Remembering late Pres. Bush, first golf fan

NASSAU, Bahamas — When former President George H.W. Bush died at age 94 on Friday night at his home in Houston, the world of golf lost one of its most significant and passionate supporters.

The reaction of the golfers whose lives the 41st President of the United States touched was evidence of that Saturday at the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club, where three players, Tony Finau, Jon Rahm and Henrik Stenson, all at 13under, enter Sunday’s final round tied for the lead.

“[Bush] was such a force in the game of golf,’’ Tiger Woods said after playing his third round. “You can’t replace someone as special as him. He’s meant so much to the game of golf. He was one of the smartest people that I’ve ever met, and he had such a great sense of humor.

“He was fantastic to be around and so down to earth. He was one of those very few people that could connect the dots on all different subjects. He knew a lot about a lot.’’

Woods first met Bush when he was playing amateur golf in Houston, the home of the Bush family. He played a round of golf with the President back then and recalled it as one of the speed rounds President Bush was known to play.

“It was one of those very quick ones — 18 holes in probably under 2¹/2 hours,’’ Woods recalled with a smile. “It was basically club, ball, one look, gone.’’

President Bush was a very public advocate of speeding up rounds of golf.

Over the years, he was a fixture at Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup competitions, sometimes speaking to the U.S. team, sometimes just quietly watching, but always there to congratulate the players.

Keegan Bradley recalled meeting both President Bush and his son, President George W. Bush, at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.

“I’ve got a picture of my wife and I with both the Bush presidents,’’ Bradley said. “That was pretty cool. It’s really sad news, because he was so involved in the golf world and he did so much for golf.’’ Bush’s ties with golf ran

deep. His grandfather, George H. Walker, after whom the Walker Cup was named, was a former USGA president.

President Bush was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011 and was the 2008 recipient of the Bob Jones Award, a USGA honor that recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by the legendary Jones.

“Obviously, his name is synonymous with golf,’’ Woods said. “Being around him for all these years and getting a chance to be around him at Presidents Cup and him being involved in it since its inception in ’94, he was such a class act. Anyone who’s ever been around him knows how much he loved his golf and how much he supported it and how much we’re going to miss him.’’

Patrick Reed, a Houston native, said he got to meet both Bush presidents and called them “amazing people.’’

Asked about how much of an “avid fan’’ Bush was of golf, Reed said, “Oh, he’s more than just an avid golf fan. He’s beyond that. He absolutely loved the game.’’

“It’s very sad to hear,’’ Reed said. “All our condolences are going out to their family. It’s an unfortunate time, but with what he’s done throughout his entire life for our country and for everyone in Houston as well, he’s going to be dearly missed. To lose a person like President Bush, it’s sad because how much he’s touched all of us.’’

Golf lost one of its own — an irreplaceable spirit.