Ivan Lendl takes aim at Connecticut Open
7/27/2013 | by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Connecticut Open Championship, Black Hall Club
Former World No.1 tennis player Ivan Lendl will play in the Connecticut Open, paired in round 1 with multiple PGA Tour (and CT Open) winner Ken Green
TORRINGTON, Conn. (July 26, 2013) -- Former athletes in other sports making the move to golf upon retirement is nothing new. Some have excelled and made second careers on the Celebrity Players Tour or even -- in the case of former San Francisco 49er QB John Brodie -- on the Champions Tour. (Brodie won in 1991 and the runners-up were George Archer and Chi Chi Rodriguez.)
It's interesting nonetheless, watching these players perform on another stage which in this case will be Torrington Country Club, in Central Connecticut, where Lendl is a member.
Lendl, 53, will play Monday, July 29 with two-time Connecticut Open winner Ken Green. Green first won the Connecticut Open in 1985 and later that year captured the Buick Open on the PGA Tour. He would go on to win multiple titles on the PGA Tour before losing his lower right leg in an auto accident in 2009.
Lendl will play in the tournament as a professional, having played golf on mini-tours and the Celebrity Players Tour, where he has recorded a win.
Lendl's daughter's Isabelle, Marika (Univ. of Florida), and Daniela (Alabama) all play college golf. Isabelle, who qualified for the 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur as a 12-year-old, also last year captured the Dixie Women's Amateur.
AUTHOR NOTE
I played in the 1985 Connecticut Open (won by Ken Green) as an amateur, and although I didn't score low enough to play anywhere near Green's group in the final round I did have another famous player on the bag of one of my playing partners from Florida - Mark Calcavecchia.
About the Connecticut Open
Open to Professionals and amateurs. Amateurs must hold an active USGA handicap at a CSGA club not exceeding 6.4.
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