It was past noon now, the sun almost directly overhead, the air sparkling with the filtered, crystalline light particular to the Peninsula. As they stepped onto the fairway, Bubba broke into a brief, pitch-perfect impression of Bing Crosby singing the opening bars of his familiar golf tune, "Straight Down the Middle." Bubba had honed his impression to perfection during the introductions of CBS telecasts of the AT&T National Pro-Am; Venturi's eyes glistened and he smiled at Bubba. The other men laughed, which briefly relieved their steadily growing tension. Even the gallery of First Tee benefactors relaxed for a moment and sang along. A pleasant stroll communing with nature, feeling the sun on his face, and cracking up his friends and galleries - that was Bubba's idea of the perfect day.