Category: Golf

The Perfect Headline Brings It All Together

On May 26, 2015

A designer’s best ammunition — or worst nightmare, depending how you look at it — is an empty budget. It means free reign on content and the all-important centerpiece, but it could also spell disaster if you don’t know what news should fill your pages.

Such a scenario presented itself to me on Sunday.

Left to paginate the entire Banner-Herald, I had a budget for news but not sports.

I did a quick perusal of the AP Sports Digest and wrote down some items I knew should get in — the Braves-Brewers game, a standalone photo of the Hawks-Cavaliers game since it would finish too late for print, an online tease for the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500.

Saturday and Sunday each had high school baseball as the centerpiece, so putting the Braves there was overkill in my opinion. I needed something big to happen.

A few hours before deadline and just before I went to dinner, former Georgia golfer Chris Kirk won the Colonial when Ian Poulter couldn’t eagle the par-4 18^th. Perfect! Based on how much our readers love golf and the Bulldogs, it would work well.

Then I began thinking about the design and knew I wanted to go vertical with it since a few of my previous pages were horizontal. I picked good art of Kirk, but found myself stuck in a rut.

How was I going to play this? What can I package?

After thinking a bit, I stepped away from my computer and began to walk out the door for my long-awaited meal. Then I stopped in my tracks.

I sat in front of my computer and looked through the art I pulled. The best picture I had of Kirk was him kissing the champion’s trophy. What about art from the Indianapolis 500? Sure enough, I grabbed a picture of Juan Pablo Montoya kissing the bricks.

Kirk would go large; Montoya small.

I needed a headline for it all to make sense.

It didn’t take long for the idea to pop in my head.

“Sometimes there is nothing sweeter than … A CHAMPION’S KISS”

Check out the page. I thought I did a good job with it.

@ABHSports: Former Bulldog Kirk (#ColonialGolf) and Montoya (#Indy500) sealed Sunday wins w/ a kiss. @APSE_sportmedia pic.twitter.com/JVFG8o5aHg

— Tyler Mayforth (@tylermayforth) May 25, 2015

Phil Mickelson and other athletes I love to cheer

By Tyler Mayforth

On April 12, 2015

In Golf, Sports

Throughout the work day yesterday, a co-worker and I had the Masters Golf Tournament on in the background as we pieced together another solid Sunday paper. The TV served as white noise for the simple matter that neither of us like silence and it was incredible to see what 21-year-old Jordan Spieth was doing.

Then, in one instant, we stopped our work and glued our eyes on the TV set.

Phil Mickelson was measuring his second shot on Firethorn, the par-5 15th.

Mickelson addressed his ball and let loose a fantastic swing. His shot climbed into the blue Augusta sky and bounced 10 feet from the hole. Could it dunk the cup?

We both yelled in unison: “Come on, Phil. Get that (double-eagle) albatross.”

As the ball narrowly missed the pin and rolled past the hole, our moment in unison gave way to a laugh and Mickelson soon two-putted for a birdie to drop him to -11.

Could you imagine the ensuing roar that would echo through Augusta National if that shot fell? After all, Mickelson has a flair for the dramatic at the Masters. Don’t tell me you forgot this shot from Mickelson five years ago on Azalea, the par-5 13th.

I don’t know why, but Mickelson is one of those players people love to cheer. There were two of us in the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald newsroom rooting for his quick climb up the leaderboard to put pressure on Spieth, who fell back to Earth a bit.

Other than Mickelson, there are a few athletes I always want to see succeed.

Paul Goldschmidt — I covered Goldschmidt, also known as “GOLDY” in my close circle, for two years at Texas State. He’s a total class act and one of the first guys I covered to make it to the professional level. While I don’t watch too many of his games since he plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks, I’ll always check the box score and give a small nod of approval should I see a home run or similar big hits.

Joplo Bartu — Bartu is another athlete I covered at Texas State. After he set the field on fire in 2012, Bartu was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent (even though if Dennis Franchione didn’t foolishly move him to defensive end, he could have been a mid-round draft pick, but I digress). Injuries moved Bartu into a starting role as a rookie and he’s been solid ever since then. Plus, he’s a great guy and was always incredibly honest and open with me during interviews.

The underdog — Maybe that’s what drew me to Mickelson all those years ago. I can say for sure that’s what made covering the San Marcos Lady Rattlers last year in the Texas Class 5A state playoffs so much fun. No one expected them to win district or bi-district or area or the regional quarterfinal. Plus, I got some great clips from it.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones that jumped into my mind first.

Photo courtesy of The Associated Press/Matt Slocum.

That one golf shot that brings you back

By Tyler Mayforth

On April 11, 2015

In Athletic Achievements, Golf

While watching the Masters Golf Tournament this afternoon, I remembered back to a few years ago when I played in a foursome with Texas State head football coach Dennis Franchione, his offensive coordinator Mike Schultz and my boss at the time.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, the decision was made to play at one of the toughest courses in the Lone Star State. Nicknamed “The Challenger,” Ram Rock is a par-71 monster outside of Marble Falls, Texas with a demanding 18-hole layout.

A hack like me is probably gifted one good shot per round — to go along with all of the bad ones — and boy, was I graced by the golf gods with the one I hit on No. 4.

Satan himself couldn’t have designed a better hole (pictured above). It’s a 191-yard Par 3 with an island green and bunkers protecting the front and back.

I teed off second and prayed I wouldn’t end up in the drink. Whatever prayer I said was answered as I hit one of the purest balls to ever leave my club. Once I looked up, I saw the ball roll within seven feet of the hole. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I settled down, drained the birdie putt and let’s just say the round ended there.

That remains one of my greatest accomplishments on the golf course, even though my former boss could tell you of another that spurned a legend to this very day.

No matter how many shots you take on the golf course — given to you by the cart girl or not — you never forget the good ones. Those keep you coming back for more.