Pavin and Peyton tee it up at Niswonger Golf Classic

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – Peyton Manning isn’t used to being stuck on the “B” team.

But Monday morning at The Ridges Golf and Country Club, his good-natured indignation wasn’t directed toward his own inclusion in the foursome that was forced to tee off second on hole No. 1 at the Niswonger Golf Classic.

“I guarantee Corey Pavin’s never been ‘B’ in anything,” said the NFL’s only four-time MVP about his playing partner, the 2010 Ryder Cup captain.

While it’s tough in Northeast Tennessee to eclipse Manning, the former Tennessee Volunteer and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback, it was the 50-year-old Pavin, fresh off nearly becoming one of the oldest winners in PGA Tour history Sunday at the Travelers Championship before falling to Bubba Watson in a playoff, who had the rapt attention of his fellow tournament players – including Manning – on the driving range.

Pavin led a brief, impromptu golf clinic before the start of the 19th annual tournament to raise money for the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, thrilling onlookers as he dished out morsels of golfing wisdom while demonstrating the smooth swing that led him to the 1995 U.S. Open title.

“The biggest thing for me is my rhythm,” said Pavin, famous for his success despite a 5-foot-9 frame that made Manning look like a brutish defensive end in comparison as the two warmed up side-by-side before Manning faded into the crowd to observe Pavin’s lesson.

As he pounded home the point of tempo over raw power, Pavin also showed off how to put spin on the ball and how he alters his stance to alter the flight of the ball in the air, struggling only when he tried to intentionally flub a shot only to send another driving range ball on a gorgeous arc across the sky.

“I can top one for you if you want,” Pavin said to a chorus of chuckles.

For the record, Manning and Pavin’s inclusion on the “1B” team along with Johnson City orthopedic doctor A.R. Rhea and tournament founder and local philanthropist Scott Niswonger was an arbitrary slot in the shotgun start – even as Manning seized upon it as motivation to best the “1A” team led by Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, another former UT star on hand to help raise money for the children’s hospital.

Despite showing off his legendary competitiveness, Manning was more than willing to cede the spotlight to the golf pro.

“Corey Pavin’s here so I think that’s who people need to expect something from,” Manning said. “I’m here to have some fun.”

Manning did just that on the opening tee box, high-fiving Rhea after his drive, giving Rhea’s son a pat on the head and offering Pavin a fist bump.

“Come on, pro, good shot,” Manning said as he and Pavin got into their carts for the rest of their round.

While Manning and Pavin shared the spotlight Monday, it was UT men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl who stole the show a night earlier at an auction to raise additional funds in conjunction with the golf tournament.

“I think Bruce Pearl missed his calling,” Manning said. “I think he should have been an auctioneer.”

Two packages that included dinner with Pearl, tickets behind the Vols bench for a 2010-11 basketball game and a Pearl-signed basketball went for $15,000 and $10,000, helping make the 2010 event the most successful ever, according to James Watson, the Mountain States Health Alliance communications and public relations corporate director.

“He would grab the mike from the [auctioneer] and start pumping up the crowd,” Watson said about Pearl. “It was like a UT game. He is really, really emotional about this.”

Between the auction and the golf tournament, Watson said the children’s hospital could expect to receive a $200,000 boost to its budget, topping last year’s record haul of $130,000.

Along with Manning, Witten and Pearl, former Tennessee football coach Phil Fulmer was also on hand for Monday’s tournament, making the golf tournament a veritable Vol reunion.

Pearl said he’ll never forget Fulmer taking him under his wing when he arrived at UT in 2005 – or an unexpected phone call from Manning.

“When I first became coach, Peyton Manning called me and I got a cell phone call ... ‘Hey Coach Pearl, this is Peyton,’ ” Pearl said. “I’m like yeah, right – you don’t even want to hear the language I used – he said, ‘I just want to introduce myself. You’re my basketball coach now.’ ”

That bond between the various UT athletic programs continues, Pearl said, and is strengthened when Vols past and present get a chance to gather for a good cause as they did at the Niswonger Golf Classic.

“It is very much a family atmosphere,” Pearl said. “The relationships are real.”

Despite the upheaval in the Vols football program in recent years, Manning said the relationships between former UT football players remain strong as well.
“There certainly has been change in the past couple years,” Manning said. “With change comes some transition so it’s been kind of unique for everyone. I do feel the players in the NFL that played at Tennessee still have that kind of common bond.”

And despite exhibiting just the opposite on the first tee box, Manning urged Vols fans to give new coach Derek Dooley a fair shot at turning the UT program back into an SEC powerhouse.

“You have to be a little bit patient,” he said.

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