Notebook: Derby Grimes Won't Lament Over Last Year

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Richmond, Texas – No regrets.

That’s Virginia Derby Grimes’ take on last year’s final, in which she lost 5 and 4 to the upstart Corey Weworski. On paper going in, Derby Grimes had been labeled the favorite because she trailed a total of six holes in five matches. Also by virtue of her 1998 victory in the Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Paper, though, can’t measure intangibles.

Carolyn Creekmore, left, listens to advice from her caddie, Donny Anderson, Monday. Anderson played nine years in the National Football League, including the first two Super Bowls. (John Mummert/USGA)

Entering last year’s championship, Derby Grimes had a fragile psyche only because she had endured two-plus years of serious injuries to her elbow and back. Both required operations. The back was the more serious of the two. A second back surgery in 2001 saw doctors insert titanium spaces filled with crushed bone between a disc.

However, during the week everything fell into place. Even she admitted then that it had been the best she felt hitting balls in a couple of years. Then she marched toward the final unscathed. Suddenly her expectations took a leap from ‘can I still do this?’ to ‘I can win this thing.’

Those thoughts were underscored after she breezed to a 2-up lead after the first two holes. Then Weworski got in the way like a cement median. Derby Grimes’ game unraveled. Weworski turned into a world beater before dusting her off on the 14th hole.

Now that she’s had a year to reflect, the 41-year-old Derby Grimes’ stance is resolute in that she knows she went as far as she could. Any regrets at all?

“No, I sort of let my guard down,” she said Monday after defeating Char McLear, 5 and 4, in the first round of match play. “To come back and be able to play, I didn’t expect to do that well. I got that far but I didn’t play that well.”

If anything, the loss strengthened her resolve to return this year with, hopefully, better results.

“I feel that was a great learning experience,” said Derby Grimes. “I feel a lot stronger than I did.”

Glorified Past

He traipsed around Shadow Hawk unnoticed. He stood out because of his size, but unless one was a football aficionado, the former Green Bay Packer and St. Louis Cardinal running back was as popular as the egrets that relaxed in the surrounding ponds. Anderson was there because he was serving as Carolyn Creekmore’s caddie. It goes deeper than that. For the past 12 years he’s also been her boyfriend. The two hooked up, ironically enough, on a golf course.

He follows the old axiom that caddies should “show up and shut up,” he said.

Unless asked for advice, he never intervenes during a competitive match, although he does help read putting lines. 

“I’ve learned things in our relationship in 12 years,” said Anderson. “I know her strengths and weaknesses.” 

Anderson is also a keen golfer. He carries a 2 handicap and has played on the Celebrity Golf Tour the past “15 or 16” years. And yes, he and Creekmore have had a fun competition between themselves. Sort of.  

“No, we don’t compete against each other. We did it one time and it didn’t work out very well,” said Anderson. 

His bigger claim to fame is that he played in the famous ‘Ice Bowl’ game in 1967 and the first two Super Bowls under the legendary Vince Lombardi. Anderson was the backup to Paul Hornung in 1966, his rookie season, before being elevated to a more prominent role in the offense.  He had decent career numbers, rushing for 4,696 yards and racking up 2,548 receiving yards. He left Green Bay after the ’71 season and toiled under coach Don ‘Air’ Coryell in St. Louis.

He had two things he was most proud of over his career: playing in every game and being a part of Lombardi’s aura. 

“Football to me was a game,” he said. “It wasn’t everything in life. The best thing about Lombardi was that no matter what happened, he was always fair and always was just with his players. He wanted you to handle yourself as a man. What he taught me was how to be a man – that meant more than anything else I learned from him.”

Tidbits

Speaking of NFL ties, a number of players are members at Shadow Hawk Golf Club. Kris Brown (Houston Texans), David Carr (Houston Texans), Terry Glenn (Dallas Cowboys) and Keenan McCardell (San Diego Chargers) belong. So does baseball superstar Roger Clemens (Houston Astros) and a former U.S. President George W. Bush. … This is the 24th USGA championship the state of Texas has hosted. Two previous Women’s Mid-Ams have been held.

Ken Klavon is the Web Editor for the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.