Golf In A Parallel Universe

by Jimmy Bloodworth

  Then we just starting talking about today's round and how I came out of nowhere to capture the prize. “Did you change your swing a little recently by shortening your backswing?," he asked. He went on to explain that as I was coming down the stretch they were analyzing my swing. The TV folks came up with some footage of my swing a couple of years ago and we were comparing my old swing to today's swing. He explained that he was drawing on the screen with the tele illustrator and showing how a couple of years ago that my backswing was way past parallel and now it is right at Parallel. “Is that something that you have changed," he asked. I told him that I have not really intentionally changed my backswing for technique purposes. But I had to shorten it because I am having a problem with my right shoulder because of an old baseball injury. When I go too far back it hurts. So I shorted it up a little and do not have much pain. I told him I never really put 2 and 2 together but it seems that I have had a little more control since I shorted it up and maybe it has improved my game. He told me that when you're young, you can get away with a really long backswing but as you get older you will not be able to get the club face back to square and will have trouble with control. “So if you can keep your backswing about Parallel it will give you more control," he told me. I told him thanks for the advice and I will work on that for sure. “Heck maybe I will start playing better after this big win," I told him. “That may very well happen, you never can tell," he replied. He explained that after this big win, I may have more confidence in my game. “I remember after my first Major I felt very confident and never looked back, he told me. He also told me. not to put too much pressure on myself. A lot of times after a bit win, you try too hard then fail miserably because you have high expectations. “So just be consistent, do what you know you need to do with your game," he explained. He went on to explain that I may find new enthusiasm for the game. Or I may burn out quickly. He told me to just keep an even mental attitude with my game. Try to separate your game preparation from all the extra attention that I will be getting after winning a major tournament. “Everyone will want talk to you and tell you how great you are that you did this. But that is all fluff," he told me. I told him that makes sense and I will work on that. I also told him that I was even pondering retirement but I have not decided about that. He said that is always a possibility and you have to go with your heart. But if I decide to continue to play to give it my all. I told him that is good advice.

  It is getting late and people are filing out. People would drop by shake my hand and congratulate me and shake Jerry;s hand as well. He finally got up, “Well past my bedtime, I got to go” he said shaking my hand with a good firm shake. Then he looked me in the eye and said “Keep it Parallel Jim, Keep it Parallel." At that moment I just froze. My grip got weak, and he looked at me concerned “ Are you OK Jim?," he asked.

  “Keep it Parallel?," I asked with a confused look. “Yeah, that's what we were talking about on you shorter backswing," he replied. “Ah, yeah, Ok," I replied. For some reason I had some strange Déjà vu, like I have heard that before," I said shaking my head. He just laughed slapped me on the back. “Hey it's been a long emotional day. Your mind will act like that on big days like this days like this. “Don't worry about that," he told me in an assuring tone. “Before I forget,” he told me as he was pulling out his phone. “As I mentioned before I am working on the TV broadcast this year. This is the first year I have done this, and I am really enjoying it. I will be around on the PGA circuit a lot this year. Is it OK if we keep in touch?” He asked. “Uh, sure," I replied. He asked if I had my cell phone with me and I told him that I did. He gave me my number, and I gave him mine. He told me feel free to call me or text me any time. “Sure, sounds great," I told him. “Good”! , he replied. He said my life will be changing very dramatically the next few weeks, and it is always good to have someone to talk to if needed, so give him a call or text any time. “I guess winning a major will change my boring life a little," I replied laughing. He started to say something then stopped. “Ah yea, winning a major will really change your life sometimes” he replied. “Take care buddy, talk to you later," he said as he was walking out. It almost was like he had something else to tell me, but he did not want to talk about it.

  By this time, I was exhausted. I was ready to go to bed. The party was winding down and I called it a night. Finally about 1:30am I got to my room. I needed to sleep. As I laid in bed I thought about the events of day. I just could not believe that I won The Masters today. Even though I had won this tournament. I had felt like I had also been somewhere else today. It was very strange. But I was very tired and fell to sleep quickly.

  Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

  I slept to 9:30am the next morning, and it was great. I really needed the sleep. I feel tired but pretty good physically and great emotionally. I sit down by the window and drink a cup of coffee and ponder what will the future hold for me. The next few days will be busy for me. Today I am off to New York. My agent has sent me my Itinerary for travel and hotel. Tomorrow morning I will be picked up at the hotel at 5:30am sharp and they will take to the “Today's Show” on NBC. Then back to the hotel. Then NBC will pick me up again later that afternoon taping of the “Tonight's Show." I could not believe this is all happening to me. I turn my cell phone on and have a million text and Messages. “That's new, all of a sudden people want to talk to me," I tell myself. I call my agent and he tells me about the trip to New York. Also he said that he has already had calls for some sponsors so things may be getting a little crazy. I tell him to do what he can and keep me posted. “Man I am so hungry," I tell myself. The hotel has a buffet style breakfast so I head down for some food. As I make it down I run into a couple of people that recognize me and want my Autograph. Funny, I never get asked for Autographs. About the only time is when I am at the course and on the practice range or the practice rounds when the gallery has access to the players. Sometimes someone, mostly kids will ask for an autograph, even though they have no idea who I am. But out in public like this, it never happens.

