Begay surprised by splendid start in AT&T National

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BETHESDA, Md. -- To put it bluntly, Thursday's 67 at Congressional Country Club came as "one hell of a surprise" to Notah Begay III.

After all, AT&T National was only his fourth PGA TOUR event of the season. He's still on the comeback trail, too, after a ruptured disk in his lower back last year left Begay wondering if he'd ever be able to play again.

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Notah Begay III opened the AT&T National with a 3-under 67 on Thursday.

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So to see his name among the first-round leaders at the AT&T National hosted by his good friend and Stanford teammate Tiger Woods was an unexpected bonus. Begay was two strokes off the lead held by his playing partner, Steve Marino, after that opening 67.

"We were kind of feeding off each other," Begay said. "He hit some really nice shots in there. I would follow him up and vice versa. Both Steve and John (Merrick), they are great young players, and it's fun to get to know the young guys,

"Just to see them and how they play, it's encouraging. These guys hit it so far, and I wasn't too far behind them. I didn't feel like the old guy out there."

At 35, Begay is hardly ready for the Champions Tour, and he won't be drawing Social Security checks anytime soon, either. Given his chronic back problems, though, he probably feels that way sometimes.

New trainers, new doctors and a different swing coach put Begay back on the road to recovery. Daily doses of anti-inflammatory drugs and exercise keep him moving forward and "as long as I ... don't get too fat, I'll be okay," Begay said with a grin.

The road back to the PGA TOUR, though, has been more problematic for the four-time champ who lost his exempt status in 2004. When healthy, he's played around the world on the European Tour, Nationwide Tour and various mini-tours, as well as the occasional PGA TOUR event.

So why does Begay do it?

"Mostly just to prove that I can do it, to myself, because aside from winning a major championship and playing on The Ryder Cup, I've achieved a lot in golf as far as collegiately and (the) Walker Cup and winning on the TOUR," he said.

"But playing injured out here is I think better than not playing at all, because so many people dream about being on this TOUR and playing at this level and being at places like Congressional. I think for me to turn my back on that, I don't want to do that, it would be a shame, just out of respect for the game and my talent."

Begay showed signs of his old self when he opened with a 66 two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship. He went on to tie for 62nd, though, so he knows better than to get ahead of himself just because he played well on Thursday.

In fact, Begay, again being perfectly frank, put the odds he'll wind up in q-school next December at 90-95 percent.

"So I need to improve every day," he said. "I need to build my game every week and re-earn my spot. The kids we work with through my foundation, I tell them the world owes you nothing.

"The game of golf doesn't owe me anything and the PGA TOUR doesn't owe me anything. I need to come out here and earn it through my skill. If at some point that skill's not good enough, then I'll find something else to do."

And the introspective Begay, who is half Navajo, one-quarter San Filipe and one-quarter Isleta, has plenty to fall back on if his back flares up again and his TOUR dream ends.

He graduated from Stanford in 1995 with a degree in economics. Begay has started a consulting firm to help Native American tribes develop stronger communities -- whether it's golf course development, health outreach or youth education.

Begay also serves as an ambassador for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, helping to promote the southern California tribe's education initiatives. The Mission Indians are one of two Native American groups who sponsor Begay on TOUR.

In addition, Begay's proud heritage also includes a grandfather who served as a Wind Talker during World War II. These men used the Navajo language to help the Marines in the Pacific theater communicate. The Japanese never broke the code.

So playing at Congressional Country Club on Fourth of July weekend in the veritable shadow of all the monuments in our nation's capital is particularly special for Begay.

"My grandfather served as a code talker which was a very historic episode of our military history and my younger brother served two tours in Iraq," Begay said. "We cannot forget -- especially at this time that we have kids dying every day.

"It's so easy because it's not here. But we have to pay our respects and continue to send out thoughts and prayers to the families and the soldiers."