Now that his first PGA tournament is over, East Moline native Zack Vervaecke hopes to play in another. The golf pro and general manager of a club in Florida did not make the cut at the John Deere Classic, finishing at five over par over two rounds.
Vervaecke says as a kid he watched the tournament at Oakwood Country Club and always wanted to a chance to play in it. Now he's 37, and says it was worth the wait.
The 1996 United Township graduate grew up playing public golf courses in the Quad Cities. And this experience has confirmed the advice Vervaecke has been giving golfers for years: Putting is the key.
Yesterday and today, fans wearing pink T-shirts followed Vervaecke around the course. The pink stands for his reaction to winning last year's Iowa PGA Section championship, when the 1996 United Township graduate said he was "tickled pink."