RIP | Wei Under Par

Mar

27

2016

By Stephanie Wei under RIP

Gary Planos and I in 2011 at Kapalua

It is with a heavy heart that I report the golf industry has lost a true giant and friend with the death of Gary Planos. He was 62. He was a favorite among PGA Tour players for the years that he ran the Tournament of Champions. He basically helped build Kapalua into what it is today. He was found on Saturday in his home, where he’d live for over 25 years atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. No cause of death was given.

As longtime readers know, Gary was a very close friend of mine and I’m having trouble writing this post right now, but I wanted to pay my respects to him and note the lasting impact he had on many of our lives in the golfing world.

4 Comments

#Gary Planos, #Kapalua, #Tournament of Champions

Feb

8

2015

Remembering Billy Casper…

By Stephanie Wei under RIP

Billy Casper reacted in this fashion today when he ran a 25-foot putt into the cup on the 11th green for a birdie 3 during his playoff with Arnold Palmer for the U.S. Open title in San Francisco, on June 20, 1966.

Billy Casper reacted in this fashion when he ran a 25-foot putt into the cup on the 11th green for a birdie 3 during his playoff with Arnold Palmer for the U.S. Open title in San Francisco, on June 20, 1966.

Golf lost a giant on Saturday when Billy Casper, a two-time U.S. Open champion, Masters winner, and one of the most prolific winners on the PGA Tour, passed away at the age of 83 at his home in Springville, Utah. According to his company Billy Casper Golf, the golfing legend died after enduring a heart attack and he had several health setbacks after fainting at the Masters last April.

2 Comments

#Arnold Palmer, #Billy Casper, #Charlie Sifford, #Gary Player, #Jack Nicklaus, #Lee Elder

Dec

7

2013

Tiger Woods and Tour players around the world honor Nelson Mandela

By Stephanie Wei under RIP

Woods meets Mandela for the first time in ’98

The world is mourning the death of the beloved former South African President Nelson Mandela. Even Tiger Woods, who hasn’t been thrilled with Golf Channel as of late, gave a post-round TV interview to pay tribute to Mandela following the first round of the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, the tournament he hosts that also benefits his foundation (but denied GC’s request after he shot 62 to take the second-round lead on Friday).

1 Comment