May 17, 2005

GLEN ALLEN, VA — Joe Butkus has never endured a Golden Jacket or a crushing disappointment within the On Tour Championship.  But he has made a statement with his recent round of 50 points at the Crossings when he got the gitters.

Only when another raucous cheer from the fans told him his second shot had reached the green on the par-4 16th hole, was Joe Butkus unable to contain a sly smile.  He had his eyes set on his best round in memory.  A chance at 80.

"You beauty," Butkus thought to himself. "I just need to close the door on this great round with two pars."

Unfortunately, Butkus finished with double bogey on the 17th and triple bogey on the 18th to shoot 85.  Joe averages 95 strokes per round and carries a 17 handicap.

"It's a long time coming," Butkus said. "To continue to shoot that good through 18 holes is huge for me."  The 50-point effort moves Butkus into 8th position for the season-long tournament.  He shot 7 pars and 1 birdie.

"I fell apart down the stretch," Butkus said. "I put to much pressure on myself and that was disasterous, but to nearly shoot a triple bogey free round is pretty impressive.  I am playing against the best players. It will sink in, obviously, in a couple of weeks' time. At the moment, I'm just very happy with my progress going into June."

Butkus is scheduled to attend the 2005 Carl Spackler Open in Pennsylvania in 3 weeks.

"I hope this starts a streak of great play and not just a very lucky moment," Butkus said. "Hopefully, I'll have a little more confidence with my golf game, knowing I can finish the job off next time."

The 2005 On Tour Championship is being led by Don Creighton while Matt Davis has the caboose.