Former PGA Tour player and Golf Channel Morning Drive co-host Charlie Rymer on winning the US Junior Amateur, golf with Jack Nicklaus at 17, and surviving stage 3 colon cancer.
Description (show notes)
Charlie Rymer won the 1985 US Junior Amateur, played the PGA Tour, then spent more than 20 years on ESPN, USA Network and Golf Channel, including co-hosting Morning Drive. In this episode he tells the stories behind that career, and one that matters more than any of them.
He explains why he thinks the best players are born with the ability to perform when they’re scared to death. He walks through the final round of Tour Q School, when he could hear players throwing up in the bushes. He tells the story of how Jack Nicklaus helped steer him to Georgia Tech and why he turned down an Arnold Palmer scholarship at Wake Forest to go there. He also covers his first British Open at age 20, the one time he beat Tiger Woods by a shot, and a Saturday round at the Byron Nelson with Davis Love III that his wife slept through.
Then the hard part. Charlie shares how a routine colonoscopy led to a stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis, why he chose MD Anderson in Houston, and why he now urges everyone to talk to their doctor about screening. He had no symptoms and no family history.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to win a national title as a teenager, why a swing can fall apart on one shot, or how a player walks away from the Tour and into the broadcast booth, this one is for you. You don’t have to play golf to enjoy it.
Chapters
- 00:00 Welcome and growing up around the game
- 03:54 Why golf, and the “can’t miss” kid
- 08:14 Performing when you’re scared (Q School)
- 16:15 Winning the 1985 US Junior Amateur in Buffalo
- 23:34 Choosing Georgia Tech, and a round with Jack Nicklaus at 17
- 30:50 Turning down the Arnold Palmer scholarship
- 32:48 Knowing he could play on the PGA Tour
- 36:06 The 1988 British Open at age 20
- 39:12 Beating Tiger at the 1997 Buick Classic
- 40:50 The Byron Nelson round with Davis Love III
- 44:38 Walking away from the Tour and into TV
- 51:12 The grind of life on Tour
- 55:18 Stage 3 colon cancer and why screening matters
- 1:02:25 Golf today, charity events and course consulting
Guest
Charlie Rymer, former PGA Tour player, former ESPN, USA Network and Golf Channel broadcaster
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Keywords/tags
Charlie Rymer, Golf Channel Morning Drive, US Junior Amateur 1985, Georgia Tech golf, Arnold Palmer scholarship, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, PGA Tour podcast, golf podcast, former PGA Tour player interview, golf broadcaster, colon cancer screening, MD Anderson, Q School, British Open, Byron Nelson, Davis Love III, The Cart Barn Podcast