Sun, Jul 05 2009
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Published December 02, 2007 12:51 am - Short game keys Black's success Brian Black knows what he wants to do.
Well, almost. The talented 23-year-old, who won the Joplin Globe City Championship this year shortly after shattering the scoring record at Schifferdecker Municipal Golf Course with a brilliant 15-under-par 56, would like to repeat as city champion next year and is thinking about giving the Hooters Tour a try. He may even do both. But everything depends upon what happens this winter. “I want to get in better shape and to get stronger,’’ he said. He also wants to improve his game and become even more competitive. “I learned I could compete when I won the city (championship),” he said. “But I also learned that there are a lot of good players around Joplin and, on any given day, they can beat you. If you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, they will.” Black was honored Tuesday night with a crystal trophy symbolic of winning the Cooper Tire Golfer of the Year award, presented by Burggraf Tire Co. This was the first year of sponsorship by Cooper Tire and Burggraf Tire for the season-long series. Rusty Karns, vice president of Burggraf, made the presentation at the Timberline restaurant. Among those attending were his family and his mentor, Marshall Smith of Miami, Okla., who has tutored many of the top players on the PGA, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide and Hooters tours over the years. The long-hitting Black pretty much locked up the Cooper title by winning the Joplin Globe City Championship, which is played on four courses over two weekends, and by finishing second to pro Boyd Downey in the Carthage Open. Downey, as a pro, wasn’t eligible for any points. Although he didn’t win other Cooper series events, Brian finished in the top six in every event in which he participated. We suspect 2007 was a learning process for the young man with the big power game, deft touch around the greens and positive attitude. The ability to shake off adversity was inculcated by his high school golf coach, Bill Carter, at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School. “I was something of a fireball in my junior year. If I had a bad hole, you could tell,’’ Black said. “But Coach was always there, always calm and he’d say, ‘forget that hole, it’s over.’ Some of my turnabout was him being there. Now I can . . . four-putt a green and by the next tee I’m ready to go. “The funny thing is that I am one of those guys who, if I hit a good shot, I’m going to have a reaction. If I hit a bad shot, I’ll have a reaction. But I try to use it in a positive way. After that reaction, it’s over.” 
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