Initial Reaction Is Positive

His given name is John Holmes and he hits the ball a mile, so it seems only natural that people would start calling him “Long John” Holmes.

But that name made J.B. Holmes a bit uneasy -- something about a notorious adult film star with the same name -- so after he won the PGA Tour qualifying tournament in December he began using his initials.

Shortly thereafter, Holmes used an array of 350-yard drives and 230-yard four-irons to smash his way to victory at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., in only his fourth career start and had golf insiders whispering that he could be the sport’s next superstar.

He’ll make his first start since Phoenix when he tees off in the Nissan Open on Thursday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, but don’t expect Holmes to throttle back just because he is playing for the first time as a PGA Tour winner.

“I don’t think it changes anything,” Holmes, 23, said about his approach after winning. “My goal this year was to win one. If I won one, to win two. If I win two, to win three.”

His length -- he is second on the tour with a 313.5-yard driving average -- has helped him climb to fourth place on the season money list with $1,096,686. In addition to his victory at Phoenix, he finished 10th at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Holmes was the Southeastern Conference player of the year at Kentucky in 2002, ’04 and ’05. He has a short homemade swing and has never had a formal lesson. Because of that Everyman upbringing and his length off the tee, he has been compared to another Long John -- John Daly.

But there is one major difference: Holmes doesn’t drink very often.

“I’m not a drinker,” he said. “I don’t mind having a drink with a friend or something like that, but I don’t go out just to get drunk or anything like that.”

The courses on which he has played well so far are set up for big hitters, but Riviera is more of a ball-striker’s course. Over the last 12 years, Corey Pavin and Mike Weir have won at Riviera twice and neither is known for his length. Neither are 2002 champion Len Mattiace or 2000 winner Kirk Triplett.

Holmes said that won’t change his strategy of trying to overpower the course. “There are definitely some places you can take advantage of your length,” he said.

For instance, on the 315-yard par-four 10th hole, Holmes said he’ll hit three-wood because “I hit a driver [Tuesday] and I went 20 yards over.”

On the 501-yard par-five first hole, Holmes plans to try to reach the green in two with a three-wood and a four-iron. On the 236-yard par-three fourth, it will be a three-iron or a hybrid club, depending on the wind.

“I think it’s more of a long-ball hitter’s course,” he said. “The fairways don’t get a lot of roll even though the fairways are a little dried out.”

His strategy for playing might not change because he has won, but the courses where he plays will. His victory allows him to get into tournaments such as the Players Championship and the PGA Championship.

He went from No. 464 in the world rankings to No. 77. If he climbs into the top 50 before the Masters, he gets in there.

He’s also noticing a change off the course with his agent brokering deals for sponsorships. Last week, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher visited Holmes in his hometown of Campbellsville.

“Crazy is a good word to explain it,” he said about his life during the last 10 days.