Golf | "Aquaman" makes a splash

MONTREAL — Even as Woody Austin walked up the 14th fairway at Royal Montreal wearing a diving mask, his family and friends back home in rural Kansas were making "Aquaman" hats for a homecoming like no other.

He will never live this down.

But he has never lived it up quite like this.

Austin was either the toast of the Presidents Cup or the team mascot, but it was all good stuff.

The indelible image of his amazing tournament was Austin trying to hit a shot from the large pond near the 14th fairway Friday, failing miserably, flailing his arms when he lost his balance and eventually plunging face-first into the drink.

Playing on his first national team, it was quite a baptism for Austin.

"I have a feeling that he will be hearing about that for the rest of his life," U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus said.

Maybe the story will be told about what followed, how he birdied the last three holes — three of the toughest on the back nine at Royal Montreal, no less — to earn a halve that was as improbable as the 43-year-old Austin making the Cup team.

Perhaps forgotten was Thursday afternoon, when Austin twice made clutch par putts on the closing holes for another halve against Mike Weir and Vijay Singh that set the tone for later U.S. success.

It is not unusual for someone relatively obscure to make such a splash — sorry, Woody — in these events, whether it was Peter Baker for Europe in the 1993 Ryder Cup or Kirk Triplett, a Pullman High School graduate, for the United States in the 2000 Presidents Cup.

But this was different.

It wasn't several days at Royal Montreal, rather two months that changed his life.

"Woody Austin will have a gallery wherever he goes now," Nicklaus said.

Until two months ago, Austin was the quintessential journeyman. He was 30 when he earned his PGA Tour card as the medalist at qualifying school. He previously toiled on the minitours and in Japan. He also worked as a credit-union teller in his native Tampa, Fla., and took a job stocking drugstore shelves.

His victory at the Buick Open in 1995 was enough for him to beat out David Duval as PGA Tour rookie of the year. He went another nine years before winning again, this time in the Buick Championship. Otherwise, not many knew who he was unless it was for the occasional display of his temper.

There was an incident in Hilton Head, S.C., in 1997 when he got so mad that he smashed his putter against his head in rapid-fire succession until the club broke. Any number of weeks, Austin would carry on loud and spirited conversations with himself about how the cards always seemed to be stacked against him.

Look at him now.

Two months after he shot a 62 to win the Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., Austin made a serious run at the PGA Championship, where he made almost as much news in front of a microphone as he did on the course. He was lampooned for saying he outplayed Tiger Woods the day Woods shot a record-tying 63 (Austin shot a 70). But Austin finished second at Southern Hills, and that was enough for him to earn the 10th and final automatic spot on the Presidents Cup team.

Then came the clutch putts, the comical plunge, the relentless ribbing and the instant celebrity in Montreal.

"He worked so hard to get here. He's worked hard all his life," his wife, Shannon, said as she watched him play his final match. "You dream about moments like this, but when it happens, it just takes your breath away."

Austin said he won't let it get to his head, and he figured the verbal abuse he took from teammates at Royal Montreal surely will keep him grounded.

"I'm the screwball, no matter what," he said.

But he also reflected on the relationships that were built at the Presidents Cup, and that seemed to mean more to him than anything. One week he was another face on the PGA Tour, the next week he was in a circle of friends that included Nicklaus, Woods and Phil Mickelson.

"If it all comes to a close for me at this juncture, I couldn't have asked for a better week," Austin said. "If it continues, I'm going to bust my butt to get into another one, because it's been a blast and a half."

Austin didn't lose until Sunday singles. But by then, he had earned more respect than he ever imagined. Nicklaus put him in the fifth match, privately hopeful Austin would deliver the point that clinched the Presidents Cup.

The PGA Tour is about to air a commercial that congratulates the U.S. team for winning the Presidents Cup 19-½-14-½, and it details a recipe for success that includes sportsmanship, competition, great shots and a splash of Woody.

Two months changed his career, but odds are it won't change Austin.

He leads a simple life in his adopted home of Derby, Kan., where he met his wife. She was a hairstylist whose client was trying to qualify for the Nike Tour event in town, so she went out to watch and was introduced to Austin. They have been together since.

"He always knew he could play the game at this level," she said. "It was just surreal sitting there with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He's never had more fun than he's had this week."

Austin isn't treated like a celebrity at home, not even in their bowling league. Shannon Austin isn't sure how much that will change, although with the "Aquaman" hats, she didn't expect the ribbing to stop when he got home.

"I'm sure they'll have some fun with him," she said.

Do they have a pool?

"No," she said with a smile. "But we have a pond."