  I make it to the airport Monday afternoon. The plan is to fly to New York and get in that night. Then tomorrow morning do the “Today's Show” and then taping of the “Tonight's Show” Tuesday afternoon. I get to the airport and a couple of people recognize me and ask for my autograph. So bizarre that this is happening to me now. NBC booked the flight and I am flying in First Class. “Wow!," I said to myself. The last few years as a no-named professional golfer who has struggled week to week. I was either driving to the next tournament if I could. Or if I flew it was always coach. “Nice," I said to myself as I settled into my nice comfortable seat. As we were flying to New York I was sitting next to this very nice women. She had no idea who I was. But she was a good conservationist, and we had a good visit. She was single from what I could tell, and very attractive and a nice person. She was not flirting with me or anything like that we were just talking. But all that time, I had that same feeling as the night before at the party. I felt like I did not want to talk to her because I was cheating on someone. “Where the hell is this coming from," I ask myself?. I have been single for ever. And as a single guy you are always looking for a chance to meet someone. But the last two days I have met two women who would be the type of person that I would like to get to know. But I feel like I am cheating on someone when I talked to them. “Man! Winning a major, must mess with your mind," I said to myself.

  So we land in New York. I have never been a big fan of New York and have not been here too many time. I get to my hotel and settle in about 6:00pm. NBC put me up in a nice hotel. I get to my room and relax. I got a great view of the skyline. Beer was in the fridge. “Cool!’ and I grab one and sit by the window looking out at the New York Skyline. “Wow I cannot believe I am here," I tell myself. And tomorrow the Today's Show and the Tonight's Show?” “Wow”!

  So the plan is NBC will send a car at 6:00am. The NBC studios is only 10 minutes away. The show starts at 7:00am and I am scheduled at 7:40am. I
am supposed to be in the lobby at 6:00am and they will have someone to pick me up. So I go to bed and I crash. I am exhausted. I have no dreams that I can remember, I just sleep.

  I have a wake-up call at 5:00am. I take a shower and drink some coffee, I am not hungry at all. I make it to the lobby about 5:50 and wait in the lobby and sit on the sofa in the lobby. “So what will this be like?", I ask myself. I wonder if they will they have a Limo, and the drive dressed in a Tux? About 5:50 a middle age guy walks in the door, dressed casually and walks over to me and smiles. “Are you Jim Galloway?," he asked in a typical New York accent. I say yea, jump up and shook his hand. He is very personable. “You ready?, he asked. I told him that I am. “Let's go," he replied. He is not driving a Limo, but instead a black Suburban Suv. We take a 10 minute drive to the NBC studios. It is still dark, but New York is very alive. Seem like this town is just jamming with energy all the time. We park in a parking garage. He takes me up to the studio. He said he will be dropping me off with the Stage Assistance and she will handle it from there. We make it up to the studio and we meet Emily. She has a big smile, “Mr. Jim Galloway?," she said as she shakes my hand. She congratulates me on my big Masters win and I thank her. I am a little nervous, this is all new to me. “Coffee?" she asked. “Sure that will be great,” I replied. Would you like a Latte or just coffee. “Just coffee. I do not know much about Lattes, I just know there is a skill to ordering one” I responded smiling. She gets me a coffee, and it is a good quality cup of coffee, no cheap coffee here. She can tell that I am a little nervous and she talks to me and tells me what I will be doing. She seems to have a talent for putting people at ease. She has such a nice personality and she is professional. She takes me to the Green Room. Wow! the Green Room, I always heard about this. But it is not green. I wanted to ask why, but I decided not to. They had donuts and pastries, coffee, and juice. “Nice." I am not on for a while, those pastries look good, I said to myself, so I grabbed one. So I am in the Green Room for a while a couple of other guest for the show come in. One was a political analyst. He was a big golf fan and he congratulated me on my win. Another person was someone who had a lawsuit against some big company that supplied some tainted food to the public, and the other was an actress. She was oblivious to everyone. We all watch the show on the sofa’s on the big screen TV in the Green Room. Finally right at 7:40am, Emily came in. “Jim, you are on." I got up and must have looked nervous, I actually was weak at my knees. She put her left hand on my shoulder and her right hand on my other shoulder. “Jim, don't worry, it will be fine, just be yourself, it will be fun," she said smiling. That calmed me down right away. And at the same time. I was thinking that I like this girl, she is really nice. So I got to the set and it was all fine. In show business it is all very fast, Slam Bam, Thank You Mam. We had our little four minute interview. The host is a big golf fan so he could relate. It was actually fun. After we finished I walked backstage and Emily looked at me. “You see that was not so bad was it?", she said smiling. I just laughed. “No, not bad at all," I replied. She had me sit down in the Green Room again. “ I will get you back to you hotel in a few," she said as off to see someone else. After the show was over, she came in, “Ready Jim?," she asked. I said yes, She walked me to the elevator and she took me down to the driver. As we are walking and talking I am starting to notice that I really like this girl. She is one of those “ Librarian Type” women. plain average looking at first glance, but then if you take a close look you see that she is really pretty and has a warm personality. She had dark “Librarian” type glasses and her brown hair in bun, but you can tell it was long. “Just my type!," I said to myself. "My God, this girl is cute," I tell myself as we continue to walk to the garage. “I am just a hopeless single guy," I tell myself. She takes me down in the back offices where the driver is. “Ok Jim. As you know you are going to be on the Tonight's Show. Even Though that is on late night TV, the actual taping starts at 3:00pm. Our driver will pick you up at 2:00pm," she told me. “I will be ready” I replied, and the driver took me back to the hotel.

