RBC Heritage memories: The celebrity
Former USC head football coach Steve Spurrier jokingly says he deserves a plaid jacket for his faithful attendance at The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.
2015 marked Spurrier's 11th year playing in the Heritage Pro-Am
"Do I get a plaid jacket for that?" he recently joked, referring to the tartan jackets presented each year to the tournament champion.
Perhaps the biggest celebrity who participates every year, the coach spends as much time shaking hands and signing autographs as he does playing golf.
In 2011, he and his team came in second, earning him a trophy he proudly displays in his USC office in Columbia.
"I hit it in that front bunker and actually got up and down with a shot," Spurrier said of playing the 9th hole.
"We thought maybe we had won the thing. But (tennis pro Stan Smith and his team) came in behind us and won it," he added.
Win or no win, Spurrier says he always has a good time playing the tournament. He gets to hobnob with fans, enjoy the beautiful course and work to perfect his golf game. It's a way he relaxes during the off season, he said, helping him avoid burnout from the rough-and-tumble football season.
And it wouldn't hurt if this year, he came in first.
April 9, 2015 Sure, golf will be played, but the stories outside the ropes make the event unique (plus a hole-by-hole video tour) | READ
This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 1:32 PM with the headline "RBC Heritage memories: The celebrity."