Now that Tiger Woods has perhaps shot himself out of golf stardom I was like a lot of his fans. Groping for a new hero.

Now that has been resolved for me.

My Irish Granddad was born in Northern Ireland, near Belfast, in County Antrim near Holyrood.
I don't know if he ever played golf but now comes Rory McIlroy from the same hometown, and he is the winner of the U.S. Open.

And I find myself entranced with this enormous golf talent.

Like most golfers, I have revered Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Portland's Peter Jacobson, Tom Watson and I even viewed with awe, West Seattle's Kermit Zarley and Rainier's ex-player Rory Rice.

As a long time member myself at Rainier since 1967 I still hold some remarkable records of my own. They have never been recorded for obvious reasons.

Here they are.

First person and probably the only member to ever land in the club swimming pool adjacent to the ninth hole. Way back in 19 something. Two of my sons can verify this and delight in detailing this magnificent event to friends. I did not attempt to retrieve the ball. I have my pride.
Only member to swim in the creek meandering along 16th hole.

In attempt to retrieve an errant tee shot I discovered that a three iron stabbed in a muddy creek bottom for balance is not preferable to a sturdy hand offered from a partner (former member Andy Hess and state senator.) It was witnessed by a score of hooting former friends. I swear the poor decision cost us the loss of the Gold Cup but the spectators would swear I was not swimming but was fishing and using a spoon. I sloshed through till the end.

Only one alive to swear witness to former member Skip Sherwood climb a huge fir tree on 18th tee to retrieve driver thrown in moment of petulance.

He now lives in New Jersey and still has a bent shaft.

Only golfer I know of to ever score a magnificent triumph over legendary Rainier golfer and card shark Eddie Bouchet.

My first day as member walking through locker room I was accosted by Eddie who invited me play some Gin Rummy. As a beginner I tried to beg off but he was insistent so played a hand or two and lost an amazing 70 bucks.

Live and learn who the patsies are. They are me.

But a week later I was taking a golf lesson from pro Ray Bennett.

Eddie was out there standing nearby and getting some free advice when I caught one on the heel of my driver and it caromed like a bullet right into his family jewels.

He crashed on the turf and his eyes bugged out.

Of course, I apologized, but could not resist.

I yelled out loud," Touché, Bouchet."

Many golfers at Rainier Golf and Country Club know the man pictured above because when he was just a kid who played at our local course, he played pretty good. In fact, there is a trophy in the clubhouse with his name on it. He won it by shooting the lowest score ever at this demanding test of golf. Even though he bogied the first hole he finished the game with a nine under par 63. No other member has topped or tied it.

He was visiting family the other day and dropped by so I snapped his picture.

He lives in Illinois on a small farm, with a ten-acre lake full of fish and makes his living as a sign painter but has a designed and developed a golf teaching machine which he calls his Teaching Machine and has some in use but is talking with local potential buyers who operate driving ranges.

He met his wife, Margaret Young, when she was my editor at the White Center News a goodly number of years ago. They have a daughter.

He played a lot with Joe Collello, Jim McClean, and other boy wonders.

Here are some contributions from Rory Rice on his memories of his days at Rainier:

"Beaver" Tonkin, as his family and friends called him, was brother to Jim Tonkin and both belonged to the club (Rainier G&CC) at one time. Jim (of Taco Time fame) and I played a lot of golf together and other things as well. Usually, after a round of golf, we would sit around having a few drinks and then Beaver would pick up one of those big leather dice cups, select one dice, put it in the cup, turn it over capturing the dice on the table and then rattle the cup around without lifting the edge of the cup. Then declare what the number of the dice was up.

Sure enough, when lifting the cup he had correctly called the number. Going another step further, he would ask what number you wanted, then shake and shake until finally with his usual giggle and smile that's it! And sure enough it was right. He would even let you shake the cup and then tell you what the number was.
Still with me, this is the God's honest truth. Beaver revealed to me what the secret was and I will tell at the end of this story.

Well, one day after golf, Beaver was sitting with other members around a big round table there in men's room a few feet away from the bar, and was performing in trick for those at the table. Again, for some reason I was there, not sitting at the table, but just an onlooker since all seats were taken.
I was standing directly opposite Beaver and behind Dr. Tannel.

Anyway, as Beaver was doing his routine with the cup and continually calling the right number, Dr. Tannel said. Give me that cup!" And as I was standing right behind him, saw him place a six up and then cover it with the cup. He then pushed the cup toward Beaver (about 2/3rds of the way) and said to Beaver," What's that?"

Beaver, in his usual smile and chuckle said," That's easy, it's a 2". Tannel jumped out of his seat and said, "I'll bet my house that's not a 2, now put up or shut up!" Well, things were getting sort of heated at that point and someone at the table reached over and lifted the cup revealing, what else, a "2."

Now, as promised, the secret. Not what you might expect.

Beaver once confided in me that he could not do this trick for more than a dollar or for women, he knew he was blessed but had not the slightest clue why.

And another Bouchet story from Rory:
Seems to me a lot of things happen in history and are remembered only because of the moment captured at the time. Like Hiroshima or Nagasaki or Pearl Harbor, etc. Well this moment in golf history is nothing like that but the point being that without the timing of events, it would be nothing of note. But, one time playing with Eddie Bouchet as my partner, we came to the 17th hole at Rainier with a lot of money riding on the match.

Eddie hit his drive on 17 to the right rough. We consulted on the situation and I tried to calm him under the stress of his lie (Eddie being a 14 handicap) and gave him some helpful instruction as to what to do. Well, he hit this marvelous shot that hit just short of the green and was rolling toward the hole as if it might go in but stopping short about a foot and a half.

When we reached the green, one of our opponents asked Ed to mark his ball as it was obstructing their shot. Now this is the dramatic point of the story. It was just as Eddie was leaning so proudly over the ball to put the coin behind it, somebody back in the 17th rough yelled," Is anybody playing an 'Airway 4?'" Of course Eddie was the only person at the club who played an Airway golf ball.

Still bent over in the act of marking his ball Eddie exclaimed, "Aw, shoot"
Nuff said as he had to go back and play another ball.