After pro golf odyssey, Gunn Yang readjusting to life as college player

When the former U.S. Amateur champion was finished with a fantastical but thoroughly grinding year that took him around the world to play in professional golf tournaments, he had a big decision to make: return to San Diego State, where a full-ride scholarship awaited, or go all in as a pro.

 

What gives Yang chills is that his Korean parents don't speak English, and his San Diego-based instructor, Glen Daugherty, doesn't speak Korean, but they used almost the exact same words to advise him.

 

"Your education is important. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. Give your golf game time to mature."

 

"I always listen to my parents, but I don't always follow what they tell me to do," Yang said, but on this one he could not argue.

 

SDSU head coach Ryan Donovan wondered all summer if Yang would be back, and he finally got the word just a couple of weeks before school started. Yes, Yang had decided to return as a 22-year-old junior after getting a taste of the perks and the grind of PGA Tour golf.

 

In an extraordinary run afforded him as the U.S. Amateur champ, Yang played in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open and received exemptions into five other PGA Tour events and a handful of touranments in Asia and Australia.

 

He met Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, played alongside some of the tour's current big stars, and got friendly with players such as Tony Finau and Kevin Na.

 

Yang also was wholly humbled by the experience. He made only one pro cut – at Colonial, where he tied for 65th – and shot as many rounds in the 80s – two – as he did in the 60s.

 

"Nobody gets to have that experience except the U.S. Amateur champion, and I was the lucky one to do it last year," Yang said. "I felt really fortunate to be able to do it."

 

After months of traveling and practicing, mostly alone, it's been a surreal transition for Yang back to college campus life. He's got four classes and has been busy working his way back into the Aztecs team, for which he had only played sparingly before winning the U.S. Amateur in August 2014.

 

Before the Am win, Yang had his 25-percent scholarship taken away by Donovan because he had not earned playing time. Then the two had a heated discussion after the Amateur when Yang decided to take leave from the team to play on pro exemptions. Donovan later apologized to Yang and offered him a full-ride if he returned this fall.

 

Through all of his experiences in the pro events, Yang donned his SDSU-logoed gear.

 

"Honestly, it's been all positive for us," Donovan said. "He's got the knowledge from what he learned last year, and he's sharing stories with the guys. It's been pretty cool to see.

 

"He's been great with the team. Our first tournament he was asking every couple holes where everyone was at. It's kind of fun to hear, because that's important to us. He's intense; he's all in."

 

Yang was in the starting lineup for the Aztecs' first four tournaments, notching a 72.0 scoring average in 12 rounds. The team's top scorer is Italian junior Ricardo Michelini (70.50). Yang had two top-10 finishes, including a tie for eighth in last week's UCLA-hosted Gifford Collegiate at La Costa.

 

"I'm starting to get the sense of how I need to react and get along with my teammates," Yang said.

 

Yang admits he arrived back at SDSU completely burned out from a schedule that gave him no more than a handful of days off over the year. He is a player who works harder on the range than most and puts tremendous pressure on himself. That played out poorly at times when he wasn't getting the results he thought he should on the tour.

 

"I overdid it," he said. "My expectations were too high for where my game was."

 

He's trying to change that now.

 

"I'm back in college golf," Yang said. "Everybody is good out here too. I'm trying to play my best, but I'm not trying to do anything spectacular."

 

Not grinding as much has its rewards. Following his first day off in a while and with no pressure, Yang played Friday in an SDSU fundraiser at San Diego Country Club and shot 7 under par. The cause-effect wasn't lost on Yang.

 

"I've been putting too much stress on myself," he said. "I'm trying to take it easy, focus on school work, and do the normal things most college kids do – enjoy life."

 

This article was written by Tod Leonard from The San Diego Union-Tribune and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Know Your Oosthuizen!

The folks at Golf Digest decided to take their new “intern” out on the streets to play a game called “Name That Golfer.”

Stopping random couples on the street, the host and intern showed them pictures of Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Arnold Palmer, and Louis Oosthuizen.

All of the “contestants” were able to guess Woods, one was able to name Sergio, one guy called Arnie “Tom Collins,” and zero people recognized Louis.  Nothing really too surprising.  The South African is by no means a household name here in the United States.

However, not a single coupled realized the guy in the picture was the same guy holding said picture.  One guy actually pats him on the back and tells him “good job” when Louis, “the intern,” was able to properly pronounce his own last name!

About Kris McEwen

Kris became obsessed with the game of golf after deciding to finally hang up his baseball cleats about four years ago. Still learning the game, he’s leaned on much of the on-line golf community for help and loves to return the favor whenever possible.

