Bateman serves up winning recipe at Buick
GRAND BLANC, Michigan: After nine trips to qualifying school and 150 tournaments without a win, Brian Bateman might have considered spending a little less time in the kitchen and a bit more time on the practice range.
But after tasting his first success on the PGA Tour with a maiden career win at the Buick Open on Sunday, the 34-year-old American said he plans to use some of the $882,000 winner's cheque on some new pots and pans.
"I'm a fairly simple guy," Bateman told reporters. "If there's one thing that parallels golf as much as I love being out here, I love to be in the kitchen.
"I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I spend a lot of time watching the Food Network and I collect cook books.
"I probably cook four or five nights a week. I'm always looking for a new recipe to try.
"I'll invest in a few pots and pans, although I pretty much have every one in the catalogue."
Finding the winning recipe on the golf course has taken Bateman six years.
While always believing he had the right ingredients to be a winner on the PGA Tour, Bateman had difficulty finding the right measures. Sometimes he was a little short of confidence and other times a little too anxious.
At the Buick he got the balance just right, rolling in a pressure-packed 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory over Jason Gore and former-champions Justin Leonard and Woody Austin.
"I've always felt I had the talent to play out here and had the drive and had the support from people at home and friends and caddies and so forth," said Bateman. "I knew that I had it in me and I kept telling myself you have to believe in what you're doing. There's no reason why you can't win this tournament.
"So when I got to 18 I really felt like it was my time. I felt this was my one chance since I've been on Tour to have a putt on the 18th hole to win.
"You don't have many of those chances, at least I've never had that chance. It's something you tell yourself as a little kid on the putting green, "This is to win."
Agencies
(China Daily 07/03/2007 page23)
