|
Tuesday, November 24
Pepto-toting Beem in new territory
By Bob Harig
Special to ESPN.com
CHASKA, Minn. -- Rich Beem will step to the tee, look around, pinch himself. He knows he doesn't belong and admits it. Playing golf for a living, trying to compete against the best in the world ... well, it's all a little bit too much to take.
|  | | Former cell phone salesman Rich Beem is playing in his first major of the year, and just the fourth of his career. |
So much so, in fact, that Beem chugs Pepto Bismol before every round, and doesn't mind saying so.
"I used to be embarrassed, but now I don't care,'' said Beem, 31, an unlikely contender through two rounds of the PGA Championship. "I just have always done it. It's just habit. I go through close to a bottle a week. Part of it's nerves. I think it's nice to have nerves before every opening round, and I certainly do for most every tee shot. I just put a little jug down.''
Beem shot 6-under-par 66 on Friday to tie the Hazeltine National Golf Club course record. He put himself atop the leaderboard, tied with major championship winners Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard and Retief Goosen, one strokes behind leader Fred Funk, who will finish his second round Saturday morning.
No wonder his stomach bothers him.
For Beem, this is new territory. He's playing in his first major championship of the year, just his fourth overall. His previous best finish was a tie for 70th at the 1999 PGA.
Of course, Beem is just happy to be playing. In 1995, he quit golf and moved to Seattle to sell cell phones and stereos, sick of the game. He had been playing on a mini tour called the Dakotas Tour, and he couldn't hit Mount Rushmore from 100 yards away. Enough was enough.
"I just really thought I wanted to become an every-day Joe, work a blue-collar job, and just play on the weekends,'' he said. "I was content with that, but something inside of me just kept pulling me back to try to do this for a living. I was more than happy to just walk away from the game and watch it on TV and cheer for these guys.''
What changed Beem's mind was the 1996 BellSouth Classic, won by Paul Stankowski. He saw a little of himself in Stankowski, and got the bug.
He went to the mini-tours, took a job at El Paso Country Club as an assistant pro, and worked on his game. In 1998, he went to the PGA Tour Qualifying School and made it. The following year, he came out of nowhere to win the Kemper Open, battling himself as much as the competition down the stretch.
Two weeks ago, he sweated out his second PGA Tour victory, seemingly having the International wrapped up, only to see Steve Lowery hole a fairway shot for a double-eagle at the 71st hole. Lowery nearly stole the tournament with a final-hole birdie, but Beem prevailed again.
"The Kemper Open win gave me two years to really find out that I was not that good of a player then,'' said Beem, who had a two-year exemption but failed to crack the top 100 on the money list in 2000 and 2001. "Finally, at the end of the year 2000, I just said, "Listen, I've got to figure this out.' So I went and really worked hard on my game and I'm still working at it.''
Beem has earned more than $1.6 million this year and has had three top-five finishes. He attributes much of his success to an improved short game, including the best putting of his life. That takes considerable pressure off the rest of the game.
Still, golf success can be fleeting. Every day is a new challenge, and the game is never conquered.
"These guys have been doing this for a long time and I'm still new to the ballgame as far as I'm concerned,'' he said. "I'd like to find out how good I can get. Winning the International boosted my confidence quite a bit, but I don't come to golf tournaments expecting to win. I think I can compete with them, but I'm not really too sure yet because I have not done it on a consistent basis.''
Beem still carries around his sales ID card as a reminder of where he's been. Playing among golf's elite, he's not sure what will happen. He hopes to live and learn.
And keep drinking Pepto Bismol.
Bob Harig of the St. Petersburg Times is a regular contributor to ESPN.com
|
 |
|
PGA Championship