December 16, 2003

WARREN, PA — His knee and back hurt so bad that he began the year on the couch, unable to hit even a sand wedge. His driving woes were so noticeable that at one point he went back to an old model no longer on the market.

His play in his first major championships was so lackluster that he thought about giving up the game.  He did though place 30th in the On Tour Championship and for the most part, this was considered an "off" year.

He had, arguably, his second-worst season as a amateur, while averaging 26.9 points per round.  Ultimately, wins are the most important, and Big Kevin Long Sr. has not even come close to his first.  If there was any doubt, all you had to do was look at scoring average of 109 and realize that he never saw double digits in 2003.

"If it was possible, I would have played 25 to 30 times this past year", said Big Kev after the On Tour Championship. "I'm very happy with my progress and plan to score much better in 2004."  Long might have wasted an opportunity. Or, maybe this will inspire him to challenge himself more, something that has often been lacking in his game.