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Good Grief!

Golf has always been a big part of my life, ever since I was
eight years old, watching the Bobby Jones films at Saturday
matinees, caddying at Highland Park in St. Paul and eventually
playing in what we still like to call the Crosby. I'm still sad
that last week, for the first time in 37 years, I wasn't invited
to play.

For a die-hard amateur such as myself, teeing it up on the
Monterey peninsula with the world's greatest players was always
a huge thrill. My first Crosby, in 1963, was the most memorable.
I was paired with Peter Marich, and I shot 34--my best score
ever for nine holes--on the front nine at Monterey Peninsula
Country Club. Peter and I went on to finish ninth, the best I
ever did.

I have so many wonderful memories from the Crosby. There was the
birdie I made at Pebble Beach's brutal par-4 8th hole in 1981,
and the five-wood second shot to 15 feet at Poppy Hills's par-5
12th in '93. (I missed the eagle putt, but we don't have to talk
about that.)

I was so in love with the tournament that even quadruple bypass
heart surgery didn't stop me from playing. I had the operation
in September 1980, and five months later reported to Pebble
Beach, where I learned that Kathy Crosby had paired me with
Johnny Miller. It was the first time I had teamed with a
superstar. "Anybody willing to play after having bypass surgery
deserves a good partner," Kathy told me.

This year I'm told Snoopy was flying the MetLife blimp over
Pebble Beach looking for me. Too bad I didn't get invited. I've
been playing pretty well and might have won.

Schulz, 76, is a two-time winner of the Rueben Award, given to
the top cartoonist in the world.

COLOR ILLUSTRATION: CHARLES SCHULZ