Alameda Teaching Golf Pro Living The Dream At PGA Championship
ALAMEDA (CBS SF) -- There will be a lot of junior golfers in Alameda riveted to the television coverage of the PGA Championship Saturday as their teaching pro Brad Marek battles it out with the game's biggest stars on the Kiawah Island course.
Marek entered weekend play 2-over par and tied for 32nd -- just one of two non-touring pros to make the cut at the major.
"To make the cut on this golf course is pretty much a dream come true," Marek said after Friday's round of play.
The PGA Championship will be televised on KPIX 5 this weekend
Marek runs his own junior golf academy out of Alameda's Corica Park for young players who have aspirations of competing at the collegiate level.
On Friday, he started on the back nine and ended his day by holing a 35-foot birdie putt at No. 9.
"It was getting really dark, and I was just trying to get it out there and just dribble it down the hill so I had a kick-in," he said told Golf Week. "I still can't believe that thing went in."
Even before he teed off, Marek had become the talk of the tourney. He has a rather unique warm-up stretching routine on the range.
Marek played college golf at Indiana and competed professionally for nine years on a variety of smaller tours but never found success on the PGA Tour before deciding to become a teaching pro in the East Bay.
