Between being on-site to cover the Volunteers of America® LPGA Texas Classic and the AT&T Byron Nelson in North Texas, most of our top stories from May are golf related. But, dive in and you’ll notice they’re full of great people, too.
Our top five:
5. Peyton’s Wild & Wacky 50K Pays Homage to Incredible Superhero Son
It would be fair to say running saved Noah Moore’s life.
But if you’re going to say that, then you would really have to say it was his son Peyton who did the saving.
“When Peyton was born, I was 270 pounds. When he was 2, I was chasing him around and I couldn’t keep up with him,” Moore says. “He changed everything.”
4. My Experience as an Undercover Volunteer at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson
Imagine, as a casual fan, if you could stand on the field with NFL players on a Sunday. Or rebound for LeBron James before Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. Yes, it’s a far-fetched dream for any fan of pro football or pro basketball to be that involved in the gameday action. But, when it comes to professional golf, fans are actually encouraged to go behind-the-scenes and inside the ropes. All they have to do is put on a volunteer cap and get a little dirt under the fingernails.
3. Ben Bender, 93, Sinks Hole-In-One in his Last Round of Golf Ever
Sometimes, perfection takes time. Ben Bender first picked up a golf club at 28 years old. Sixty-five years later, he drained his very first hole-in-one, and then eloquently closed the chapter on his playing days.
The 93-year-old, who has hip bursitis, pulled out his 5-wood and saw the ball fall into the cup on the third hole at Green Valley Golf Club in Zanesville, Ohio. Then he decided to leave the sport on the ultimate golfer’s high.
2. Tour Rookie Maddie McCrary Finishes With a -2, T-32 at Her Second LPGA Event
We’ve been following the golf career of Maddie McCrary for about a year now—back when the idea of her playing on the LPGA Tour was only a dream. We originally noticed McCrary when she qualified, as an amateur, for the Volunteers of America® LPGA Texas Classic (formerly known as the Texas Shootout) in 2017. At the time, she was a student at Oklahoma State University—a golf standout who had been working with instructor Rick Woodson, Jr. since she was six years old. Her work ethic, her sheer fervor for the game, and the support of both coach and her non-golfing, totally down-to-earth parents made this Wylie, Texas native stand out.
She’s a hard kid not to love.
1. The Refreshingly Candid Brittany Lang Talks Golf, Life And The Power of Perspective
There’s a saying in the Lone Star State, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.”
Such is the case of thirteen-year LPGA veteran and Texas transplant Brittany Lang, who is competing on her home turf at the Volunteers of America® LPGA Texas Classic at Old American Golf Club this week.
Lang bounced into her press conference decked out with state of Texas earrings, Texas flag fingernails, and a refreshing authenticity that’s rare at these events. In an environment where athletes often regurgitate carefully crafted soundbites, she was all about keeping it real.
