Noah Zelnik, Brian Hebb's caddy during Champions Tour qualifying school

I am just off maybe my worst performance at Tour School and maybe the poorest summer of professional golf since the turn of the new millenium. Take away my victory at The Vermont National Open and this year was an all out struggle with both myself and my golf game.

As the story goes, after a T18 at the Puerto Rico Open at 9 under par, I returned to my house and found a letter saying that I had to go and pre-qualify for the PGA Tour. Not that I am a world beater, but I think that I have a better than average playing resume and the PGA Tour has documented results from 1999- 2002 that I was 28 under par for four years and had played fairly well at second stage. But, after a poor first stage last year, I was to pre-qualify for tour school. A $4,500 entry fee just for the right to tee up at first stage. One week before I was to attend in Florence, SC for the pre-qualify, I was told that I no longer had to attend and could now go and play first stage like all the others. It played on my mind and I began to doubt my ability and it showed in my inconsistent results this summer. I missed at first stage for the third straight year at the same golf course, Florence CC, and I am in the car on my way to Florida, just actually glad to put my worst year of competitive golf behind me.

I was at the Zoo in Tampa with my girlfriend and her son at ZOO BOO, a Halloween night for the kids and I got a text message on the phone. Brian Hebb, our Tour Chairman for the New England Tour asked if I could caddy for him this week at Champions Tour School. I accepted without hesitation. After all, he is the Godfather of golf in New England and everyone knows that without him, myself and 95 other professional golfer would be spread thinly throughout North America searching for other alternatives to continue our quests as professionals.

Five years ago, Brian established the New England Pro Tour as a place for professionals to go and play golf without having to travel to Florida and play around thunderstorms, hurricanes or go north of the border to play for 50 cents on the dollar. This was also a tour where Brian could get great competition for himself, then 45, to get ready for a run at the Champions Tour.

Fast forward again five years, and we find ourselves now well trained, warming up on the range on Sunday afternoon getting ready to tee it up with the likes of Joe Ozaki, Eduardo Romero, Mike Schmidt, Rick Rhoden, and numerous others with PGA Tour experience ready to take on the Nicklauses, Palmers, Quigleys. That’s what this is all about. The 50 something crowd looking for a second chance to make the dance. Professional golf at its finest. Brian’s dream of playing the senior tour and the other 71 here also with the same goal. Four days of the toughest job interview in ones life. A few will go on to the finals and tee it up for 7 exempt and 8 conditional spots to play with some of the worlds best 50 something's; the others will go home to their families and either wait another year to try again or go back to what it has been they have been doing. Regardless of how Brian plays this week, we all can be sure that the New England Tour will be around for another year. We are lucky. Brian is still 49, so best case scenario is he can play two events come August. Wish us well as we embark on this journey, and know that you will see us come the first week of June in New England.