26 weeks ago, I asked “Who will be the Winter Classic Champion?” In seven days, we will have the answer to that question.​

I was glad that I had a chance to play a practice round at Veterans with the same format that we will have next week.

We had a 9am shot gun tee time, the same tee time we will have for the Classic. It was SLOW… We did not finish until 2pm. And the weather… it was cold, then warm, then windy and cold, then warm and then chilly again. I had 2 birdies, 4 pars to go with three 8s and a 12. I finished with a 104. Like the weather, I was hot and cold too.

This is where we separate the MEN from the BOYS.

This is for all of the marbles. This is where the only thing that matters is the win. Nothing else matters, not how many wins you may have had or how many Majors you won.

This is going to be about perseverance.

Not only do you have to play 2 rounds but you will also have to be mentally strong.

If you have a bad drive, shake it off, a bad putt, you’ll get another chance, a bad hole, move on to the next one.

Only the golfer who can ignore the weather, embrace the long day and disregard the bad shot or bad hole can be victorious.

And in the end...

Is there greatness in you?