Throughout my life, I have been accused of the crime of living vicariously through my sports heroes, and I must admit, I often do this.
Nothing thrills me more than watching Nick Markakis deposit a fastball in the right-centerfield bleachers at Camden Yards, or seeing do-it-all Paul Harris posterize an opposing defender with a sweet dunk.
But when it comes to living vicariously through sports heroes, nothing compares to golf. Why do I love watching golf? Because I can actually play it! Not nearly as well as the pros, but it's a lot easier for me to relate to my golf heroes than to other athletes (and yes, golfers are athletes).
The PGA Tour is bringing its vicarious living potential to new heights this week with one of my favorite events of the season: The Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In this tournament, amateurs (some of them celebrities) are paired with a pro, with the top 60 pros and 25 pro-am teams making the cut.
Getting to see the celebrities (who most of the time are average golfers at best) is always enjoyable. And I always like seeing golfers with marginal skills get a chance to play on TV.
Watching the pros play at Pebble Beach also brings back memories of my younger days, when I used to play the greatest golf video game of all-time. That game pummels any of the more modern Tiger Woods video games.
While there will be some big names on the golfing side this week, including Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, and the sweetest swing in golf, Fred Couples, the attention will mostly be focused on the celebrities.
Among the celebrities slated to play are Pebble Beach favorites Kevin James, Bill Murray and David Putty (a.k.a. Patrick Warburton).
Will this year's Pebble Beach Pro-Am be fun to watch? All signs point to yes.
