Chubb Classic: Southwest Florida's Tommy Tolles, Peter Jacobsen have different mindsets

Dave Kempton
Special to the Naples Daily News
Tommy Tolles waits to tee off during the Chubb Classic Pro-Am at TwinEagles Club in Naples on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.

Peter Jacobsen and Tommy Tolles, two Southwest Florida golfers in the Chubb Classic this week at TwinEagles in Naples, are starting the 2018 season with conflicts, uncertainty and an experimental approach.

The PGA Tour Champions players each have a different mindset while focusing on the new season -- for Jacobsen, it’s truly a matter of playing around conflicts with his television schedule, and for Tolles, it’s almost like starting all over again.

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Jacobsen, 63, a Bonita Springs resident, has a new hip and will play often when NBC TV is not televising the regular PGA Tour, where he is a popular analyst. The problem is NBC televises the Tour in March and again in September and October, reducing his playing possibilities.

“I’m in my best physical condition since 2009 with the new hip. I’ve never felt so good,” Jacobsen said. “I just don’t know how much I can play because I’m at the mercy of the NBC schedule. The Ryder Cup, for example, is the same week as our Pebble Beach tournament.”

Tommy Tolles tees off during the Chubb Classic Pro-Am at TwinEagles Club in Naples on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.

Tolles, 51, a Fort Myers native, had a mercurial run on the PGA Tour when during a two-year stretch in 1995-96 he finished 16th on the money list while almost winning not one but three majors. Back surgery followed and he left the Tour in 2008, settled in the western North Carolina mountains and stayed away from the professional game until last summer.

“I’m going to have a fun experiment – that’s a fair word to use – because I’ve been away for a long time and tournament golf is different and difficult,” said Tolles, who lives in Flat Rock, North Carolina, with wife IIse and two children, Wiekus and Hannah. “There are a lot of things I can’t do now with the golf ball that I used to do.”

Peter Jacobsen during the Chubb Classic Pro-Am at TwinEagles Club in Naples on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.

Jacobsen is secure with many outside business interests, with $11.2 million in career money earnings, including $3.4 million and the 2004 U.S. Senior Open and Senior Players Championship titles on PGA Tour Champions.

Jacobsen played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, making the trip to honor a retiring committee member and then playing with Huey Lewis.

“Huey got sick the day before the tournament and withdrew so the week was not so much fun,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tolles tied for 75th and won $2,640 at the Boca Raton Championship, his second Champions event and the first since last August in Madison, Wisconsin, right after he turned 50.

“A buddy talked me into going to the Champions qualifying school in Scottsdale, Arizona, last December and I played four great rounds, finished fourth and became eligible for the 2018 season,” said Tolles, who finished at 19 under par on the Shadow Mountain Champions course. “I was kind of in shock at what I accomplished, reflecting over the holidays while working with my landscaping and woodworking businesses.

Looking back at last week, Tolles wasn't surprised he played so poorly because he hadn't really prepared.

“I finally realized I had better start practicing but I hit balls only about five times until I arrived in Boca Raton last Tuesday," he said. "I should have been more diligent because I can still hit some ‘foul balls.'

“My dream 30 years ago was to play on the PGA Tour. Today with PGA Tour Champions the goal is to learn to love the game again later in life.”

Tolles won $3.4 million in nine full years on the PGA Tour while finishing solo third in the 1997 Masters, tied for third at the 1996 PGA Championship, and tied fifth at the 1997 U.S. Open. He finished one spot away from making the 1997 Ryder Cup team.

“You have to realize that almost everyone else out here has never stopped playing while I took a giant sabbatical from the game, maybe playing in five to 10 local charity golf tournaments a year,” he said. “I don’t intend to put too much pressure on myself, staying patient and taking my time.

“It’s like going for a job interview. Don’t put all your hope into just one interview."