June 4, 2006

GROVE CITY, OH — Can the current champion repeat? Most doubt it with a swing that even Rick's muscles cannot remember nor repeat.

Rick Dosky returns to the major championship that has brought him so much glory. He entered last year's tournament averaging a dismal 2.3 bogeys per round and 0.4 pars per round. With just 3.7 double bogeys per round, his chances of winning last year were thought to be impossible.

A closed stance and unbalanced backswing did the trick. Dosky first surfaced and made a huge statement when finishing Round 2. He finished par, par, triple bogey, par worth 20 points.

Dropping strokes like an Enron crash, Rick Dosky finished the tournament with 3 pars, 10 bogeys and 15 double bogeys. Good for 129 points and 6-point victory.

"Dosky is seasoned veteran with tons of scorecards online," said Jason Watson. "I have never seen that kinda play in 5 years. I hope he can repeat as champion although it will be a huge challenge."

Dosky decided to make a rare appearance at the Phoenix Golf Links on Saturday along with former Champ Tom Fowble for a 10:24am tee time, in preparation for this year's major at the Neuse Golf Club in Clayton, NC. As a result, he's created a tremendous buzz in the southern Columbus metro area.

"The phone's been ringing off the hook," said the manager of the Phoenix Golf Links Pro Shop. "It's not every day that a defending major champion chooses to play on our golf course, ya know. Everybody wants to know the best place to park, how much it costs, how much are tickets, will we have beer, will he sign autographs; yada, yada, yada. It's a freakin' madhouse over here," he added.

"All I know is, we found out on Thursday that he was coming, so I've only had two days to get this golf course into shape by Saturday," said the Golf Course Superintendent. "As a result, I've had to call Mr. Spackler in. He's the best in the business when it comes to handling emergencies like this. I don't know if we'd have gotten ready without him."

Rick's first Golden Jacket would have been in serious jeopardy had it not been for Greg Long and his honest play. Long, who placed 3rd by just 8 points, carded a bogey on Hole 16 during Round 1 play. The bogey came after a two-stroke penalty for hitting the flagstick while putting. The 50-footer smacked the stick and dropped straight down for a 11-point birdie that immediately turned into a 1-point bogey.

"Long is an idiot," said playing partner Matt Davis. "He should be considered the Horses Ass of all-time."

As for his practice round at the Phoenix this Saturday, SNN spoke to Carl Spackler about his involvment with preparation of the golf course for Dosky's appearance.  "Well, we just streamlined some things here, made some operational changes there, and as a result, we even had time to make some course modifications," said Carl Spackler. "We even put some furrows in the bunkers like Nicklaus did for the Memorial. And no, I don't expect them to complain. These guys aren't whiners; being involved with the Spackler tournament and tour they understand that bunkers are hazards, not a day at the beach. The lies you get in furrowed bunkers are no different than what you'd expect to get in thick rough; sometimes they're good, sometimes they're bad," he added.

"I feel like I'm ready for the Neuse, but I wanted to get a little practice round in close to home to further ingrain the tweaks I've been working on lately," said Dosky. "My game feels really solid right now; I have a lot of confidence coming into the tournament this year. I expect it to grow on Saturday. As far as the bunkers are concerned, you know, the PGA Tour is a step below the Spackler Tour. The guys complaining at the Memorial are the ones that need an excuse for occasional poor play. When they get to our level out here on the Spackler Tour, they'll learn they can't get away with that," he added.

Dosky's tee time on Saturday, June 3 at the Phoenix Golf Links extended an open invitation to any two Spackler community members to fill out the foursome.  Dosky plans to arrive for the Wednesday CSOC practice round ready to challenge for his second Golden Jacket.  After Wednesday play and a beer, he plans to be available for autographs.