A contributor to several golf sites in the past, Kris writes from the perspective of your average golfer. One who has a passion for the game, but also has the typical restrictions of life and budget.

Arnold Palmer sends heartfelt letter to NBC announcer battling cancer

NBC and Golf Channel’s Mark Rolfing announced earlier this monththat he was battling a rare form of salivary gland cancer and would start treatment immediately.

(Via MerlinFTP Drop)

His goal is to be back commentating by early next year, and he said that all the support he’s been receiving is helping him stay positive. One of the biggest boosts he got was in the form of a letter from Arnold Palmer, according to Ed Sherman:

“It’s a wonderful thing,” Rolfing said. “They’ve given me a reason to fight hard. I just don’t want to let them down.”

One correspondence stood out, and it came in the form of an old-fashioned letter.

“I got a letter from Arnold Palmer the other day,” Rolfing said. “I opened it and there were tears streaming down my face. It made me realize how lucky I am and what the game has done for me. A letter from Arnold Palmer in regular mail. It was typical Arnold. I’ve had a lot of support, but that one stands out.”

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport gets no-contact scanners

LATROBE, Pa. — 

Western Pennsylvania's Arnold Palmer Regional Airport now features a scanner that conducts full-body searches of passengers without physical contact.

More than 750 of the scanners, which use millimeter-wave technology, are utilized at 150 airports across the country. The Latrobe airport was provided the machine by the federal Transportation Safety Administration.

Executive Director Gabe Monzo tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the machine will increase the airport's efficiency by making it quicker to process passengers and their baggage.

Monzo says the scanner gives the airport flexibility if it is ever expanded.

Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials say board members have been discussing a 20-year plan that includes a $7 million expansion of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to add two more gates to the terminal.

Arnold Palmer’s name pulled for $973 Friday raffle at Latrobe Elks

Arnold Palmer doesn’t need any more money, but he could have added to the tally on Friday night in his hometown of Latrobe, Pa.

Palmer is a member of the Latrobe Elks, which has an 18-hole golf course on the property, and, each day, the club conducts a daily raffle drawing for a jackpot. Any of the over 800 members can come into the clubhouse bar and sign up for $1. Then, at 8:30 p.m. each night, three numbers are drawn from three separate containers and, combined, form the three-digit number of the winning member. If that person signed up that day, then they win the jackpot.

On Friday night, Palmer’s number came up. However, the King didn’t sign up that day — he’s not typically at the club — so he didn’t wind up winning the jackpot.

Better luck next time?

Champions Tour playoff event coming to Country Club of Virginia in 2016

Head or heart? PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem didn’t have to choose. Both were delivering the same message.

The Country Club of Virginia and the PGA’s Champions Tour will today announce a four-year agreement that will bring a Champions tournament to CCV’s James River Course beginning next year. The inaugural Dominion Charity Classic will be played Nov. 4-6, 2016, and will occupy a prime position on the Champions Tour’s Schwab Cup postseason playoff schedule.

“Let me say this,” said Finchem, a 1969 University of Richmond graduate and current UR board member. “The fact that I used to caddie (at the James River Course) and the fact that I used to sneak onto (CCV’s) Westhampton Course to play had nothing to do” with the selection of the tournament site.

The decision, he said, was rooted in analytics, not emotion.

Finchem said the Champions Tour’s decision to implement a FedEx Cup-style playoff in 2016 created a need for new venues offering agreeable October/November weather. He said CCV and the James River Course best satisfied a list of venue criteria. Among the requirements: accessibility, marketability, suitable-for-television panoramas and strength of club membership in the community.

He called the combination of event, venue and title sponsor — Dominion Resources, Inc. — “quite compelling.”

The Dominion Charity Classic will offer a $2 million purse to an elite field of 54 players. The 54-hole, no-cut tournament will be the final playoff tournament before the season-ending Schwab Cup Championship. Richmond results could have much to say about the makeup of the Schwab Cup Championship field.

The Champions Tour provides a top-drawer competitive environment for professional players 50 and older. Its popularity has surged since it was founded in 1980 as the PGA Senior Tour. In its first season, the tour offered four events with purses of $475,000. Today it offers 24 events with purses of more than $51 million.

Champions Tour event rosters are dotted with recognizable names. This week’s list of money leaders includes No. 1 Jeff Maggert, No. 2 Colin Montgomerie and No. 3 Bernhard Langer.

