Super Bowl to super links
Star- studded week for QBs Young, Rodgers
PEBBLE BEACH — One end of the pristine practice range was reserved for Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Tuesday. Or so it seemed as Aaron Rodgers smacked shots at one stall, and then Steve Young wandered over to say hello.
Rodgers and Young were among several football celebrities making the quick, coveted transition from Super Bowl 50 to the AT& T Pebble Beach Pro- Am. That’s not a bad itinerary, especially with the Monterey Peninsula bathing in unseasonably warm sunshine. Tuesday’s high:
81 degrees.
Young, making his first appearance in the tournament since the mid- 1990s, is using his return as an experiment of sorts. He doesn’t play much golf these days, with four kids ranging in age from 7 to 15, but he visualizes Pebble’s opening holes each night when his head hits the pillow.
Young usually makes a string of birdies before dozing off.
“I’m trying to prove the idea you can play Pebble every night as you fall asleep,” he said. “That’s what I do. But can you actually play well when it’s in your mind?”
Moments later, asked if his dream- land familiarity with the course might really help this week, Young laughed. He then half- jokingly offered his modest goals: Hit the ball airborne and forward.
Rodgers has played in the AT& T three times, but he missed last year’s event because of his best friend’s wedding. He listened intently Tuesday as his partner, longtime tour pro Jerry Kelly, offered some swing tips.
Kelly and Rodgers share a Wisconsin connection — Kelly was born and still lives in Madison — but Rodgers obviously brings strong Northern California ties, given his upbringing in Chico and college years at Cal.
He would have preferred playing in the Super Bowl with his Green Bay teammates, but he also appreciates the chance to tee it up at Pebble. Rodgers had arthroscopic knee surgery last month and only recently received medical clearance to play this week.
Much like Young, Rodgers brings few expectations on the golf course.
“It’s a lot more difficult than playing football,” he said. “In football, I feel pretty much in control every time I take the field. In golf, I’m always struggling with things.”
Rodgers described Young as a mentor to him over the years. They enjoyed a memorable moment together Sunday, when they and other Super Bowl Most Valuable Players were introduced in a pregame ceremony at Levi’s Stadium.
More memorable, maybe, was the pre-ceremony. Young, Rodgers and the other MVPs spent about 30 minutes in a holding room before walking onto the field.
Young and Rodgers both described the experience as if they were wide- eyed, 10- year- olds. Young talked to everyone from Joe Montana and Jerry Rice to Tom Brady and Len Dawson; the quarterbacks in the room even organized their own photo, a QBs-only shot.
“Those are the conversations you wish you could have all the time,” Young said. “Those are the guys who understand, because they’ve been through the same thing.
“I really loved getting some phone numbers and saying, ‘ Hey, we should keep in touch.’ You think it’s obvious and easy, but it’s not. … Those moments are very special.”
Rodgers similarly savored meeting other MVPs, such as former New York Giants running back Ottis Anderson. He got the award in Super Bowl XXV in January 1991, one of the first title games Rodgers remembers watching. He was 7 at the time.
“To be in that room with all those guys I grew up watching as a kid, it was great,” Rodgers said. “Just a blast, man. It’s fun to be part of the history.”
Now Rodgers and Young drift out of their domain, into the nerveracking world of tournament golf. This event is a curious blend of amateurs trying not to embarrass themselves and pros chasing the winner’s check of $ 1.26 million.
Pro athletes from other sports — including Rodgers, Young and Giants pitcher Matt Cain — know when to chat up their pro partners, and when to hit the mute button.
“It’s intense, especially if you can make it to Sunday,” Cain said. “Then it turns into a real game. You try to get out of the way, really.”