June 26, 2005

ARCANUM, OH — There is an ominous presence lurking around the On Tour Leaderboard these days.  While he doesn't wear a black helmet and cape like Darth Vader, "Mondo" Ron Fowble still instills fear in his playing partners, despite his eligibility for the Champions Tour.

"Don't ever out-drive him," said a regular playing partner who insisted on anonymity.  "You'll get a stare that makes Tiger Woods look like a fuzzy little kitten, or Jack Nicklaus look like a playful little grizzly cub.  To top it off, he'll stick it within 5 feet and dare you to bet him you can get it closer.  He will get inside your head and dance a little jig on your subconscious."

At 6 feet, 3 inches and 225 pounds, Mondo definitely has a presence on the golf course. "Sure, I use intimidation to my advantage, I've been doing it for years," said Fowble. "Why shouldn't I? You've got to do everything you can to kick the other guy's ass.  I take no prisoners," added Fowble.

While currently residing in the middle of the Leaderboard in 33rd place, he does have the game to back up his tough talk.  His first two rounds were disappointing for his standards, a 91 and 93 for 35 and 29 points respectively, then two straight rounds of 87 for 34 points each.  He finally checked in with a round of 79 and 47 points, which reflects the kind of scores he's used to.  "I'm currently averaging 87.4 strokes and 35.8 points per round, which is below average for me, but there is plenty of time to make up ground," said Fowble.

Don Creighton still leads the On Tour Championship at 49.0 points per round, followed by Steve Hoden with a 45.8 average, then Greg Garrett with 44.2.  John McAninch, Jean Dore, Billy Smalls, Brandon Hunter, Mike Davis, Joseph Butkus and Matt Munksgard round out the top ten as of 6/23/05.