The Players Championship, Joey Sindelar and a (really) weird request

On Thursday, I was watching my boy Joey Sindelar make a 5 on the island hole, No. 17 at the Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. He was well on his way to a two-over finish, but hey, that was a shot better than Tiger Woods.

I’ve gotten to know Joey over the years because he played at Ohio State University, which is in Columbus where I live and write. Sindelar might not be the most popular golfer ever known, but in Columbus, with the power of Ohio State, he’s a name brand.

Sindelar is one of the most genuine, affable guys I’ve ever met. What you see on TV is what you get in real life. He’s always smiling, always has time for people and with seven wins in his career, is one of the most accessible players around.

The only time I’ve ever seen him with anything other than a smile on his face was at the Buckeye Pro-Am about 10 years ago. It’s an event that raises money for the university’s golf courses and teams and many former players come back to Columbus to participate each year. I was walking with Sindelar that year, talking to him about his thoughts on the course and golf in general when this guy came riding up to us in a cart.

“Hey, Joey, it’s great to see you,” the guy said. Sindelar smiled and shook his hand. “Do you think you could sign an autograph for me?”

Without hesitation, Sindelar grabbed a black sharpie from his pocket. Then, this crazy fan goes into his golf bag and pulls out what can be described as an adult toy manufactured in the image of an appendage you probably can imagine. He held it up to Sindelar with a big grin on his face. “Would you sign this?”

Sindelar’s smile disappeared, and while he wasn’t rude, he immediately turned cool and responded that he most certainly didn’t want to write his name on such an apparatus. The guy shrugged and drove off. Sindelar shook his head.

I talked to Sindelar earlier this year and asked him if he remembered the incident. He said he didn’t, which makes me wonder what kind of crazy crap he must see that could push that out of his memory.