CANADIAN AFFINITY
Andrade part of Shaw Classic
The news that the closest Waffle House location to here lies in Fort Collins, Colo., 529 miles due south doesn’t faze Billy Andrade.
“Denny’s will do,” he assures you. “Actually, any place open.’’
The Waffle House/golf phenomenon dates back two years.
After securing his second Masters title along with the accompanying $1.62 million cheque, Bubba Watson ignited a social media firestorm by tweeting a photo of himself celebrating not at some trendy nightspot in the wee small hours but at a nearby Waffle House (this came on the back of a Phil Mickelson snapshot wearing his newlyminted 2012 green jacket pulling up to a Krispy Kreme establishment the day after winning at Augusta).
In an understandably expansive mood, Watson left a $148 tip.
The post was re-tweeted 10,817 times in eight hours.
So when Andrade and Joe Durant combined to win the Champions Tour Bass Pro Shop Legends of Golf in late April and tweeted out a photo of the two of them at a Waffle House, everyone natural assumed they were doing a Bubba.
“Naw,’’ reports Andrade, on the telephone line from Blaine, Minn., site of this weekend’s 3M Championship stop. “We were just hungry. And if you want to know the truth, that Waffle House is at the top of my street. Joe Durant and I had flown in from Ridgedale (Missouri) and hadn’t eaten.
“The airport is five minutes from my house. So we popped in a cab and went to the Waffle House — Damn! It’s the only place open — around 11 o’clock. We asked the cab driver if he wanted to come in, our treat, and he said ‘No, thanks. I’ll stay in the car.’
“So actually, it had nothing to do with Bubba.
“No, this was strictly a ‘ What’s open?’ sort of deal.’’
The need for a Waffle House alternative dovetails into Billy Andrade’s ambition for next week at Canyon Meadows.
See, he feels he has unfinished business at the Shaw Charity Classic.
Lost in the Freddie Frenzy of a year ago — the 40-foot chip-in for eagle at 18 by Fred Couples to send the 2014 Classic to a playoff, then birdieing the same hole in suddendeath proved to be a star-gazer’s/ name dropper’s dream finish — was a man who himself eagled 18 on the final day, fired a torrid 62 to close, hit 94 per cent of the greens through the week and finished 54 holes at a leaderboard-topping minus-15, too.
That’d be the runner-up. Billy Andrade.
“It was a nice week,’’ concedes Andrade, “but again, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t win. You’re trying to win. You get into a playoff, you don’t think you’re going to lose.
“No one remembers, really — at least not too often — who finished second. Hopefully some people do in this situation. But in golf, as in life, there are some things you just can’t control. Freddie played great.
“He hit some beautiful shots. He played the playoff hole great. “He won. “Maybe this year, it’ll be my turn.’’ Andrade is especially looking forward to the Shaw after having bypassed this year’s Canadian Open due — the first in memory — to fulfil a British Senior Open commitment.
Since winning at Glen Abbey in 1998, Canada has struck a deep chord. Why, the man is positively bullish on all things Johnny Canuck.
“All players, when they come out on tour, have the four majors, the Players Championship and a few tournaments that are near and dear to their hearts, usually at home or close to home. And then you have the other events. The Canadian Open, before I won, was just another event on the schedule to me.
“But after I won it, I remember going to an event with a bunch of Champions Tour players at the time, in St. Louis, and they were talking about how the Canadian Open, when they were younger, was considered the fifth major. Because it was a national open. They really held it in high regard. That resonated with me.
“The Scottish fans, when you go over to the British Open, are great. But Canadian fans are as good as any, anywhere.’’ And Calgary, in particular? “Calgary is one of our best events because so many people come out and watch,” enthuses Andrade. “We have a lot of tournaments on the schedule where we don’t get a lot of attendance. To see the passion of the fans, the galleries there, is what makes the tournament really cool and what all the players appreciate. Believe me, they do.
“I’m really looking forward to coming up, getting in the mix, having a chance and maybe finishing off what I didn’t finish off last year.”
Yes, but if he should finish off, if this year it is — as he hopes — his turn, there’s no Waffle House to send out a celebratory tweet from.
And, well, Fort Collins, Colo., is a bit of hike just for a late-night repast of waffles and hash browns.
“Like I said,’’ laughs Andrade, “that’s OK. I’m sure I can find somewhere in Calgary that’ll fill in nicely.’’
No one remembers, really — at least not too often — who finished second ... Maybe this year, it’ll be my turn.