By Johnny Miller
(In the mid – 70s, Hall of Famer Johnny Miller shot the lowest-ever final round score to win the U.S. Open. Nowadays, when he isn’t out on the water with one of his GLX rods, he’s a network television golf commentator.)
Back in my early days on the PGA tour, I actually planned a lot of my tournaments around how good the fishing was.Now, you might think admitting such a thing would bring into question my devotion to the sport of golf, but in fact I think it’s quite the opposite. It removes any question as to my devotion to the sport of fishing.
I’ve been hooked on fishing most of my life and tournament season is no different. As soon as I finish my round for that day, win or lose, good or bad, I grab my rod and head for the water. You’d be surprised at how simply fishing till dark can completely relieve the pressures of the tour and the crowds.
Who knows? Maybe professional fishermen feel the same way. Maybe after a grueling, fight-to-the-bitter-end bass tournament they like nothing better to relax than nine holes on the links. But somehow I don’t think so. There’s just something special about fishing. Something about the scenery and the solitude and memories you share with family and friends that are worth their weight in gold.
One of my fondest memories of childhood was fishing for trout with my father and my brother, Ronnie, on Lake Merced. I was probably all of about five years old and after that trip, my fate was sealed. I fell in love with fishing.
As I got older, I continued to fish, trying to follow in my brother’s footsteps.
See, Ronnie wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill fisherman. He was the absolute fishing nut of all time. He fished every day.
I lost Ronnie to a drowning accident when he was just sixteen. And I miss not having him around to fish with now, battling over who caught the most, or the biggest, or the best. But I’ll never forget those memories of fishing with him as a kid. And I m grateful for all the new memories I make every time I go out today.
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