  I got to the hotel and just hung out. It is only 8:45am, what do I do for the next few hours. I am not really hungry, I had some donuts at NBC. I will just relax and watch TV. I watched ESPN for a while and I was watching some baseball highlights. I never have not been much of a baseball fan, but it really seemed to be interesting to me for some reason. Besides, I am in New York city the home of the Yankees. About 10:00 am, a buddy of mine who is on the tour, John called me, he lives here in New York. He is a good friend, we have had some good times over the years. The last few years, he is in same boat as me. Struggling to make a living on the tour. We have had a few too many “Missed Cut” parties the last couple of years. “Hey Moneybags, you sure looked stiff on Today's Show this morning” he said laughing. We talked for awhile and had a good time. Sunday at the Masters Win Post party, we had talked about hooking up while I am here in New York. He is going to take me out and show me the town. So after we hung up, I was thinking, this may be fun tonight. He is quite a Party Animal, and he knows this city. I have not really had a chance to celebrate my big win. At the Masters Post party I keep it low key, so tonight I think I may just let it go and have fun. I decided to eat lunch about 11:00 am. And that will be it for a while as far as food is concerned. I should be through with NBC by about 4:00pm. So I will hook up with John and let and go out on the town. So I eat and get ready for my 1:00 pm pickup from NBC. I am nervous again. “Wow The Tonight's show!," I say to myself. Been watching that since I was a Kid. So I get down to the lobby about 12:50 pm and the driver is right on time. He comes into the lobby at 1:55pm. He takes me to the car and to my surprise, Emily is sitting in the back seat. “Hey how you doing?” I asked “I surprised to see you," I told her. “Well I got to get out of the building sometimes, been there since 5:00 am," she replied. We chatted and took the short drive to the NBC studios. As we are driving, I realize again, that I really like this girl I feel so comfortable with her.

  We get to the studio and go through the process again. Get me and the other guest set in the Green Room. I talk to some of the other guest. A couple know who I am and they know about golf and they sincerely congratulate me. There were a couple of other celebrity types who did not have a clue about golf and who I was. They did not acknowledge me. They were in their own little Show Biz world. I come to realize that a lot of prep work goes on for the show and it is pretty busy for a while. Emily and the staff let us know the process. A lot more busy than the Morning show. About 20 minutes before showtime, we are settled in and all the prep work is basically done and things are slower now. I step out in the hall to stretch.

  Emily stops by and she is pretty much caught up on her duties and we chat for a few minutes. I felt so relaxed around her. She is so nice and down to earth and just does not seem like a New York City Show Business type of person. As we are chatting, I asked if she is from New York. She said that she is actually from a small town in upstate Minnesota. “Oh really, I grew in in Nebraska” I said. “Ah so we are kind from the same neck of the woods she says.” “So, how do you like New York?," I asked. “It's OK, but a little fast for me. I have a good job here and NBC. But sometimes I miss the slower pace from back home," she explained to me. So as we are talking, I am thinking she looks like a fish out of water and I can tell she does not belong in New York. I feel the same way. I know I could not handle living here. And I am really starting to like her more and more. As a single guy, you are always looking to meet someone. And the older you get the harder it is. And my last ten years on the tour I have been so busy working on my game and the golf business it is hard to have a relationship. I had a couple, but nothing really serious. Otherwise a few dates and a few other wild times which were fun at the time, but seem regrettable to me now. My hope is to always meet someone and settle down for a normal life. So I am wondering if she is married or single which always the big question when you are single. She does not have a ring on. But that is not always a guarantee
d determining factor. So I am panicking like a highschool kid. How do I find out if she is married or in a relationship? “So do you have any family here in New York?," I asked. “Good one Jim” I tell myself. “No just here by myself” she replied sheepishly. Do you still live in Nebraska?," she asked. I told her that I live in Orlando now. I have been there for several years. It is a good place for a professional golfer because the weather is good and I can work on mine game all year. She lights up “Hey my parents retired and moved to Tampa about 3 years ago, they love it," she said smiling. “Ah, great” I said. This whole conversion last about 3 or 4 minutes and I felt like we made some type of connection. I felt like I have known her for years and felt so comfortable with her and I wanted to talk some more. But someone came by, told me to get to the Green Room, almost show time. So I sat down in the Green room.