You could see it from the parking lot: a swing that looked like it belonged in a Wednesday night beer league.
As I approach the range, I watch the imbalance, the lack of coordination and the one-handed finishes. Was I at the right place? Wasn’t this the site of the Monday qualifier for a Korn Ferry Tour event? Maybe the course is allowing public play after the final tournament tee time, I thought. I feel badly for whoever gets paired with that guy!
After I finish my warmup I arrive on the 1st tee of Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kansas, and there he is. The golf gods have an unnerving sense of humor, don’t they?
Caleb appears to be in his late 30s with a stocky dad bod, an unkempt beard and a brown hat with crossing rifles on the logo. He has his driver in one hand and gives me a firm handshake with the other. The third member of our group is Theo Humphrey, who I’ve played with a handful of times and has two second-place finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Humphrey has a boyish face and doesn’t skip arm days at the gym. The long-hitting Vanderbilt grad was known for having trouble pulling the trigger when he earned KFT status in 2020. He would back off shots regularly, berate himself often, and performed an uncomfortable and prolonged dance over the ball. It has been years since we played together, and I am curious to see if anything has changed.
Humphrey is first on the tee, and within 20 seconds, the ball is in the air. While the iron shot isn’t pretty – a clunky strike that flies straight down the fairway – I am pleasantly surprised by his efficient pre-shot routine. I hit a high 2-iron into the fairway and then it is Caleb’s turn. He makes a disjointed swing and wallops his driver, sending the ball into a group of trees left of the fairway. We’re off.
