Dan Jenkins at The Majors

I am in the tank for Dan Jenkins. For my money, there is no better golf writer today than the former Texas sportswriter who wrote about golf and football for Sports Illustrated (and still pounds out columns for Golf Digest). His first golf novel, “Dead Solid Perfect,” is typical Jenkins – funny, irreverent, and full of great lines. His other golf yarns, “The Money Whipped Steer-Job Three-Jack Give-Up Artist” and “The Franchise Babe,” are equally fun. But Jenkins also is a great reporter who had the good fortune of starting his journalism career by covering Ben Hogan in his hometown of Fort Worth. Jenkins has covered virtually every major championship for the past 60 years and now has published those stories in a collection called “Jenkins at the Majors.” Want to read about Hogan’s U.S. Open win at Oakland Hills in 1951? It’s in the book. Tiger’s first Masters win? In the book. I enjoyed revisiting the historic tournaments such as Arnold Palmer’s come from behind victory in the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in 1960 and the King’s colossal collapse in the same event in 1966 at Olympic in San Francisco. Jenkins chronicled the arrival of John Daly at Crooked Stick and recounted Ben Crenshaw’s emotional Masters victory in 1995 after the death of his mentor Harvey Penick. Jenkins, who always loved lists, includes his All-Star Golf Team for every club in the bag and features a top 10 leader board for every major included in the collection. This is a great read for golf fans.

Hitting range balls while wondering whatever happened to George Cadle.