such a great job,” said a man along the autograph line as Crenshaw left the 18th green.

“Thank you,” Crenshaw said.

“Thank you,” the fan replied.

“I appreciate hearing comments like that,” Crenshaw said. “I really do.”

He got them all over the golf course as he walked the grounds of the Sherwood Country Club on Sunday.

“Hey Captain.”

“All right, Ben.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

“That’s my man, Ben.”

The good feelings generated by that Ryder Cup have yet to come to a halt. And now it’s all good, with pure joy, none of the pressure.

“There’s definitely a big relief,” said Crenshaw’s wife, Julie. “Oh, huge, for both of us. We’re back to being a family again. So high. He’s so proud of the victory.

“When Curtis [Strange] was named [the 2001 Ryder Cup captain], we went, ‘Good luck,’ ” Julie Crenshaw said. “It’s so nice when your tenure is over. It is two long years. When [Ben] was named I was pregnant. Now our baby is almost 2 years old.”

She took her purse off her back.

“I’ve got to show you a picture of the baby.”

She pulled out an envelope filled with pictures and found one that’s just too precious. It’s of Ben, back home the day after the Ryder Cup, holding the Cup in his right arm and the couple’s third daughter, Anna Riley, in his left arm. They will feature the Cup in their family Christmas cards, with the tagline, “Our Cup runneth over . . . “

After two years chasing it, he deserves all the spoils. He hasn’t let the controversy about the exuberant behavior of the players, their wives and the American fans detract from his enjoyment. He chooses to remember the feeling as he stood outside the clubhouse in Brookline, Mass., his players assembled, the crowd chanting, “Ben! Ben! Ben!”

“It was the nicest moment,” Crenshaw said. “I was so happy for [the players]. They performed the way they needed to. Each one of them.

“The experience . . . no one can ever take that away from us. It was just remarkable. It was an honor to have gone through it.”

That’s why Crenshaw will have such fond memories of 1999, the year he couldn’t make a cut.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com

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Stories, Page 7