Arnie's grandson starting to make a name for himself
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
PALM BEACH GARDENS -- The name on his golf bag says "Sam Saunders," but that's not how he's known.
Not now. Maybe not ever.
That's what happens when your grandfather happens to be perhaps the most charismatic player in the sport's history.
"Yeah, I'm Arnie's grandson," Saunders said Saturday. "That's how everyone refers to me now. That might as well be my name -- Arnie's Grandson. That's OK."
Of course, it is.
If his grandfather wasn't who he was, Saunders wouldn't be playing in this week's The Honda Classic. Saunders received a sponsor's exemption, no doubt helped by the fact that Jack Nicklaus -- one of Arnold Palmer's biggest rivals and closest friends -- serves as the unofficial host of this PGA TOUR event.
Saunders has done his part to justify his exemption. After opening with a pair of 69s, he eagled No. 3 and birdied the next two holes to move into fourth place early in Saturday's third round, just two shots out of the lead.
Alas, he bogeyed three of the next five holes, settling for another 69 that left him tied for 10th place entering the final round. Saunders knows when he chatted with his grandfather after his round, the first topic would be the bogeys, not the four-under-through-three-holes stretch.
Saunders is fine with that, too.
"That's just the way he is and I like it," said Saunders, who left Clemson after three years to pursue a pro career. "It wouldn't be him if I talked to him and he just patted me on the back all the time. That wouldn't be him and I wouldn't like it."
Palmer, who watched the third round on television from Bay Hill, said he wasn't surprised to see his grandson playing so well this early in his career.
"He is really starting to come into his own," Palmer said. "He has a lot of things he has to pick up on. I won't be specific, but you can see he has some shots he does not play as well as he should. That's a little (lack of) experience and confidence. I'm very pleased and proud of what he has done this week. It isn't anything but what I would expect."
There was a time when Saunders wasn't that interested in listening to his grandfather, despite his eight majors, 62 career PGA TOUR titles and 60 years in the game. Sure, they talked about golf and Arnold gave him the occasional tip, but Saunders was like most headstrong kids who thought they knew it all.
But after struggling with his game -- he didn't make it through first stage of last year's q-school -- Saunders finally realized he was wasting one of the game's greatest resources. So a few months ago, Saunders approached his grandfather with a different mindset.
"He's helped me in the past, but it was inconsistent," Saunders said. "It wasn't an in-depth thing. So I told him, 'Tell me what you want to tell me and I'm going to listen.' A lot of times before, he gave me a hard time for not listening to him. This time, I said, "I'm listening to you. I want to listen. I want your help.' And he really opened up. He's now my only coach."
Palmer, who had Saunders caddy for him during his final round of the Masters, said he didn't want to pressure his grandson into taking his advice until he was ready for it. Now they talk almost every day when Saunders is at a tournament.
"Certainly, it's frustrating sometimes when you know and you've been there and done it and it's not taking hold as it should," Palmer said. "He was a young man. He has a mind of his own and he's going to use it. I'm only trying to tell him things I learned from my father. Sam is beginning to pick up on things. There isn't anything he can't do. He can do whatever he dedicates himself to on the golf course."
This week marks the fourth sponsor's exemption Saunders has been given this year. He has missed two cuts, finished T70 at Pebble Beach and is about to cash the biggest check of his brief pro career.
Saunders remains a work in process. Last week, for instance, Saunders opened with a 66 in Phoenix and became a little awestruck to see his name on the leader board. He then opened the second round with bogeys on seven of his first nine holes and missed the cut after a 79.
A lost opportunity, but a valuable lesson.
"Honestly, I learned more from last week than the previous two starts I had gotten," Saunders said. "I was in position to be in contention in the tournament, and went out the next day, and got off to a bad start, and it flustered me and I could never get it back.
"I had a lot of time to think about that before coming here. So this week, when I shot a good first round, I was much more prepared for how to handle the second round than I was last week."
That experience also helped him Saturday when he started dropping down the leader board after the three bogeys. He recovered and played the last eight holes in even par in difficult conditions.
Palmer has chosen not to make the two-hour drive from Bay Hill to The Honda Classic to watch his grandson play this weekend, even though The King will play near PGA National in Seminole's Pro-Member on Monday.
"I'd love to come and watch Sam, but I don't want to cause a distraction and I have things I need to do with my tournament coming up," Palmer said. "He has all my support in the world. I think if he has a good day tomorrow, that will please me very much. If he stays within himself, I think he will do well."
Palmer will get to see his grandson play in person in three weeks at Bay Hill, where Saunders received the fifth of seven possible sponsor exemptions this year. If Saunders can stay in the top 10 at Honda, he would get a spot next week in Puerto Rico.
Saunders, 22, is probably looking at playing the rest of this year on the Nationwide Tour. He's like a lot of young pros, hoping to make a name for himself.
His own name.
"Hopefully, I'll become a good-enough player that they'll say, 'There's Sam Saunders. And, oh, by the way, he's Arnie's grandson.' "
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FANTASY
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 