Make no mistake, this is a guy who relishes the spotlight — and a year ago he hit the jackpot. Almost a decade removed from his hall-of-fame football career, and maybe a year or so after his stint on Dancing With the Stars, Jerry Rice was appointed celebrity host and official participant as a sponsor’s exemption, teeing it up in the 2010 Nationwide Tour Fresh Express Classic. 
It was a marketing and promotional coup for everyone involved, garnering national attention for the event, the sponsor, the charities, and to Rice, who talked it up big, with expectations of making the cut in his pro golf debut. Well, he didn’t come close, and even got disqualified in another Nationwide shortly thereafter.
So it was a slightly more humble Jerry Rice, who addressed the media in the pre-tournament press conference about a month ago. No more talk of making the cut, and clearly an enhanced respect for the Nationwide players permeated this year’s conversation. “Okay, we’re gonna get this straight right now, I am not saying anything more about going pro,” he emphasized. “The important thing for me is the fans who come here and support this tournament, and the players — I’m honored to have the opportunity to compete with those guys again.”
Clearly, he now understands the caliber disparity between a world-class athlete who plays golf very well, and a professional tour player.
When I asked Rice about former 49er quarterback, John Brodie, winning on what was then the Senior Tour, and if Rice had any aspirations in the future about the Champions Tour, he replied, “don’t even go there buddy.”
Also sitting at the conference panel along with Rice was Nationwide standout, James Hahn. And when he was asked about the gap between PGA tour pros and the top contenders on the Nationwide circuit, he emphatically indicated that there was no differential, and that many of the top Nationwide players were better than many of those on the PGA.
Jerry Rice tees it up again this week at the Fresh Express Classic at the TPC Stonebrae in Hayward — once again as tournament host. “I’m not gonna put any pressure on myself this year,” he said. “I want this to be a fun tournament for everyone, that’s my main focus this year.” ###
It was a marketing and promotional coup for everyone involved, garnering national attention for the event, the sponsor, the charities, and to Rice, who talked it up big, with expectations of making the cut in his pro golf debut. Well, he didn’t come close, and even got disqualified in another Nationwide shortly thereafter.
So it was a slightly more humble Jerry Rice, who addressed the media in the pre-tournament press conference about a month ago. No more talk of making the cut, and clearly an enhanced respect for the Nationwide players permeated this year’s conversation. “Okay, we’re gonna get this straight right now, I am not saying anything more about going pro,” he emphasized. “The important thing for me is the fans who come here and support this tournament, and the players — I’m honored to have the opportunity to compete with those guys again.”
Clearly, he now understands the caliber disparity between a world-class athlete who plays golf very well, and a professional tour player.When I asked Rice about former 49er quarterback, John Brodie, winning on what was then the Senior Tour, and if Rice had any aspirations in the future about the Champions Tour, he replied, “don’t even go there buddy.”
Also sitting at the conference panel along with Rice was Nationwide standout, James Hahn. And when he was asked about the gap between PGA tour pros and the top contenders on the Nationwide circuit, he emphatically indicated that there was no differential, and that many of the top Nationwide players were better than many of those on the PGA.
Jerry Rice tees it up again this week at the Fresh Express Classic at the TPC Stonebrae in Hayward — once again as tournament host. “I’m not gonna put any pressure on myself this year,” he said. “I want this to be a fun tournament for everyone, that’s my main focus this year.” ###
