May 31, 2004

STATEN ISLAND, NY — The Carl Spackler Open is the ultimate cathedral for amateur golf.  Right behind it is the On Tour Championship.  For Don Creighton, it is, well, something more than a season long tournament.  It is about destiny.

"Hmmmm," Creighton said, smiling. "For whatever reason, this one's just always been the most difficult for me. I've never felt like I really have played great golf throughout the entire season. The weekend major coming next week seems to help my game a lot more; I find it a lot more of a struggle trying to maintain a strong game for six months.

For nearly two months now, Creighton, 34, has been downplaying his chances of winning the 2004 title -- a feat that would bring personal satisfaction, to go erase the near debacle in 2001 when he escaped the Carl Spackler Outfit by one point on the 72nd hole.

"This is for sure the one tournament where I don't really care who is dominating today, because after today, comes tomorrow and then July, September, and November."

Don Creighton broke the 100 mark for the first time on April 11.  He shot a record 51 points and followed up that effort with 47 points the following day.

"I would love to be able to get through several rounds of quality golf and get a shot at, hopefully, the Tour Championship," Creighton said. "It would be an exciting atmosphere to have the crowd against you and see what you can pull off."

The On Tour Championship is scheduled to complete on November 30, 2004.  Glenn Hoffert has the momentary lead and could be the first player to win two On Tour Championships.