![]() ![]() It began with him hitting golf balls off the balcony of his apartment, over some buildings across the street and into Puget Sound. Discouraged by his golf, Beem followed a girlfriend out West. He was more likely to commit to a relationship than a career, and that explained how he wound up in suburban Seattle selling car stereos in the mid-1990s. The damning part is that until Rich found himself struggling to break 80 on the Dakotas Tour, he usually played well enough in his spare time to keep moving up through the ranks. Larry Beem moved his family often, but rather than develop his obvious talent for the game, Rich Beem spent much of his free time chasing thrills. Beem grew up the rebellious son of an All-American golfer, sometimes coach and one-time facilities manager for golf courses at military installations. But give me three or four things to do, and forget about it. "If they wanted me to fill out scorecards or do just one thing for a tournament, I could do that. ![]() Most of the help I liked, but the members I didn't like. "I don't even know where to be begin," Beem said. ![]() There's Beem experiencing the highs and lows of golf's roller coaster - the promising high school years, the underachieving college career, the struggles on the minor-league tours and halfhearted stints as an assistant club pro. There's Beem drinking as a teenager, dropping out as a 20-something, then carousing as he closes in on 30. It's called "Bud, Sweat and Tees," and pretty much everything is in there but the happy ending. "Whether he went back in and changed them or not, I don't know, because I haven't read the book." "Everything that was given to me was factual, or I changed it to where it was factual," Beem said. People who knew his story often said somebody should write a book. And when he finally did turn pro, Beem spent less time nurturing his gift than trying to squander it - chasing golf balls by day and strippers by night. The son was so determined to deny his birthright that rather than pursue a place on the PGA Tour, he spent the first few of his prime golfing years selling car stereos for $7 an hour. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," he said after landing atop the leaderboard Friday at the PGA Championship, "but it's going to be fun."īeem's father-coach was overbearing enough to make Earl Woods seem like Mr. Whoever called talent a blessing and a curse must have seen Rich Beem coming. ![]()
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