Edmond resident Mayberry plays hole with Tiger Woods
Edmond resident Mayberry plays hole with Tiger Woods

By John Rohde Comments 0
Published: September 23, 2007

Edmond resident Myron Mayberry didn't know it at the time, but that odd-colored golf ball he foolishly used last July was his chance to play golf with Tiger Woods.

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Myron Mayberry

Mayberry had just hit a shot into a water hazard at Earlywine when he reached into his sleeve of Nike golf balls and pulled out a magic pellet.

The shiny silver ball cleared the hazard, survived the round and was returned safely into Mayberry's golf bag, coated in mud.

"I'm not a very good golfer, so I don't usually go out and spend $40 on a dozen balls,” Mayberry said.

It wasn't until Mayberry went to Golf Galaxy in Oklahoma City to purchase more golf balls when he first learned of the "Tee It Up With Tiger Woods” sweepstakes promotion sponsored by Nike Golf and Golf Digest.

Nike randomly distributed 1,000 promotional colored balls inside boxes of Nike ONE Platinum and Black.

Those in possession of a ball were eligible to register for the grand prize: one hole of golf with Woods, plus two nights stay at the Ginn Reunion Resort in Orlando.

Mayberry registered and wound up as one of the 23 grand-prize winners.

Had Mayberry lost his ball, he would not have been eligible to register.

The 37-year-old Mayberry is the older brother of Oklahoman sports writer Darnell Mayberry.

"When I told my brother about it, he called me an idiot for playing the ball,” Myron Mayberry said.

The trip transpired last Tuesday through Thursday.

Prize winners played a round of golf, and Woods played the 210-yard, par-3 second hole with each group.

Mayberry, who started playing golf 21 months ago, was given a 22 handicap for the event.

With Woods looking on, Mayberry hit his tee shot roughly 30 yards right of the pin, over a bunker and beneath a tree.

Mayberry calmly flopped his chip shot over the bunker, and the ball finished 10 feet from the hole.

Woods said to Mayberry, "Hey, great shot, dude.”

Mayberry asked Woods, "Is that just part of your contract? You supposed to say that?”

Woods replied, "No. If it's a crappy shot, I'll tell you.”

Woods hit his tee shot 7 feet from the hole and missed his birdie putt. Mayberry wound up with a 4.

"Tiger made par, and I made bogey. I have no complaints,” said Mayberry, who runs Effective Transitions Incorporated (ETI), a gang intervention project and behavior health clinic for at-risk youths.

Woods spent roughly nine hours with the contestants, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., before ducking out before a dinner reception.

He posed for pictures, shook hands, chatted for 90 minutes and presented each winner with an autographed flag.

"He's a laid-back cat. He really was cool,” Mayberry said of the 31-year-old Woods, who has won 13 majors and 61 PGA Tour events. "The best part of it was he took all that time to speak with us.

"He told us he doesn't play for the records, that the money — at this point — is a non-issue. He said he goes out there to kick their butt. He wants to be better tomorrow than he is today. He said, ‘Every record will come that's supposed to be mine.' ”