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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- I did not see a single good shot today. I saw chunks, tops, shanks and a few that were so obscure we haven't even named them yet. I got into golf broadcasting to call the important shots of the best players in the world. Today I did not call a single good one from some of the most mediocre players in the world -- and it was one of the best days that I have ever had on the job.

Jack Lemmon's longtime Pebble Beach connection lives on with actor Peter Gallagher. (WireImage)

The job, this Saturday of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, was to interview celebrities during their rounds. I spoke with guys like Bill Murray, Emmit Smith and Kevin James. The celebs were generally gracious.

You wouldn't think that from among the A-list celebrities I interviewed one of the best golf stories I have ever heard would come from Peter Gallagher. If you can't put a face with the name, I assure you that you would recognize him from at least one of the more than 50 movies in which he has starred.

This story combines a beloved character, an impressive setting and a colorful punch line. I only wish that my telling could do it justice. In Peter's bio provided to the media, it mentions that his first set of golf clubs came from Jack Lemmon. I asked Peter to tell the story today on the air.

Peter met Lemmon years ago in London when they were working on "A Long Days Journey Into Night." When Jack asked Peter if he were a golfer, Peter admitted that he was not. (Peter does a perfect Lemmon impersonation and used it throughout the telling of the story.) Jack offered Peter a set of clubs when they got back to the States. So Peter's first set of clubs were Jack Lemmon customs.

Many years later, Peter was playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Much to Peter's surprise, he and his professional partner were 23 under playing the final hole. Peter realized that he was likely to make the cut and standing behind the 18th green, inside the ropes, was Jack Lemmon. After finishing the home hole Peter walked over to his old friend expecting congratulations. Rather than shake Peter's hand, though, Jack, who never made the cut in the tournament, pointed his index finger at the much larger man and said, "you, you, you're going to make the cut, you (---) hole."

If you have seen "Grumpy Old Men," it is easy to imagine the venerable Mr. Lemmon in such a pose, speaking such words. For years the quest to make the pro-am cut at Pebble Beach was Jack's annual passion. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. With his passing a few years ago so passed the dream.

Saturday at Pebble Beach is one of the most exciting days in all of golf. That one day a year is like no other in sport. The combination of characters, time and place make it one of the most watched days of golf each year on the PGA TOUR. It is a day that lives up to its considerable expectations, and the 2007 edition was no exception.

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