Lehman remembers 1 shot above all

Tom Lehman tees it up with 40 of the best 50- and 60-somethings Friday when the Champions Tour opens its 33rd season at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

At 52, Lehman has no problem with his memory. Most vividly, he recalls the 72nd hole of a PGA Tour Qualifying School in Palm Springs, Calif., more than 20 years ago. It changed his golf life.

"I had to birdie the 72nd hole to make the cut after four rounds," recalled Lehman, who finished second to John Cook last year at the Mitsubishi. "If you got into the final two rounds you were ensured a spot on the Hogan (now Nationwide) Tour. I birdied the 72nd hole to make the cut, hit an iron to 2 feet.

"There was a lot of pressure and the pin location was difficult and the type of shot I had to hit … that was all working against me and I pulled it off. And I learned to have confidence in myself as a result. One shot was a big deal because it gave me the belief I could succeed."

After years of wandering the world in search of his golf dream, he has lived it since. Lehman was Player of the Year on the Nationwide Tour in 1991, the PGA Tour five years later and the Champions Tour last season. He is the first to hammer out the PGA hat trick and his trek began in the early 1980s on nearly every tour but those three.

Lehman and wife, Melissa, traveled the world in search of their dream and his golf swing, playing predominantly in Asia, South Africa, "all the U.S. mini tours" and South America. They found much more, soaking up the best of different cultures — and whatever else came their way — in "a huge learning experience."

Lehman remembers coming home to their apartment in Africa to find the doorman dead on the floor, shot five times by another tribe upset with the man’s son. He also recalls the distinct smell of garlic on the public transit in South Korea.

"It was the most amazing experience," he said. "I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was an opportunity to play. The tours were run very professionally, much like a PGA Tour event. It was a huge learning experience. On top of that, almost everybody was playing in the same boat. Nobody was getting rich. We all had the dream. It promoted real close friendships. I think those years were not just about golf, but friendships formed."

Those days might seem like another lifetime when he goes out last on Friday at Hualalai, teeing off at 12:10 p.m. with Mark Calcavecchia. Lehman has won some $26 million since — $2 million coming last season when he had three victories.

He has won five times on each of the PGA tours. The Nationwide experience taught him "how to win again" and the PGA gave all the Lehmans a lesson about how "commitment leads to good things." The Champions takes him back a decade or two, when the opportunity to win was always there.

Lehman shows no sign of slowing. Last year he led the senior tour in money, greens in regulation and total driving, was second in scoring (69.22) and ranked in the top10 in five of the other nine standard statistics. He also played five events on the regular tour, finishing 22nd at the British Open (which he won in 1996).

He calls it a testament to the commitment of his whole family, and the remarkable result of that one ridiculously good iron shot so long ago.

"Some people are very confident naturally and some have to earn it," Lehman said. "I was always one of those who had to earn it. It didn’t come easily. You get opportunities over and over again and one day it clicks. You accumulate a lot of things, but that one thing … it’s like climbing the wall and finally getting over the top."