Thompson gives 'Xtra' credit after round
CONCORD -- Rocky Thompson offered a one-man testimonial for Callaway golf balls, Odyssey putters, the new TaylorMade R7 driver, and, most important of all, a wondrous new dietary supplement called "Ageless Xtra" when he met with the media yesterday -- equipped with all the aforementioned props -- after his opening round in the
Given to him by fellow Champions Tour player Gibby Gilbert, Thompson took the berry-flavored supplement before Round 1 and promptly went out and shot a 5-under-par 67, good enough to wind up two shots behind first-round leader Tom Purtzer and in a four-way tie for third with Mike McCullough, Tom Kite, and Walter Hall.
If he was at all skeptical about the effects of "Ageless Xtra" -- which claims to promote vital energy; support memory, mental clarity, and focus; help manage stress; and promote joint comfort and flexibility -- the 64-year-old Thompson was a believer in the stuff by the end of his round, which bettered by two shots his best round of the season (69, in the final rounds of the
"Man, let me tell you, this stuff works!" Thompson said, breathlessly, offering his unpaid and unsolicited endorsement. "It's the first time I've taken this stuff, but it won't be the last."
Certainly not after yesterday.
Thompson, who counted a triumph in the 1991 Digital Seniors Classic at Nashawtuc among his three career wins on the Champions Tour, offset a bogey on No. 7, a 455-yard par 4, with birdies on Nos. 4 (pitching wedge to 10 feet), 6 (pitching wedge, 6 feet), and 9 (layup and pitch to 3 feet) to fashion an outward nine of 34. After a three-putt bogey 5 on No. 12 offset a birdie on No. 10 (driver, 3-wood, pitch to 3 feet), Thompson's magic potion seemed to take effect when he birdied three of his last six holes.
"I know the course and played this tournament for 15 consecutive years," said Thompson, whose memory (or 3.3-ounce dosage of "Ageless") seemed to fail him in this, his 14th appearance at Nashawtuc -- he missed the 1997 event.
One of the more colorful characters on the Champions Tour, Thompson is known to his colleagues as "The Mayor," having held that office for 15 years in his hometown of Toco, Texas. He resigned in 1998, but was named "Mayor Emeritus" by a vote of the Toco City Council. Yesterday, though, Thompson was as animated as ever after becoming the early leader in the clubhouse.
"There are good vibes here, but I actually got the best of five worlds," he said, citing the positive effects of playing with the new Callaway ball, his Odyssey putter, a set of Top-Flite irons given to him by Lee Trevino, the TaylorMade R7 driver. And, of course, "Ageless."
"It just makes you focus," Thompson gushed. "I took it and on the first tee I just felt different. I can't explain why, but I just did."
If Thompson wanted to feel ageless, though, all he needed to do was turn to his caddie/fiancee, Elizabeth Dieringer, 46, of Cedarhurst, N.Y., whom he met in 1999 during a Tour event on Long Island.
"She's my fiancee, she's my caddie, my trainer, my dietitian, and my secretary," Thompson said. "But I only pay her for two of those jobs."
They first met at a pro-am when Dieringer was Thompson's caddie. "Two of the four amateurs in the group hit on her," Thompson said. "At a pro-am the next week, two of the four amateurs hit on her again. Then, at our next pro-am, I introduced her as my fiancee, although she didn't know it at the time, and nobody hit on her."
About six months after they met, Thompson popped the question, on bended knee, during a quiet dinner in Jacksonville, Fla. "When I asked her if she'd marry me, she answered me in a Texas drawl, `Yup,' " Thompson said, smiling at the recollection. "I don't think I was ready for that `yup' stuff. I'll always remember that."
Then there was his memorable round yesterday.
Asked if he could win the tournament, Thompson paused.
"Of course, I can win it," he said, somewhat defiantly. "It's unlikely that I will win it, unless me and `Ageless' keep getting along well."
