Keith Clearwater is in a battle for his professional golf life.
He seeks a comeback, a return of his game, the jump-start to his career. He's in his mid-40s, a time he should be chomping down flagsticks and chasing Tiger Woods with Vijay, Phil and the rest of the boys. But the past seven years, the former BYU All-American who tore it up in the 1993 Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, has been on another mission.
Keith, you see, tried to save his mom and dad from the grips of alcoholism, a battle now over because both are dead. His wife, Sue, almost died from viral pneumonia in that span of time. But now Clearwater has his game face on and he's trying his best to get back on the fast track — whatever it takes.
That is why it was so refreshing to hear Clearwater speak about his golf game at the Provo Open this past week at East Bay. He played the 54 holes in an unspectacular two-over par. But he knew it would be so because he respects the game so much. He had no touch with his putter and he couldn't score.
"I've got a lot of barnacles that need to be taken off," Clearwater said. He spoke specifically about his flat iron. But he also meant his overall game that's collected dust except for an occasional venture to Europe with Billy Casper or appearances on the Nationwide Tour.
Clearwater knows the toughest golf work of his life is ahead of him. But because he's a competitor, he couldn't help but state his goal: "I will play in the Masters."
A reporter chuckled at the declaration.
"Don't laugh, I'm serious," Clearwater said.
So, why the Provo Open?
Clearwater kept it simple. "It's great to put yourself in a position to have to focus. Your pride is at stake. I can learn 10 times more on what I need to work on in competition than weeks of practice rounds."
What keeps Clearwater going is faith in himself and his game, a talent he believes can get his body to do things many others cannot. Like set a nine-hole record at the Colonial for nine holes with a 28 — the 61 he posted at the Colonial playing with Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson. And his same-day pair of 64s at Colonial Country Club in 1987. Folks around Hogan's Alley know Clearwater.
Clearwater's detour took place in the mid-'90s when his parents, Chuck and Ann, became alcoholics. Their addiction sucked away their lives and their ability to care for themselves, to get up in the morning, to even take showers or function. Keith took his parents in, made up part of his house for them and, as he admits, partially enabled them to keep up the self-destructive behavior.
Keith praises the two for the job they did as parents, but in the twilight of their lives, they slipped and became the children that needed tending. This went on until one day Sue had enough. She told Chuck he would not take another drink in their house and he would get up and take care of himself. This led to AA meetings and a cure.
Sadly, Keith's mom died of cancer and his father also passed away this past year.
Clearwater, who tried to play in the Colonial this past month as a past champion, kept his family challenges away from the press since he shelved his golf game in 2001.
In Texas, he told the Fort Worth Telegram: "When I've told people — and I don't feel guilty about it — I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. I feel he's in a better place and he's not hurting. And, as far as I'm concerned, there's a certain freedom there that allows me to work. I love working at it and I'm just having a blast enjoying the freedom I haven't had for so long."
When Sue got ill, Clearwater was in the middle of a qualifying round for the U.S. Open in 2001. He had just finished Tour Qualifying School and earned back his playing card. But the call came and he withdrew to care for his wife, a recovery that took almost two months.
Clearwater's appearance at the Provo Open was a cameo. He needed to test the waters and see where he stood. Now he knows.
While Clearwater can get what he needs from Callaway, he doesn't have a sponsorship contract. He's going to have to beg for exemptions, play some nationwide events and likely return to Q-School to get his card back.
But he's game.
"I need to play when it matters, when it counts," Clearwater told Utah reporters. "I've got a lot of work to do. Right now I am not prepared. I three-putted three or four times (in the first round)."
This past Monday he was in Westchester, N.Y., for the Barclays Classic, chasing a sponsor, whatever it took.
"I feel like a baseball player who is on the injured reserve list. I need to get back on the roster."
It's refreshing to hear Clearwater speak so candidly about his game, his goals and his career.
In Keith's mind, the turbulent water he's testing has never been more clear.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com