Island Packet Verizon Heritage 2008 Coverage | Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC

Ken Duke, who is tied for 14th at the Verizon Heritage after opening with a 3-under-par 68 Thursday, admits he wasn’t ready for his first foray into the PGA Tour.

In his rookie season, 2004, the Arizona resident missed the cut in 16 of 30 events, finished just 166th on the money list and didn’t retain his full PGA Tour playing privileges for the next season.

By JEFF KIDD
jkidd@islandpacket.com
843-706-8121

Anthony Kim’s amateur credentials and early pro results probably created unrealistic exceptions, a few of his PGA Tour colleagues say ... including some he had for himself.

“It’s tough to win out here. I have to realize that,” Kim said Thursday after his 4-under-par 67 put him one shot behind the leaders at the Verizon Heritage. “I expected to win out here real early. I definitely feel I’ve gotten a little beaten up out here.

By JUSTIN JARRETT
jjarrett@islandpacket.com
843-706-8120

The tales seem more suited for a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour than the PGA Tour, and the guy who spawns them is more likely to be mistaken for Larry the Cable Guy than Larry Mize.

Heck, in another life, Boo Weekley might’ve been traveling the country telling jokes for a living. Goodness knows he would find a more receptive audience than he has at home.

Cary Corbitt

Job title: Director of sports for Sea Pines, liaison between Sea Pines Resort and the tournament office and an advisory member of the Heritage Classic Foundation board.
Hometown: McCormick, S.C.
Golf handicap: Class A PGA member, however, I play only about twice a month.
Previous job: Before his promotion to director of sports, Corbitt was the head professional at Harbour Town Golf Links.

James McMahon
jmcmahon@golfersguide.com

From the moment Arnold Palmer ended a 14-month victory drought at the first-ever Verizon Heritage, Hilton Head Island and its signature PGA Tour event have been intertwined. Now 40 years later, both Hilton Head and the Heritage are all grown up, resembling only slightly what they were four decades ago.

Sure, the event has had more names than Prince (or the artist formerly known as) but no matter the name, the logo or title sponsor, the Heritage was, is and hopefully forever will be the identity of this region.

By JUSTIN JARRETT
jjarrett@islandpacket.com
843-706-8120

Now that he’s a father himself, Jim Furyk has a deeper appreciation for his unconventional situation.

Furyk is a rare breed on the PGA Tour in that his father, Mike, is the only swing coach he’s ever had, an arrangement that has served him well throughout his career, but more so in recent years.

“Early on, it was wonderful and difficult all at once,” Furyk said. “Now it’s wonderful.”

By JUSTIN JARRETT
jjarrett@islandpacket.com
843-706-8120

Somewhere between the ninth and 11th holes at The Classic Club, it came back.

And Don Trahan saw it — the look his son, D.J., had lost somewhere between his days as the nation’s top amateur golfer and his fourth year on the PGA Tour. The look Don Trahan felt his son needed to recapture to move up in the cutthroat world of professional golf.

By JUSTIN JARRETT
jjarrett@islandpacket.com
843-706-8120

Sean O’Hair was prepared for a pretty ho-hum spring. That all changed with one Sunday surge.

Since coming from four shots back to win the PODS Championship at Innisbrook last month, things have turned around dramatically for the 25-year-old. He leapt into the top 30 in the World Golf Rankings after earning his second PGA Tour victory and his first since winning the John Deere Classic in 2005, when he was the PGA Tour’s rookie of the year.

By JUSTIN JARRETT
jjarrett@islandpacket.com
843-706-8120

If Woody Austin can do anything about it, he’ll be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall. Just don’t expect to see him sporting scuba gear.

“That was a once-in-a-lifetime deal,” Austin said. “I won’t even be talked into something like that again by my caddy. That was a once-in-a-lifetime deal.”

The 44-year-old made a big ... umm ... splash at the Presidents Cup last October, when his “Aquaman” antics kept the crowd entertained and his golf game helped the United States retain the cup.

By ZACH VAN HART
The Island Packet

When playing in the Verizon Junior Heritage, it’s taxing trying to keep the names of previous winners out of your mind. Andrew Yun had to withstand the urge for two extra holes.

“It’s not something you think about until you get the job done,” he said.