Omar Uresti has gone from an obscure, little-known PGA Tour player to a full controversial PGA Professional in a very short amount of time. But through everything that’s happened to him, Uresti’s just a guy who wants to play golf for a living.
Full disclosure: My journey into the professional golf world all started because of Omar. At a Tuesday practice round in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 1998, he struck up and conversation with me on the 11th tee and we’ve been friends ever since. We’ve laughed together (a lot) — and we’ve cried together, too. This day we just talked about the journey, the surprise haters and how a 52-year-old short-hitter keeps beating kids literally less than half his age.
Collins: We’ve known each other for a long time and had lots of adventures together, but I’ve never gotten to ask you this … what is your favorite memory?
Uresti: There’s a couple of them, but I don’t know if I can tell ’em?
Collins: You know what, skip to something in the top 5.
Uresti: Probably the first week we met at Harbour Town. My brother gives you the bag [on Friday] after the round and says, “Here, get him going hitting some balls.” You’re standing there and a player says to you, “Hey, can you come check this out?” (Caddie note: Apparently I looked like a veteran caddie.) You come back a minute or two later and I said, “What did Tom Watson want?”
Collins: He wanted me to look at his swing.
Uresti: You didn’t know anything about golf, and here he is asking you about his swing. You thought he was talking about the shape of his golf club!
Collins: How many times now have you won the PGA Professional Championship?
Uresti: Twice.
Collins: And didn’t you win the Senior PGA Professional Championship as well?
Uresti: Yes. I hold both of them now.