Stu Ingraham gets another crack at PGA

You know what they say about your first anything. Stu Ingraham made his PGA Championship debut in 1989. The snapshots remain vivid, as much for what didn't happen.

"It was at Kemper Lakes [in suburban Chicago]," he said. "I was the first group off on the second day. I even got on the leaderboard after the second hole. I birdied it. I grinded to shoot like 145 [actually 146]. But I have to wait until the next morning to find out if I made the cut, since three guys were still on the golf course because of thunderstorms. One guy, I forget who, had to get it up and down out of a bunker on 18 to knock 11 [actually nine] of us out. And he holed it, right in front of me. I'm like, 'Oh my god, are you kidding me?'

"I've never been more devastated in a sporting event. I remember now, it was Bob Lohr. And it was a long [shot], like a 65-footer. At 7:45. I'm standing there watching, on the bubble. Unbelievable."

Not all the memories have been hard to take. Like the time in 1991 at Crooked Stick when he was standing on the practice tee alongside some guy named John Daly, before Daly had made the field.

"I said, 'John, you're in,' " Ingraham recalled. "He wins the tournament."

Or in 1993 at Inverness, when he finished tied for 31st with, among others, defending champion Nick Price, who was ranked No. 1 on the planet.

Ingraham, the longtime head pro at Overbrook Country Club, is now the teaching pro at M-Golf Range and Learning Center in Newtown Square. Starting Thursday at Whistling Straits (Kohler, Wisc.), he'll be competing in his sixth PGA. But it's his first appearance since 1996, when he tied for 78th at Valhalla.

He's one of 20 club pros in the field. And, at 50, the oldest. The only ones in the field who were born before him are 1995 U.S. Open champion (and current U.S. Ryder Cup captain) Corey Pavin and 1996 British Open champ Tom Lehman. "And it's not by much," Ingraham noted.

Ingraham, who lives in Harrisburg, among three members from the Philadelphia Section PGA to make it, more than from any other section. Joining him will be Mark Sheftic, a teaching pro at Merion, and Rich Steinmetz, head pro at Spring Ford. They qualified 2 months ago at the PGA Professional National Championship in French Lick, Ind.

Sheftic, 35, finished third as the defending champ. Ingraham was ninth. Steinmetz, 38, had to close with two birdies to earn the final berth. For Sheftic and Steinmetz, this is their second PGA. Sheftic missed the cut last August at Hazeltine. Steinmetz MC'd in 2005 at Baltusrol.

For Ingraham, who is teeing off at 2:05 from No. 10 with Kevin Stadler and Charlie Wi, it's . . .

"Almost a little shocking, to be honest," he said. "I've had a really good career. But you don't know if you're ever going to get another chance. And that [Pete Dye Course] was potentially the hardest I've ever played. Not bad for someone my age. It's been nice. I've gotten a lot of what I call indirect exposure from it.

"This feels a little different. I appreciate the opportunity, whether I play good or play bad. If this were 1997, my goal might not be the same. I'm going to keep perspective and have fun with it. The good thing about golf is, it can happen. Look at Tom Watson. The reality is, you're not supposed to. So this is a bonus. I'm almost sentimental about it."

He is traveling with a friend who worked with him at Overbrook, Russ Baribault.

"I told him I'd get him a ticket every day, and he can caddy for me Monday," Ingraham said. "He gets the hotel room."

Ingraham's 15-year-old son, Stu, will be carrying his bag around the rest of the time. His other two children and two of their friends are also driving out.

"They've got a one-bedroom suite for six people," Ingraham said. "That's why I'm with Russ."

It's an experience he intends to savor, for all the obvious reasons.

"It's exciting to have them all come out, because I don't get to see them much," Ingraham said. "I'm so busy working. People ask how I'm preparing and I say, 'I'm giving 40 lessons a week, playing in three tournaments, and there's a junior camp this week.' I think I've hit balls once in a week. That's not an excuse. Just what it is."

As for expectations, nothing has changed. He just wants to make it through to the weekend.

"But I can't play pretty good," he cautioned. "I know I'm going to have to play at the highest level.

"If Kevin Stadler ties for 63rd, it probably doesn't mean much. But for Stu Ingraham, it would be the topping in my life. I'm approaching it as I'll be the first guy to sign an autograph and the one giving away every ball."

However this plays out, just being part of it again is rewarding enough.

"I'll tell you a small story," Ingraham said. "I went to the AT & T [in early July at Aronimink] for an hour-and-a-half, and every single person I saw shook my hand. I couldn't watch the event. It was a joke.

"I'm standing at the 18th green, and who walks up but Bo Van Pelt. We'd played together 10 years ago. He was very impressed with my game. He said, 'You can play.' And I went, 'Wait, you can really play.' He was like, 'You think so?' I know so. So all of a sudden, I'm looking at him. I go, 'Mr. Van Pelt.' And he says, 'Stu Ingraham, congratulations. I saw you on the Golf Channel.'

"How'd that make me feel? He's the first pro I saw. Those kind of things make you feel welcome, let you know they respect your side of the fence."

And should it turn out to be a last impression, sure sounds like one worth leaving.