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"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
weekly online golf column
by
Stan
Crawley
August 10, 2004
It is a weekend that Richard Keene looks forward to every
summer.
When the Brainerd Inviational rolls around, Keene can't wait
for all his buddies to roar into town for golf and all the
festivities associated with the weekend.
This weekend (Aug. 14-15) will be no exception. Already in the
field is Mickey Jones, while Donnie Phillips is still trying to
figure out a way to also play in the club championship at The
Farm. Chris Hall, a two-time winner, won't be making the trip to
Chattanooga.
"We've been trying to get together for the Brainerd
Invitational for about 20 years now,'' said Keene, a five-time
winner of the tournament. "We have numerous reasons to play in
this tournament, and we also play in the Butternut Creek
Invitational every year in Blairsville, Ga., where Donnie and
Mickey grew up.''
Keene, who grew up playing the Brainerd course, went to junior
college with Hall in Alexander City, Ala. He went to Troy State
with Phillips, who grew up with Jones.
"We always have a lot of fun at Brainerd,'' Keene said. "I
guess my favorite memory was winning it for the first time because
I grew up out there watching Harold Lane and all those guys play.
"I'll give it my best chance to win this weekend, but it's
getting harder and harder to beat all these little ones. They play
every day, and that makes them hard to beat.''
Since the 46-year-old Keene got married almost two years ago,
his wife, Hollis, has helped with the "wing-dings'' at his house
that follow rounds of golf each year at Brainerd.
"Not much difference there,'' Keene said
However, Richard and Hollis are expecting their first child on
Dec. 11. What kind of difference will that make?
"I'm fired up about that,'' Keene said. "We're both fired up
about that. But I figure that will be a career-ending event.''
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)
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