A ride along with Colonial Country Club matriarch Marty Leonard
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - In a tournament rich with history, there is one person who has seen it all. The matriarch of Colonial Club took us on a ride we will never forget.
The Colonial Country Club legacy is alive and well. As Marty Leonard gazes at a portrait of her father, Marvin, it should be noted that he founded the club in 1936 -- the same year she was born.
It was Marvin's protege Ben Hogan who won the tournament -- that is now known as the Charles Schwab Challenge -- a record five times.
One of Marty's proudest possessions is the last car Hogan drove, a 1989 Cadillac Brougham.
Marty made it clear this isn't her main set of wheels. "I don't drive it otherwise…except for special events like this," she said. ( I love that she considers this interview a special event.)
Marty can remember her dad giving her golf lessons. She can also remember the special bond her father had with Hogan, who wound up being one of the best golfers of all time. She admits, "I can't carry on the legacy, but I can add to it. Because I'm the one that's left in the family."
Thinking back, Marty shared an anecdote of an extremely special moment. "In the first instruction book Hogan did, he gave my father a copy and put an inscription in it," she recalled. "The inscription says 'To Marvin Leonard. The best friend I will ever have. If my father had lived I would have wanted him to be just like you.'"
Marty makes no delusions and says mater-of-factly that Hogan has his own legacy but that "It's been my privilege to help keep it alive. With the sign on the car that says 'Ben Hogan's car'… that gets a lot of attention."
When asked what it's like to drive up to Colonial in the car, Marty responds, "You're driving into history."
The Charles Schwab Challenge is longest consecutive running tournament, to be held at one site, on the PGA tour.
As the event enters its 76th year, Marty looks forward to the drive through Fort Worth to Colonial every May. In her words, "In my stage in life, everything goes pretty fast. So, it comes back around before you know it. Hopefully, I've been able to maintain the history of my father and Hogan… so it's not forgotten."
Pulling up to the golf course, Marty describes her father as a visionary and proudly says, "It's one thing to envision what could be. It's another to make it happen."
Marvin Leonard and Ben Hogan were both driven to succeed and they are both why this tournament is what it is today. The legacy also means Marty will always have a spot right in front.
As we're waved up to the front entrance of the country club, I point out that we got through every check-point without stopping. Marty smiled and said modestly, "It's the car that did it, not me. I'm just driving it."
Marty Leonard bought the car from Ben Hogan's estate for $8,000 and it still has less than 20,000 miles on it. The vehicle remains one of the many treasures that embody the proud history of Colonial Country Club.
