'Once-in-a-lifetime' foursome tees it up at Honda pro-am

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Jack Nicklaus (left) and Drew Brees played together in the Wednesday pro-am at The Honda Classic.

PALM BEACH GARDENS -- Honda Classic starter Don Chornak likes to be thorough when he announces the players teeing off by listing their top accomplishments.

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But when the noon pairing came to The Champion's first tee Wednesday at PGA National, he had to go to the Reader's Digest condensed version.

Otherwise, Chornak could have been there all day.

Here's a quick summary of the combined achievements of the four men who were paired together in the featured group in The Honda Classic's pro-am.

They had thrown 622 touchdowns in the NFL, along with 92,007 yards, 13 Pro Bowl selections and one Super Bowl ring; add in 18 professional golf major championships and 73 career PGA TOUR titles; then top it off with a Grammy and more than 75 million albums sold.

So what have you got? One of the most successful, most eclectic pairings in a pro-am: Jack Nicklaus, NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Drew Brees and saxophonist Kenny G, the host of the pro-am.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Brees said.

That's quite a statement for someone who less than two months ago was named the Super Bowl MVP for leading New Orleans to its first NFL title just 75 miles from where he was standing Wednesday.

The fans shared Brees' sentiment. That's why they lined the entire length of the first fairway to get a glimpse -- and, of course, an autograph -- from Honda's Fab-Four pairing. There were more people at PGA National for this pro-am than The Honda Classic used to draw for one of its tournament days a few years ago.

"I would think the crowd is five times what it was for last year's pro-am," said Ken Kennerly, Honda Classic's executive director. "How cool is this?"

It was a surreal day from the start, especially when the world's greatest golfer stepped to the tee. Even legends such as Nicklaus -- the unofficial host of the tournament whose Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation is the event's primary charity -- spend time on the first tee going over everyone's handicaps.

"Let's see, Danny, you're a 4, Drew you're a 3, Kenny you're a scratch," Nicklaus said, before pausing to make this revelation:

"I'm the high handicapper out here," Nicklaus said, drawing laughter from the crowd packed tightly around the tee.

Then again, Nicklaus did recently turn 70, and not even the Golden Bear can turn back Father Time. Nicklaus plays very infrequently -- though he teamed up with Tom Watson to win the Wendy's Champions Skins Game in Hawaii two months ago -- but he made an exception Wednesday to support his foundation

"My game is not for public consumption anymore," Nicklaus said. "If I do play golf, I try to hide in the corner somewhere."

Nicklaus hit off the pro tees on the first hole, but after driving into the rough and coming up 20 yards short of the first green with his approach, he had no qualms about joining his amateur playing partners on the forward tees on holes playing into a 30-mph wind.

Brees, who teed off last, was the only player to hit the first fairway. He showed the same cool as if he was facing a fourth-and-goal. What made his swing more impressive is he said it was his first round of golf since June.

"That's what happens when you go and play in the Super Bowl in February, but I'll take that every year," Brees said, smiling. "Playing golf is a little outside my element, my comfort zone a little bit, especially if you know you haven't played. You don't have as much confidence in that three foot putt as you do on a third-down pass."

Marino is a veteran of playing in hit-and-giggle events, but he had enough faith in his game to enter a U.S. Open qualifier about 10 years ago. He still looks fit enough to take a hit in the pocket, but his game lacks consistency.

"Sit!" Marino screamed as he watched his opening drive veer left into a water hazard. A few minutes earlier he had been prophetic when he said, "I'll be nervous, nervous. (If I) get it off the tee on the first hole, I'll be fine."

Nicklaus was six-over through 11 holes, but as he's done throughout his career, he finished the round in style. First, he holed a bunker shot at the par-3 17th for a birdie -- producing a roar from the gallery -- then rolled in another birdie at the closing hole.

"I played the Bear Trap in one-under," Nicklaus said, referring to the difficult 15th, 16th and 17th holes. "I won't say much about the rest of the round."

Collectively, the Fab Four was five-under par, well behind the 17-under 53 shot by pro D.A. Points' team. Yet this wasn't a day where a score really mattered. It was a day where four of the most successful people in their profession got to play a round of golf together with a lot of people watching for a good cause.

"I think it's nice they give their time to come to a golf tournament from another sport to give their time for charity and to bring people out to raise money," Nicklaus said.