Ohio Golf Journal October 2018

to the ultimate test on the Champions Tour. In 2008, his third year as a full-time professional golfer, Spittle played in nine Champions Tour events, made every cut, but only recorded one top-10. He and his wife had made a 5-year plan, after leaving their regular jobs behind. Now four years into that plan, his goal of being a full-time professional tour professional, took a severe hit, when he had no status on the 2009 Champions Tour and did not play in a single tournament. His dreamwas DEÚNITELY on life support in 2010, the ÚNAL year of the ÚVE -year plan. Forced to Monday qualify, and playing with limited status, Spittle only got into ÚVE events the entire 2010 season. Coming into the ÚNAL event of the year, the AT&T Championship, he Monday QUALIÚED . In a storybook ending, he played well all week and beat Jeff Sluman, in a playoff, for his ÚRST -ever professional title. Just like that, his dream of playing professional golf, nearly dead and gone, gained new life, with a full exemption for 2011, as a PGA Tour Champions winner. Although Spittle was not a PROLIÚC winner on the Champions Tour, in 195 starts over his 13-year career, he only missed four cuts. He never missed more than one cut in any year, plus he played nine full seasons without missing a single cut. That proves the consistency of a golf game that endured the test of time. At the beginning of September this year, Spittle played in his ÚNAL event The Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He carded three rounds of 67-69-69, good for T-17, then left the Champions Tour on his own terms, quietly and with little fanfare, the same way he has gone through life and golf. Congratulations to a Great Buckeye Champion! Enjoy your retirement. Ohi o Golf Journa l