rgreenjr@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte's Simpson has transitioned from golf as game to golf as vocation
When Webb Simpson opened the front door to his south Charlotte home one morning last week, he was still pulling his belt through the loops on his khaki shorts, his hair damp from a morning shower.
There were fresh muffins and bagels on the kitchen counter, a construction project under way in the back of the house and the gentle peace of a few days off from the PGA Tour in the early September air.It was the fresh start of another day, not unlike the Raleigh native's fast-blooming PGA Tour career.
As the Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs enter their final two weeks starting Thursday at the BMW Championship near Chicago, with 70 players chasing a $10 million prize, Simpson, 26, is the points leader and, based on his play this year, on the short list of best American golfers.
He might not have Dustin Johnson's power, but he has twice as many wins (two) this season.
He might not have Rickie Fowler's flair, but he has locked up a spot on the Presidents Cup team that will represent the United States in Australia in November.
He might not have a PGA Championship trophy like Keegan Bradley does, but Simpson has everyone's attention.
"We all want to look at the guy who hits it 300 yards and does all these exciting things, and Webb doesn't necessarily fit that," Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo says.
"But he's a guy you're going to have to beat every week. He has the chops. He's no flash in the pan."
A year of change
One year ago, it was different.
Simpson, a four-time All-American at Wake Forest, was in his second season on the PGA Tour and his first year of married life.
The wide-eyed thrill of his rookie season had been replaced by the grinding reality of golf as a job. It was still fun to be in the desert in the winter or on the range beside Phil Mickelson, but Simpson could feel a game changing into a vocation.
He learned there was something to the notion of a sophomore slump, finding himself facing the year's last few events with no guarantee he would retain his full Tour privileges for 2011.
Born and raised in Raleigh, Simpson moved to Charlotte last summer. His wife, Dowd, was pregnant with their first child and, considering Simpson's busy travel schedule, the couple decided it was best to live in her hometown, near friends and family who could help them with James, their son, who arrived this year.
Sitting on a brown leather sofa in their den, Webb and Dowd take turns holding James.
"This year has been my favorite year. It's almost less fun and more work but I almost enjoy it more for that reason," Simpson says.
"When I get up to go practice, I don't get excited, it's part of the deal, but when I'm playing I'm having more fun because I think I'm getting better. It's more of a grind and less glamorous than I thought (tour life) would be but I feel like we're settling into a good place now."
He will tell you it's a group effort that has brought him to where he is.
Simpson was introduced to the game tagging along behind his father, Sam, when he'd hit balls on the practice range at Landfall Country Club in Wilmington. Back home in Raleigh, Simpson fell under the tutelage of pro Ted Kiegel at Carolina Country Club, where he became good enough to earn an Arnold Palmer scholarship at Wake Forest.
Simpson was close enough to Wake Forest coach Jerry Haas that the coach was part of his wedding party. After long-time friend and caddie William Kane decided to pursue a youth ministry in Savannah, Ga., after last year, Simpson hired veteran caddie Paul Tesori, who has played a big role in his development.
And always, there is Dowd.
"She believes in me more than I do," he says. "The work I've put in this year, I expected great things to come of it, maybe not this fast. But it's fun to see what we've done pay off."
Simpson smiles, something he does a lot these days.
"Any time if he wins or plays really well, he's shocked," Dowd says. "Well what do you expect?
"Of course you can play with Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson. You're just as good."
A date with destiny
You don't have to be a believer in predestination to get the feeling the cosmos was intent on putting Webb Simpson and Dowd Keith together.
Or maybe it was just their friends and family.
Dowd was preparing to return to Wake Forest for her sophomore year in 2004 when a friend, Maggie Simons, mentioned Dowd's future husband would be a freshman in Winston-Salem.
"I didn't want to know anything about him. I didn't want to know what he looked like. I didn't care at all," she says.
Two weeks before school started, Sam Simpson, Webb's father, met Dowd through Simons at a party.
"My dad called me after and said, 'Bud, I met this girl tonight and she's a sophomore at Wake, Maggie's best friend,' " Webb says. "He just went on and on about her. He described what she looked like, how she was. My dad is not a flirt but he loves to talk to my sister's friends and play back and forth with them.
