LEWISTON — The last time Bill Harvey went around the Niagara Falls Country Club course twice in one day, it was in the 1976 Porter Cup.
The tournament opened with a double round that year and Harvey, then 46 and more than twice the age of some of his rivals, shot rounds of 68 and 70 to put himself one stroke off the lead at the midway point. He ultimately finished tied for fourth behind Scott Simpson.
On Friday, Harvey “played” a double round, this time in the role of a father hanging on every shot by his 30-year-old son, Scott. The elder Harvey patrolled the course in a cart, alternately agonizing over a less-then-solid shot and quietly cheering the ones that dropped for a birdie or a par.
Bill Harvey is known to longtime Porter Cup observers for two things — winning the 1963 championship in a five-hole playoff, the longest tournament in history, and having fun on the course no matter what was going on with his game. He smiled frequently, had fun with the players in his group and interacted with spectators.
“I don’t like quiet golf — never did,” he said many times.
Recalling those days, Harvey said, “I had fun; it was fun. I loved amateur golf. It’s just the way it was.”
Scott has a little of his father in him, at one point needling his dad during the afternoon round in the rain-plagued 50th Porter Cup. He had just birded the always-difficult par-4 17th hole and was ready to tee it up on the 18th.
He looked over at his dad parked along the cart path and said, “I birdied 17. I never saw you do that.”
Bill just smiled, maybe because Scott wasn’t born the last time he did it.
“I always wanted to play in some of the tournaments my dad played in,” said Scott, who started hitting the ball around when he was 3 or 4 years old, but not seriously until about two years ago. “I always watched him in tournaments like the Porter Cup and it was a dream of mine to play in this tournament.”
Bill Harvey played in the Porter Cup 30 times, starting in 1961, according to the tournament program. The last time he played here, he said, was 1997 in the Senior Porter Cup. He always brought his family with him.
“Scott was a year old, not even that, when he first came up,” Harvey said. “He was born in April and we all came up in August.”
Scott often caddied for his dad, so he knows the course a little bit, which helps in his first Porter Cup.
“I always came up here and goofed around and watched,” Scott said. “When I got old enough, he let me caddy. I lugged that big bag around.”
“I didn’t pay him, either,” Bill pointed out, puffing on another cigarette.
“Yeah, that was the bad part,” Scott joked.
Even as a kid, Scott Harvey was impressed with the tournament and the course.
“Man, it was like the Masters,” he said, the excitement rising in his voice. “The golf course, the lush green grass.”
Scott was medalist in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Amateur last year with rounds of 67 and 66. He missed by several strokes of making it to match play in the tournament that determines the national champion.
He has had success in some lesser events, winning the Griffin Cup this year and the North Carolina Players Championship the past two years. He also qualified for match play in the North and South Amateur, one of the nation’s elite tournaments.
Scott bogeyed the final five holes of Fridays’ morning round, frustrating himself and his father.
“The greens are still soft and the wind is tough when you’re not hitting it as well as you would like,” he said.
Bill Harvey owns a driving range in Greensboro, N.C. that he opened in 1960. Now, Scott is the manager.
Back in the early days, Harvey helped get the Porter Cup going by bringing up talented amateurs from the south to play in it. Now, all these years later, he has brought up yet another one. And that keeps the game fun for him.
Sports
Related Photos
-
DAN CAPPELLAZZO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPH
PORTER CUP: Harvey still having fun
- Sports
-
-
Wolverines tame the Lions
Three Niagara Falls Wolverines players hit double-figures in Thursday’s 74-45 Niagara Frontier League boys basketball win over visiting Lockport on “Senior Night” in the Wolvearena.
-
Running miles for acres
Runners of all shapes and sizes will run 10 miles for 52 acres of land this weekend at the 2012 YMCA/Camp Kenan Y-10 race downtown.
-
Miller, Sabres blank the Bruins
With Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff nursing three broken ribs and watching from the press box, goalie Ryan Miller made 36 saves to earn his second shutout in three games in a 6-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
-
Roy-Hart swimmers dominated
Pictured are members of the Royalton-Hartland boys varsity swim team, which recently captured its sixth straight Niagara-Orleans League title and swept the annual league meet in Akron by winning every event. From left, first row, are Josh Beabout, Kurtis Parker, Roy Phipps and Zach Yates; second row, Cody Jones, Luke Brauer and Patrick Jones; third row, Jason Beabout and Lyle Wagner.
-
Syracuse beats Georgetown in OT, 64-61
Kris Joseph scored a career-high 29 points, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute of overtime, and No. 2 Syracuse beat 12th-ranked Georgetown 64-61 on Wednesday night to give coach Jim Boeheim his 880th career win.
-
Lions sweep Lewiston-Porter
It was a full moon and the vampires and werewolves were out in the Lady Lions Den.
-
Cotto training in Lockport
Professional boxer and World Boxing Organization Lightweight champion of the world Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1) has chosen Lockport as his training camp for his upcoming fight with Jose Luis Castillo (63-11-1) on March 24 in Houston Texas.
-
Roy-Hart dominates boys all-League swm meet
Undefeated (10-0) regular-season champion Royalton-Hartland dominated the competition Tuesday taking first place in all 11 events at the 2012 Niagara-Orleans League boys individual swim championships.
-
Ruff stuff
As if the Buffalo Sabres haven't endured enough injuries already this season. Add coach Lindy Ruff to the list.
-
Super Bowl draws record viewers on NBC
For the third consecutive year, the Super Bowl set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Red Wings and Maple Leafs to Play at Big House
Parade for the New York Giants Super Bowl Champs
Raw Video: Giants Celebrate Another Super Bowl
Giants Beat Patriots 21-17 to Win Super Bowl
Manning Named Super Bowl MVP
Giants Beat Patriots in Super Bowl 46
Rodgers Wins AP MVP at 'NFL Honors'
Aaron Rodgers Wins AP NFL MVP
Martin, Five Others Elected to Football Hall
Brady, Manning Headline Super Bowl XLVI
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Rangers' Hamilton Confirms Alcohol Relapse
Goodell: Player Safety Is Top Priority
Coaches Update Injuries Ahead of Super Bowl
Pats Mesko Fulfills American Dream at Super Bowl
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Gronkowski's Ankle Still 'Day to Day'
Umenyiora Explains Missed Media Session
Fans Having a 'Super' Time in Indianapolis
