Jack Adringa had an experience of a lifetime, thanks to PGA Tour Champions golfer Jerry Kelly.
And it brought memories of his father flooding back.
Jackβs dad, Rob Adringa, a legendary Wisconsin Badgers hockey player, died in May of 2020 from colon cancer.
Rob Adringa had golfed with Kelly, a childhood friend and 1990 college hockey champion, in the pro-am of the 2020 Cologuard Classic.
On Thursday morning, it was Jackβs turn.
βSeeing the photos β¦ (Cologuard CEO) Kevin (Conroy) showed a photo of (Kelly) and my dad on the 18th green (in 2020),β he said. βJust like knowing that Iβm going through the same experiences that my dad did with the same people. β¦ you canβt really trade that for the world.β
After the round, Kelly gifted Jack Adringa with the golf shoes that FootJoy made special for this weekend. In fact, they were exact replicas of the shoes Kelly is wearing the entire weekend. The shoes have the blue color and ribbon for colon cancer, the hashtag #RingoStrong and Rob Adringaβs No. 21.
Jack Adringa said it was βcool and meant a lot to our family.β
Kelly said Thursdayβs round gave him chills. Kelly thought back to just two years ago, when he was golfing on the same course with his friend.
βItβs a crazy thing and itβs a terrible disease but this whole family is so fantastic,β Kelly said. βFrom being knee-high growing up with Robby and being around this family, they still have the love going strong. Itβs why we do the hashtag RingoStrong and they only make us stronger, which is a testament to what they are, who they are. It is hard. But he did so much in those in those two years, three years of his diagnosis for others to raise awareness. Itβs up to us to continue that and even be more passionate about it.β
Kelly and Rob Adringa grew up playing hockey together in Madison, Wisconsin. Rob Adringa was two years younger than Kelly and a much better hockey player. Kelly moved across town and faced off against each other many times. After their lives took them to different places β Kelly to pro golf; Adringa to hockey β they reconnected.
βRob was a different person β he couldnβt give enough to people,β Kelly said. βAnd he was always with a smile. You hear those kinds of stories all the time, but it was him every single time you saw him. He asked about everybody in your life. He was just a really great friend.β
Over the last few years of Rob Adringaβs life, he and Kelly played golf together a number of times β including at the PGAβs AMFam Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kelly has been an ambassador for Cologuard for a number of years, and to Jack Adringa, itβs the right fit.
βHe really believes in their message, which is pretty cool,β Jack Adringa said. βWeβve been affected. Heβs been affected. Just getting out and believing in the cause, getting screened, all that stuff. It makes a big difference in catching it stage one compared to stage four. They couldnβt have a better person because like I said, he is all-in. Heβs a Madison boy. I mean, it just itβs a perfect fit for them.β
Living the dream
On any given day, Chris Nelson can be found either near the Omni Tucson National Resortβs cart barn or on the driving range, where he collects the balls golfers hit.
This week is no different β except that those golf balls he collects are hit by professional golfers.
Nelson said he gets questions during tournament week, mostly about the course.
βThereβs just a lot of history here with the event going from the PGA Tour transferring over to the Champions Tour,β Nelson said. βA lot of these guys that are out here actually played this course years ago. I believe itβs got to be cool for them to come back and see if thereβs any subtle changes that happened over the years.β
Nelson, an avid golfer, says heβs living the dream. Thereβs only one drawback: βNot being able to play while Iβm working,β he said.
Keep an eye on Petrovic
Miguel Angel Jimenez hit a hole-in-one on the seventh and finished the front nine with a 33. He ended the round tied for the lead with Jeff Sluman at 6 under.
Last year Tim Petrovic hit two aces β one on Friday, one on Sunday.
And last week at the Chubb Classic, Petrovic matched champ Bernhard Langer with three rounds in the 60s and finished one stroke back.
Petrovic is also in contention this week, finishing Fridayβs first round at 4-under par.
Fun questions of the day
Some golfers eat during their rounds, some donβt at all. Ian Woosnam falls into the latter category. After his round, the Welshman was headed for a snack and a few beers before dinner.
Tucsonans will love Mike Weir. If he could eat anything at the turn, heβd go for tacos. Vijay Singh was able to sneak in a big breakfast β eggs, bacon and sausage β before his 11 a.m. tee time.
Lee Janzen has studied when he needs to eat to get some energy and what that needs to be. He finally landed on Pro energy bars.
βItβs been about 25-plus years that I noticed around the 13th hole my concentration would change and my energy level but hadnβt eaten since whatever meal so you canβt go for five hours,β Janzen said.
Weir typically loves the warm weather in Tucson, and likes the diversity of shots on this golf course.
βYou get some short holes, you got some long runs. We kind of use all the clubs in the bag. I think thatβs pretty good,β Weir said.
His favorite club? His wedge.
βItβs won me a lot of money,β Weir said.
Chip shots
The Tournament is asking fans to dress in blue on Saturday and to post a photo on social media using the hashtag #CologuardClassic.
Performing in Saturday nightβs concert on the driving range are country music artists Diamond Rio and Jake Owen. The concert starts at 5 p.m.