"He said, 'I'll pay you a hundred dollars to take my son out when he comes to school in two weeks to make him feel cool.' Dowd comes back at him and says, 'If he's half as cute as you are, I'll do it for free.' "
Two weeks later, Simpson was spending his first night as a freshman at Wake Forest where the only friends he had were members of the men's golf team. He went with them to a fraternity party.
"We walk in and the first person I see ends up being her," Simpson says. "I say, 'That's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. That has to be the girl my dad was talking about.' "
It was.
Simpson didn't approach Dowd that night. He asked a teammate to ask if her name was Dowd, but the teammate never did. Simpson left the party that night wondering if the blonde girl was the one his father had met.
The next day, Maggie Simons stopped by to see Simpson's dorm room. Dowd Keith was with her.
"I almost fell out of my chair when she came in," he says.
They dated through college but broke up in Simpson's senior year. It was then, he says, that he became more invested in his faith. It's at the center of their relationship today.
When Simpson was trying to win the Wyndham Championship last month in Greensboro, his first PGA Tour victory, he felt nervous on the putting green before the final round. Dowd reminded him of a favorite Bible verse - Psalms 50:15 - and he kept it in mind through the closing 18 holes.
"For me, it's so easy to get caught up in golf being all about me and my success. She told me and it got me back to zero and reminded me of the purpose Dowd and I believe in," Simpson says.
The path to success
Three times before Greensboro, Simpson had very good chances to win this year - at the Transitions Championship in March, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April and the Greenbrier Classic in July. Each provided a lesson, but the near miss at New Orleans drew national attention.
On the 15th hole of the final round, Simpson's ball moved on the green as he addressed it to tap in a putt. It cost him a one-stroke penalty that put him in a playoff won by Bubba Watson. Simpson never wavered in calling the penalty on himself, though he hadn't caused the ball to move.
"I'm a big believer in things happen for a reason," Simpson says. "It didn't really mess with me. It didn't haunt me like other things could. It definitely made me hungrier to get back in that situation."
With caddie Tesori on his bag this year, Simpson has evolved into a relentless contender. He's made the cut in 19 of 22 starts, has two seconds to go with his victories and has nine top-10 finishes. He has no glaring weakness in his game. If there's a flaw, it's been a criticism that he plays too slowly, particularly under pressure.
When he won the Deutsche Bank Championship on Labor Day, it vaulted Simpson to No. 15 in the world and atop the tour money list and points race. It also showed he can close out tournaments.
Simpson made two key putts late in the final round at Greensboro to win, then holed three straight - from 24, 15 and 8 feet - to slip into a playoff and beat Chez Reavie outside Boston. He's been using a belly putter for seven years, predating the tour's new infatuation with the unconventional club.
"I'd been giving him a hard time because he tells me how good a putter he is. I told him I hadn't really seen it," Tesori says. "At Greensboro, he made big putts under the gun at 15 and 16. That was the first time I'd seen him do it when it was really, really tough.
"At Boston, he putted so well it was unbelievable. Those three putts went in at flawless speed. That told me he was pretty calm in that situation."
Golf isn't built on statistics but Simpson's numbers tell the story of his emergence. He leads the tour's all-around statistic - based on every aspect of a player's game - and he ranks among the top five in scoring average in every round. His final-round average - 69.00 - is fourth-best. Nobilo compares his style to that of Curtis Strange and Gary Player, who didn't overpower courses but were solid throughout their games.
"There's no real column to put a guy like him in," Nobilo said. "There's no column for rock or granite."
And now, a chance
Simpson knows the opportunity he has over the next two tournaments. It's impossible to ignore a potential $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup, even though he's already won $5.3 million this year. Another victory could earn him the player of the year award as well.
It's all out there but Simpson might prefer to talk about Dowd's acting career - she's in an upcoming Jeff Foxworthy-produced movie titled "Crackerjack" - or their date nights at Cowfish restaurant. In November, he'll be in Australia playing for the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup alongside Mickelson and Tiger Woods for captain Fred Couples.
Golf, faith and family have led him here. At home on a September morning, it's a beautiful place for Webb Simpson to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment