Yates Enjoyed Full Life

When Charlie Yates passed away Monday, one more important link to golf’s past was broken. Yates, 92, was not only a playing buddy of the legendary Bobby Jones, whom Yates considered his mentor, but he also played alongside Jones in his final round in 1948 at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, not to mention playing in the very first Masters in 1934.

In all, Yates played the Masters 11 times and was low amateur on five occasions, but that was hardly a fluke. Yates won the 1938 British Amateur, not long after he was the national college champion at Georgia Tech in 1934 and a two-time Walker Cup player in 1936 and 1938. He also served as captain of the 1953 team.

It was an inspiring body of work for a career amateur, and one that caught the eye of a young entrepreneur from a small town in Georgia, a 1940 graduate of Emory University named Ely Callaway. Yates and Callaway, friends for decades, had dinner with friends in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., not so many years ago.

With Callaway in his 70s and Yates in his 80s, they still greeted each other as if they were teens.

“Hello, Cholly boy,” Callaway said.

“Hello, Ely boy,” Yates said.

They talked about Jones, which apparently was a staple of conversation, and Callaway, ever the businessman, mused about what Jones might have been able to do with a Callaway-made Big Bertha driver in his hand.

“We might have made him perfect,” Callaway said.

Yates had a perfect attendance record at the Masters, from 1934 until he was struck with Parkinson’s disease and made his last appearance at Jones’ beloved tournament in 2003. Articulate, bright and wry, Yates shared his rich personality and knowledge of golf history with everyone who had the privilege of spending time with him.

A civic leader in Atlanta, he led the drive to raise $20 million that built the city’s High Museum of Art.

He might have derived at least a small portion of pleasure in his service on the media committee at the Masters, a duty he accepted in 1954. From our side of the room, our pleasure was obvious.

*

Apparently lost in the Michelle Wie disqualification was what happened to Kevin Stadler in Las Vegas. He also was disqualified Sunday for using a nonconforming club, because his lob wedge was bent above the hosel.

Stadler informed a PGA Tour rules official, who reluctantly disqualified Stadler.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. Wie has $10 million of endorsements in her bag, but Stadler might have blown his chance to get into the top 125 on the money list and have playing privileges for next year. He was 163rd on the money list and was tied for fourth when the last round began.

Now, after losing a chance at $160,000, Stadler is 167th.

*

There’s only one word that can describe Tiger Woods the next two months: busy.

This week, he’s playing the Funai at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which means he can sleep in his bed at his home near Orlando. Also, Woods is playing host to a couple of his pals from Stanford, Notah Begay III and Jerry Chang, who will caddie for Begay.

While most players start toning down their playing schedules, Woods is doing the opposite. He’s taking next week off, then playing the $6.5-million Tour Championship, then heading to play events in China and Japan. Then he’ll swing by Kauai to play in the two-day PGA Grand Slam of Golf on Nov. 22-23, jet to the Skins Game, Nov. 25-27, at La Quinta, take a week off, then play host to the Target World Challenge, Dec. 8-11, at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

*

Woods, on his website, was asked about non-players reporting infractions to tournament officials, which is how Wie was eventually disqualified Sunday after an infraction Saturday.

Said Woods: “I’ve never been a big fan of that ... but unfortunately, it’s part of the game. And the problem I thought was, it was a day late with Michelle.”

*

Equipment update: Woods is expected to use the new Nike Sasquatch 460 cc driver for the first time in competition.

*

As hard as it may be to believe, Colin Montgomerie, 42, can win his eighth European money title, the Order of Merit, if he stays ahead of Michael Campbell at the Volvo Masters at Valderrama in Spain.

Montgomerie has a lead of about $160,000 on Campbell.

*

Wes Short was the ultimate longshot at Las Vegas last weekend, where the 41-year-old career grinder, who didn’t even get into the tournament until Arron Oberholser pulled out, won in a playoff over Jim Furyk.

Short, from Austin, Texas, played only 12 times last year because of a back injury, so he is playing the PGA Tour on a major medical extension this year.

He began the year with career earnings of $75,536, but Short made nearly 10 times that -- $720,000 -- with his victory ... not to mention a two-year exemption to keep playing the PGA Tour.

Short is the eighth player in his 40s to win on tour this year. The others are Vijay Singh (four victories), Kenny Perry (two), Fred Funk, Bart Bryant, Brad Faxon, Olin Browne and Mark Calcavecchia.