ATLANTA, Ga. -- Life is moving fast for Lucas Glover, and it’s about to find an extra gear.
Two weeks ago, he holed a 35-yard bunker shot on the final hole at Disney for his first PGA Tour victory. After finishing his round Sunday at Innisbrook, he had to nervously wait until the final round ended to earn the final spot in the field at the Tour Championship.
His plans for the final two months of the year have nothing to do with golf.
Glover is getting married Dec. 3 to his high school sweetheart, and he has until Dec. 6 to finish his work on an online course from Clemson that he needs to get his degree. There’s a honeymoon trip to New York, and a big fund-raiser at Clemson, then graduation on Dec. 22.
He leaves for Hawaii a week later for the winners-only Mercedes Championships at Kapalua.
``I have a busy two months,’' Glover said.
Glover could have done without the school work, but he had to wait until it fit into his golf schedule. His eligibility at Clemson ran out in the spring of 2001, and he took an 18-hour load that fall to finish up. But his biology professor didn’t cut him any slack when Glover went to Q-school that December and he failed.
That class has kept him from graduating for four years.
Glover, 25, secured his PGA Tour card for 2006 with a strong start to this season, so he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about Q-school this year. That’s when he set his wedding date, and signed up for that biology class -- an elective, no less.
What was his major?
``I don’t remember,’' he said. ``Speech and communications. Nice choice on an elective, huh? I failed in my freshman year, so I had to go back and redo it. That whole Tuesday-Thursday at 8 o’clock thing was what did it.’'
HAWAIIAN GOOSE
Two weeks ago, Retief Goosen said he would spend two months in South Africa with his family and skip the season-opening Mercedes Championships.
Now, he’s not so sure.
In fact, Goosen showed how uncertain he was in a span of about five minutes Tuesday.
``At the moment, I’m still planning on playing it, but I’ll see how I feel Christmas time and New Year’s time,’' he said.
What are the odds he will play?
``Pretty good,’' Goosen said.
After his interview, he was asked to read a radio spot for Kapalua. Goosen looked at the statement, then said to the radio person, ``I might not be going.’'
He read it anyway, introducing himself and asking listeners to join him at Kapalua and the new greens on the Plantation Course for the Mercedes Championships. When he finished, he looked up and said, ``They’ve got new greens? Maybe I will go.’'
Stay tuned.
PRICE MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT
Nick Price played the last two weeks with hopes of finishing in the top 125 on the money list. He didn’t want to use his one-time exemption for being in the top 25 in career money, and he wanted to assure himself a spot in the field at The Players Championship.
But he is not playing the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, and Price is at No. 124 on the money list.
Even if he gets knocked out, Price is hopeful of getting to Sawgrass, where he won in 1993.
``I’m pretty sure they’ll give me a spot as a past champion,’' he said. ``They gave Greg (Norman) a couple of spots.’'
MASTERS PREVIEW
Ben Crane is assured of playing in his first Masters (through the PGA Tour money list), and he wasted no time getting his first look at Augusta National.
A week after the club had its fall opening, Crane spent four days at Augusta and played five rounds.
``I hadn’t played in a few weeks and wasn’t expecting anything,’' he said. ``I shot 4 under, made eagle on No. 13. I thought, ‘This is no problem.’ And I never came close to that the rest of the week.’'
For those curious about the latest batch of changes, stretching the course to 7,445 yards, Crane confirmed suspicions that the par-3 fourth hole will be a beast. It has a new tee box some 35 yards longer, making it play about 240 yards. He hit 2-iron one day, and 3-wood the other four times he played.
SHOTLINK
Officials at the Chrysler Championship thought Dennis Paulson had made history as the first player to reach the 605-yard fifth hole in two. According to the Shotlink system, which uses lasers to track every shot by every player, Paulson’s second shot went 287 yards and onto the green.
Statistics showed he took two putts for a birdie.
Alas, Shotlink is operated by humans, and humans do err.
``I was through the green,’' Paulson said, noting that his 3-wood went just beyond the fringe into the first cut. Told that Shotlink had him taking two putts, he rolled his eyes and said, ``Great. As if my putting stats weren’t bad enough.’'
It wasn’t the first time Paulson has been subjected to a Shotlink mix-up. At the Reno-Tahoe Open, he said the system operators had him mistaken for playing partner Paul Goydos throughout the round.
``One hole, they had Goydos 70 yards past me,’' he said. ``My driving distance average went down that week.’'
DIVOTS
Now that federal regulators have approved SBC Communications’ takeover of AT&T and Verizon, what will that mean for the title sponsorship at Pebble Beach? Not much, tournament director Ollie Nutt said Tuesday. He said SBC still wants the tournament to be called the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. ... When Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh missed the cut at Disney, it was the first time that Nos. 1 and 2 in the world ranking missed the cut at the same tournament since Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo at the 1992 Bay Hill Invitational. ... Chad Campbell, who had gone without an equipment deal most of the year as he figured out what he wanted to play, carried a Nike staff bag while finishing second at Innisbrook. Campbell said he is close to signing with the Swoosh.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Eleven of the 29 players at the Tour Championship have not won official PGA Tour events this year. A year ago, only eight players at the Tour Championship had not won.
FINAL WORD
``I can’t all of a sudden get mean or be a jerk out there. I don’t think that would help me in any way, shape or form.’' -- Jay Haas, asked if being too nice has kept him from winning more.