By Marla Ridenour/Akron Beacon Journal (TNS)
When Jakob Ross waded into the creek to retrieve Rickie Fowler's ball at the fifth hole at Muirfield Village Golf Club in June, he had no idea he'd get talk to Fowler again.
Especially since after the round Fowler autographed the ball for the 13-year-old from Delaware, Ohio, and gave him a signed glove.
But on July 15, Fowler, who has 993,000 Twitter followers, launched a campaign on the social media site to (hashtag)FindFowlersFan. He wasn't found until Friday. But lifelong memories were made for Ross and four members of his family on Wednesday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
With Fowler's sponsor, Cobra Puma Golf, doing the planning and paying all expenses, including a hotel stay Tuesday, Ross was invited into their equipment truck at Firestone Country Club. Ross stood no more than four feet from Fowler for 45 minutes on the driving range and met fellow pros and coach Butch Harmon. Fowler checked out Ross's swing.
But that was just the beginning, as his grandfather Lamar Ross explained. Ross walked nine holes side-by-side with Fowler during a practice round with Jimmy Walker. Fowler's caddie let Ross rake the bunker.
When Bubba Watson called, Fowler handed Ross his cell phone and they spoke for a few seconds.
Ross took home two Cobra clubs he watched being made, a mustache wedge to display and another sand wedge he's already used, at least 10 Puma hats and a Puma book bag filled with goodies for him, his parents and grandparents. And two pair of Puma golf shoes for Ross are on order.
Ross spent over three hours at Fowler's side. "Rickie Fowler changed my grandson's life," says Lamar Ross, 67. "It was an unbelievable day, the best I ever spent at a sporting event and I'm a 30-year season ticket holder for Ohio State football and basketball. I still can't believe it."
Lamar Ross knows there were marketing motives involved, but was still struck by the kindness of Fowler, 26, and the responsibility he feels to the game. "He said, 'We need to be better to kids to grow golf,' " Lamar Ross said.
It was just another example of what the PGA Tour's young stars have done this week at Firestone. They are impressing not only with their physical talent, but with their empathy, their humanity and the importance they place on connecting with young fans.
The tour has always had good guys. But during the Tiger Woods era, there was not this feeling of closeness. Woods inspired thousands, if not millions, of young players around the world, but he did it by his actions, not by his interaction.Those who worshipped Tiger did so from afar, not from walking next to him down the fairway during a practice round.
The generation Woods inspired on the PGA Tour doesn't follow its hero's lead. They communicate via Twitter and Facebook. Rory McIlroy announced his serious ankle injury on Instagram, complete with a photo of him on crutches. The 20-somethings are open, honest and out there.
Jordan Spieth signed a pin flag for an 11-year-old boy from Toronto who had been injured in an autograph scrum near the caddie shack.
While Spieth had to do little except get out his Sharpie, some players might have been bothered by the driving range interruption.
Later that day, Spieth posed for pictures with Gavin Nalepa, 4, of Green and autographed his Fathead the PGA Tour had given Nalepa's mother for his birthday party in May. It could have been a 30-second encounter. But Spieth has a sister with special needs and has a special way with children.
He hugged Gavin, looked him in the eyes when they fist-bumped, and turned what could have been a quick photo op into something more.
"You have no idea how much this means to us," Gavin's father, Shane Nalepa, said more than once.
"It's really humbling and a really, really cool feeling that we can make this impact, but also you can't take it for granted. These kids are now looking up to you," Spieth said minutes later. "You need to set a good example on and off the course and the way you do your business to keep growing this game. Ultimately that's what we want to do."
At the 2012 Bridgestone, Keegan Bradley did much the same for 19-year-old Hope Turock of Summit, on the suggestion of his publicist, Bradley spent a few minutes after the third round with the smitten soon-to-be Brandeis University freshman who had followed him every day.
Some of these encounters are sparked by the tour's added emphasis on social media. But with its younger generation, such moments seem more like the norm than the exception.
"We look to be able to do some fun fan things every once in a while," Fowler said Friday of his day with Ross. "We were able to find them and they were able to come up and have a great day.
"You wish you could do it for everyone, but it's not possible. Being able to do some little things like that along the way, whether it's for youth or charity, it's fun to do things like that to make a difference in people's lives." On Wednesday, Lamar Ross saw Fowler turn that noble cause into something personal.
