I've been so fixated on eBay's Colt plan auction I forgot to post congratulations to our own Pat Mucci, the golf champion. Do you birds realize that Patrick and his partner won the big annual Seminole Better Ball Championship? We're talking a big time tournament here---huge, mammoth, even hegelian---against former US and British Amateur champions, Walker Cuppers, you name it.

Seminole blew and blew but Patrick The Magnificent stood his ground and gave it back to her in spades, birdieing ruthlessly on call.

So kiss his ring and congratulate our Patrick and his Supreme Championshipness!

I'm calling Seminole to find out whether they made him a member before he left the club and if they didn't I'm gonna tell them they're all a bunch of silly rabbits in that club. However, perhaps they were so preoccupied with helping him just find his way out the door they forgot.

Awesome, Pat!  You are the Tom Turkey of the day!

Patrick: Let's hear it for old guys from New Jersey.  Congragulations and happy holiday.  Jerry

Patrick,

About that chipping lesson I was going to give you, fuggetaboutit!  

Congratulations on your determination and clear love for the game.  Good things sometimes do happen to good people!  

Congrats Pat & your partner.  Great to know that GCA, and its study of how to get there - on the green - brought home a winner.

Well done, Patrick.

Maybe Pat will make another run at the Senior Am next year.

Please share an entertaining anecdote from the event, I'm sure you have a few.

Congratulations Pat.  A golf championship for a championship gentleman and steward of the game.  

You mean someone here at GCA.com ACTUALLY takes playing golf as seriously as their contemplation about architecture?

Terry McBride! Excellent choice. He hits it a ton. Tough as nails.

But not as tough as you.

Patrick, you are quite honestly one of the most astounding people on the planet. From *there* to here. . . . . it seems impossible by any measuring stick; yet determination, guts and pure cussedness against long odds is more powerful than disease.

Methinks prayer has something to do with it, too.

There must be some magical quality about golf as a curative. Bernhardt had dinner last Wednesday at the house. He looks like a million dollars. From there to here.

The Redhead invited over a gal we are both close friends with. She fell head-over-heels the moment he pulled up a chair. Cancer had no chance against Tiger Bernhardt. He never misses a pressure putt either. Ask me how I know.

Redanman is coming Thursday night. There is another one . . . . told me about his odyssey with a shrug of the shoulders. Bill is more interested in putting surface contours than cancer . . . . My bet is that it dares not return.  

I'm proud to call you guys my friends.

Gib,

Thanks for your kind words.
I also want to thank you and others for all of the kind thoughts and prayers.

In undertaking my journey, I was very fortunate.
I had a spectacular woman, my wife, with me every step of the way and the ultimate in motivation, that my 5 year old son shouldn't grow up without his father.
 
Thus, my goals never waivered and I was determined to take the most difficult path.(read, no options)  I was not only willing, but anxious to do whatever it took to maximize my chances for survival.  Being stubborn and tenacious certainly helped, as did maintaining a highly positive attitude and a good sense of humor.  I was also determined to try to live my life without disrupting my familiy and friends.  So far, so good, but, I'm not quite out of the woods yet.  As you know, I need to meet certain dates, and 01-21-07 and 01-21-09 are my big ones.

I was also fortunate to have wonderful professionals at MSKCC guiding and monitoring my care.  Professionals that I've become good friends and golfing buddies with.  
Philip Paty M.D. saved my life and gave me and my family comfort that was above and beyond anything anyone could expect.  Vince Miller M.D. was my Guardian Angel.  And, David Kelsen M.D. masterminded my ongoing treatments.

I also feel a need to help others.
I was happy that I was able to help Tiger as he was about to begin his journey into the unknown.  And, I'm delighted that things have gone so well for him.

Golf was a terrific motivator and GCA.com was a great outlet and source of entertainment when I couldn't sleep from midnight to 7:00 am for months at a time.

This past golfing season I set a number of goals for myself and met all but one.  Winning the tournament at Seminole against an outstanding field almost makes up for the goal I just missed, almost.  I guess I'm inherently competitive.

So, thank you again, and as TEPaul said, don't be such a stranger to the site, your pearls of wisdom are always welcome.   And, don't forget to call me if you're heading east or to Florida.

I hope this note finds you and your family in good health and spirits.

I have played with Pat before, during and after his battle with cancer. I had the pleasure of playing with Patrick and his Surgeon last year, and Patrick's doctor had some funny stories about Patrick during his recovery. I don't know Lance Armstrong, but I do know Pat Mucci and his journey is a real inspiration. Congratulations!

Hey Pat, I realize to win such a top-notch Seminole tournament you were competing hard, concentrating your brains out and grinding your ass off but I was just wondering if you happened to notice that Seminole is bascially a totally  flat site?

Patrick -

God bless that your health and your game are in good shape. Friends and family are the best remedy for what ails you.

And, after last night, it is evident that not all the prayers went to you, some were diverted to the Fighting Irish.  On to the BCS ...

Mike