Golf column, It’s Saul about belief

Former Los Angeles Ram Rich Saul is fairway walking proof that life

can continue in the world’s trenches even with colon cancer.

Once the captain of a Super Bowl team, Saul was an All-Pro center and

never missed an NFL game during the Rams’ glory years.

Now, after 16 chemotherapy treatments and eight more remaining, Saul,

just like in his football days, is keeping the team loose in the huddle.

“I’m going to beat this,” Saul told the crowd Monday at Santa Ana

Country Club, which hosted the 10th annual Corporate Challenge Cup to

benefit the American Cancer Society, an event featuring several SACC

members as the backbone of the tournament committee.

“This is just a long training camp, and, hey, the Rams are finally

winning (in St. Louis),” added Saul, who greeted every visitor with a

warm smile and handshake, accompanied by his wife, Eileen.

Saul, who reportedly “carried” his team in Monday’s scramble, easily

maintains a sense of humor during his bout with colon cancer.

“Hey, it’s not like there’s Mark McGwire and a Louisville Slugger and

a jar of Vaseline -- it’s not that bad,” added Saul, who brought down the

house with that comment, changing what had been a relatively solemn

moment.

Saul, who has been involved with the American Cancer Society for eight

years, was hit by a cruel twist of fate earlier this year when he was

diagnosed with cancer. Even before his shocking news, Saul promoted its

golf tournament and helped the Orange County Chapter steadily increase

its net receipts.

Last year, according to tournament chairman Chris Massey (SACC), the

event raised $82,000, after $3,000 in the first year. This year, the

Massey-Saul team is hoping to achieve the golden $100,000 mark.

“They’re the ones (making it happen),” Saul said, referring to Massey

and other SACC supporters, such as Boyd Martin, president of the club’s

Board of Directors and a six-time men’s club champion.

For Saul, it all started during a conversation with Massey on a cell

phone eight years ago.

“When it’s all said and done, it doesn’t matter how many Pro Bowls you

played in or if you won Rookie of the Year, but it’s about what you did

to try to make a difference, to reach out and touch someone -- and who

knows how many lives you might turn,” Saul said.

Massey, chairman and CEO of EPS Solutions, one of the event’s

presenting sponsors with Pacific Life, said the response from supporters

of the Corporate Challenge Cup has been incredible.

“People have said, ‘Hey, here’s the money,’ and they just show up,”

said Massey, whose committee includes longtime members Dave Horowitz,

Gordie McKenzie, Ron Chamberlin, Glen Schafer, Van Holland and Dana

Dowers.

Massey said the event is the oldest continuous charity golf tournament

at SACC, which limits its outside events to eight per year.

The inaugural USC Keck School of Medicine Golf Classic last week at

Pelican Hill Golf Club raised over $140,000 for the funding of

scholarships to the school, tournament chairman Paul Bartelt said

Wednesday.

The event, which featured an amazing list of auction items that

included a visit to the set of Baywatch Hawaii and a stay at the Hilton

Hawaiian Village, had several winners in the gross and net categories.

But the Putting Contest at the 19th hole provided as many thrills as the

team scramble.

Sam Olmstead of Balboa Island, in an effort to win $10,000 on a

50-foot putt indoors at Pelican Hill, missed the prize by less than an

inch. The roar of the crowd, and subsequent cry after the close miss,

sounded like the shot was to determine the Masters champion. (Half of the

$10,000 would have gone to the school, and half to Olmstead.)

Big Canyon Country Club members Gavin Herbert and Ron Lane were the

tournament honorees, while Barbara Kenady, Steve Kwong, Bob McClellan,

Betty Mower and former USC quarterback Paul McDonald served on the golf

committee.

This year, according to Herbert’s son, Gavin, the USC Keck School of

Medicine received 6,000 applications for 150 spots.

On the golf course Sept. 29, Jake Caneli of Newport Beach was part of

the winning team.

“We’re looking forward to making this an annual event, and we’re going

to start planning for next year’s event next week,” said Bartelt, who

also represents Kollstar Golf Company in Newport Beach.

The Member/Member Championship at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club is

Saturday and Sunday and will be played on both the Mesa Linda and Los

Lagos courses, tournament chairman Mark Kilgore said.

On Saturday, competitors will play 18 holes of best-ball golf on Mesa

Linda, then play Los Lagos the second day, in which the first nine holes

are best ball and the back nine are both balls. Entry fees are $155.

Details: (714) 557-0564.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.