Insider: Halloween 2010 put Spittle in a comfort zone

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Last year's win at the AT&T Championship meant job security for Rod Spittle, and he's making the most of it now.

By the time Rod Spittle got to San Antonio last year for the AT&T Championship -- the final full-field event of 2010 -- he had pretty much made up his mind.

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Once it was over, Spittle was headed to q-school for one last, defining shot at the Champions Tour.

"If I didn't get a card, it's more than likely I would have done something else," Spittle said.

On Oct. 31, 2010 -- Halloween -- "something else" took on an entirely new and different meaning for Spittle. It didn't mean q-school. It didn't mean waving farewell to the Champions Tour.

Suddenly, it meant playing a lot more golf on the Champions Tour.

Out of nowhere and down to what well might have been his last tournament, his last round, his final swing, Spittle won the AT&T Championship in a playoff against Jeff Sluman.

And it's where Spittle's life changed.

"The first couple of years it was a little intimidating," Spittle said of the Champions Tour experience. "All of those freshman jitters have gone away. The success in San Antonio was a huge boost, a huge shot in the arm. The guys have been great and gracious ... we feel much more a part of this than when we started four, five years ago."

The sentiment manifested itself in San Antonio when Spittle twice stood on the 18th tee on Sunday. The scenario was strangely familiar. There were no ghosts, goblins or shadows.

"This is going to sound corny but I had rehearsed Sunday for a long time," he said. "Hoping that we would have the chance to get there. To stay quiet, to stay calm, to stay in the moment.

"Once we got to the playoff, the two players were on completely opposite ends of the scales."

It was David vs. Goliath, and it was the first time Sluman had ever been depicted as Goliath despite his credentials as a major champion.

"I knew going into Sunday afternoon, if we had to chance to win, we had to win," Spittle said. "Fortunately we made some birdies coming down the stretch. We were able to stand up on 18 twice, didn't fall down, got it done."

It earned a one-year exemption for 2011 on the Champions Tour and, so far, Spittle isn't wasting the opportunity. He started the campaign by finishing in a tie for 16th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii. Last week, he tied for second at the Allianz Championship, one stroke behind Tom Lehman.

Ironically, it was Sluman who shared second place with Spittle at Allilanz but that's how it usually happens in sports. There is a certain symmetry to wins and losses, an inescapable element of fate and, yes, an inevitability to it all.

"Gosh, wish I had a unique answer," Spittle said of his success. "I guess it's timing, hard work and being patient. To say it's been an amazing two or three months -- it's just very nice."

And now?

"It's just exciting to come and play," he said.

Spittle had Monday qualifying status for three years. It's a difficult challenge but Spittle would never complain. He made the most of it because, as he explained, it was the only avenue open to him. It allowed him to play 25 or 30 times, make a little bit of money and continue on the quest to earn a regular place on the Champions Tour.

"Quite honestly, I don't think my game has dramatically improved," Spittle said. "The Monday routine is great competition. It was the only way I had the chance to learn how to get better and play better.

"The first goal has been accomplished -- to be able to play on a regular basis. We have to work very hard to stay here, to stay at this level. I always thought I could play and win. I was very blessed growing up as a kid, going to Ohio State, getting great experience, winning amateur titles."

A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Spittle enjoyed exceptional collegiate (he played at Ohio State along with John Cook and Joey Sindelar and was the Buckeyes' captain) and amateur careers. Afterwards, he opted for a career in business as a successful insurance and marketing executive in Dublin, Ohio.

But there was no delete button to his professional golf aspiration. It was always there, lurking.

Spittle, 55, started thinking more seriously about professional golf 10 years earlier. In 2007, he got into 13 Champions Tour events as a Monday qualifier, tied for second at Rock Barn (with Jay Haas) and earned $325,000. He played in nine tournaments in 2008, none in 2009 and five last year.

And now the challenge for Spittle is to be ready to play a lot of golf, something he hasn't done in a long time. What he's got going for him in that regard is a heightened comfort zone.

"It's very cool, rewarding and gratifying," he said. "We've done it enough now to be pretty comfortable. I get to play 25 times this year and already I'm having a blast."

Champions Tour Insider Vartan Kupelian is a freelance contributor for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.