Little went a long way

Reavie, Pedroia showed spunk

By Jim McCabe, Globe Staff  |  August 27, 2008

NORTON - With their job assignments requiring such different schedules, there might not be a chance that Chez Reavie will be able to meet up with old friend Dustin Pedroia, but for a few days this weekend, they will at least be in close proximity.

Reavie, 26, the PGA Tour rookie who broke through with his first win at the Canadian Open last month, fondly recalls his Arizona State days with Pedroia, and he'll tell you that the Red Sox second baseman's passion has always been part of the package.

They worked out together at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Arizona, joined by Andre Ethier of the Dodgers and Travis Buck of the A's, and Reavie said when the football and basketball guys would arrive, Pedroia would get into competitive situations and never back down.

"He's about my size, too," said Reavie, who stands about 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 160 pounds. "I'd say, 'Dustin, easy.' "

Told that the Red Sox would be in town Friday and Saturday nights for games against the White Sox, Reavie seemed interested, but he still hadn't seen the pairings for Friday's first round or Saturday's second.

Reavie is one of those unheralded stories adding spice to the FedEx Cup playoffs. Having earned his first PGA Tour card by virtue of an 18th-place finish on the Nationwide Tour last season, the onetime US Amateur Public Links champion was having a quiet season before the dramatic win up north. He entered the playoffs 35th in the standings, but fell to 60th by missing the cut at last week's Barclays.

A four-bagger

Veteran caddie John "Cubby" Burke will be working the Deutsche Bank Championship with his fourth different player, Parker McLachlin. Previously, he had worked with Brad Faxon, Davis Love, and Brett Quigley . . . Speaking of Quigley, he'll take part this morning in the second Deutsche Bank Partners for Charity event at The Country Club in Brookline, serving as "host" to three area juniors: Ian Thimble of Hyde Park, Mike McGee of West Roxbury, and John Beadle of North Attleboro. LPGA Tour member Candy Hanneman will also be in the field, serving as "host" to Juliet Vongphoumy of Providence, Alison Cowles of East Longmeadow, and 10-year-old Megan Khang of Rockland. Proceeds will benefit the Hyde Park YMCA . . . In yesterday's Red Sox Legends & Friends Pro-Am, Quigley anchored a team that featured Dennis Eckersley, Rick Dery, John Eysie, and Andy Penaskovic that shot net 53 to win. Pat Perez's team included Bruin Marc Savard and finished second, one back.

Long ball

For those who enjoy the thrill of the power game, Pinnacle Distance Team members will be on hand today for a demonstration that will surely provide long-distance wonderment. Veterans Jason Zuback and Eric Lastowka, renowned for their power, will be accompanied by a rising star on their team, former Canadian junior hockey standout Jamie Sadlowski, who recently finished second in the Long Distance Association Tour's final event of the season when three drives that went more than 430 yards were just wide of the grid. There will be a Pinnacle demonstration tent on the property, but team members will also put on a clinic at 2 p.m.

Unplayable guys

Only two winners on this year's PGA Tour schedule won't tee it up at TPC Boston, Tiger Woods (four wins in six starts) being one of them. The other is Greg Kraft, who won the Puerto Rico Open but fell from 103d to 125th in the FedEx Cup standings when he missed the cut at The Barclays . . . Fourteen players are in line to say they've teed it up in all six Deutsche Bank Championships: Steve Stricker (16th in the FedEx Cup standings), Hunter Mahan (25th), Briny Baird (27th), Billy Mayfair (29th), John Senden (41st), Mark Wilson (49th), Jonathan Byrd (57th), Aaron Baddeley (73d), Heath Slocum (79th), Quigley (90th), Tom Pernice Jr. (94th), Tim Petrovic (97th), Tim Herron (99th), and J.J. Henry (110th). Of those, only Baird, Byrd, and Senden have made the cut in the first five . . . Then there's the painful flip side: Quigley has missed the cut in each edition. Twice he's missed by one stroke, twice by two . . . With a more volatile point-distribution system in place, Quigley knows he has an avenue through which he can move into the top 70 and play in next week's playoff, the BMW Championship in St. Louis. Then again, there's another matter to keep tabs of, that being wife Amy. She's due to deliver the couple's second child in eight days.

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com