“I think people are going to see a great show,” said Bobby Wadkins, a native Richmonder whose professional résumé includes four Champions Tour victories. The James River Course “isn’t overly long by today’s standards,” Wadkins said. That being so, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see somebody” — he mentioned Langer and Fred Couples — “shoot 64 or 65.”

Today’s announcement will return Richmond to the professional golf map after a one-year absence. The Eagle Classic, a women’s Symetra Tour event, was held at Richmond Country Club from 2008 to 2014.

A men’s developmental tour tournament was held at the Dominion Club and Stonehenge Golf and Country Club under several names — most recently the Henrico County Open — from 1993 to 2008.

Richmond’s relationship with the 50-and-over tour is substantial. A Senior Tour event was held at Hermitage Country Club from 1983 to 1990, first as the United Virginia Bank Seniors and subsequently as the Crestar Classic. Chi Chi Rodriguez won twice at Hermitage. Arnold Palmer captured his last professional victory at the 1988 Crestar Classic.

“I’m just tickled pink about this,” Wadkins said. “It’s long overdue.”

Finchem said he knows from experience that the Richmond community’s affection for golf “is second to none.” He said he has “no doubt the Dominion Charity Classic will become one of the finest events of the Champions Tour season.”

Wadkins agreed.

“Think of all the people who play on all of the courses in the (Richmond) area,” he said. “If just the people who play around here come out — and that’s not counting the rest of the state — I think we’ll have a great turnout.”

Finchem said several local candidates — “at least 3-4” — were evaluated as potential tournament sites. One, Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, played host in February to a reception that included Finchem and Champions Tour president Greg McLaughlin.

Dominion, at that point, had not come aboard. Finchem said Dominion “is very happy” with the selection of the James River Course as the tournament venue.

Independence president and co-owner Giff Breed called the unveiling of the Dominion Charity Classic “incredibly exciting” and “a great opportunity” for the Richmond golf community.”

Michael Jordan makes more in retirement than most athletes do at top of game

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s still really good to be “like Mike.”

Basketball great Michael Jordan makes more money in retirement than most professional athletes do when they’re at the top of their game.

New court documents provide a detailed look at just how much the basketball superstar earns from endorsements long after his playing career has ended.

They were released as part of a suit Jordan has brought against Safeway, which alleges that one of its former grocery stores, Dominick’s Finer Foods, used his likeness without permission. Jordan, 52, is seeking over $10 million from the now defunct company, and the details about his existing endorsements were revealed to support the claim that his image is in fact that valuable.

The specifics of Jordan’s sponsorship deals clearly demonstrate just how valuable Jordan’s image is, according to sports marketing expert Bob Dorfman.

Some companies behind these endorsements fought to keep the details of their agreements private, but federal judge John Blakey ruled that the information had to be disclosed to the public in an order signed Thursday.

Jordan’s most lucrative deal is with Nike, which has paid out over $473 million dollars over the course of the contract, which he’s had since 1993. A 1991 deal with Gatorade that’s still in effect today is valued at $18 million and a deal he’s had with Hanes since 1992 has netted him over $14 million. The sports memorabilia outfit Upper Deck paid Jordan over $13 million from 2000-2014, while video game outfit 2K Sports has had two separate contracts with the superstar for a total of roughly $2.5 million.

Hanes confirmed how much Jordan’s contract is worth, but refused to comment further.

Gatorade told CNNMoney that the company does “not comment on pending legal matters.” Nike, Upper Deck and 2K Sports did not respond to requests for comment.

Jordan, who retired for the second time in 2003, took the notion of athletic sponsorships to an entirely different level, making himself one of the biggest name brands in sports history.

“He’s an example for other athletes who are focused on creating their personal ‘brand,'” Dorfman said.

This sentiment was echoed by Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp.

“Jordan is very strategic about the deals he makes,” Ganis said. “His image is guarded zealously and he only makes long-term deals for big money that convey a positive image of the Michael Jordan brand.”

Ganis praised Jordan’s savvy ability to cultivate his image and extend his worth long after his career, likening it to that of Arnold Palmer.

“His brand will probably continue to be valuable even when he’s no longer alive.”

John McHenry: McIlroy, Spieth fill the void as Tiger’s star on the wane

Great athletes are a curious breed. For those who don’t know them in many circumstances, they appear single-minded, aloof and even obnoxious.

The world of professional golf is no different. Names like Faldo, Montgomerie and Woods are as famous for their brash demeanour as they are for their great golfing skills.

Their skills have earned them wealth beyond belief but more and more in today’s world of intrusion, especially with social media we want more. We want them to be nice people too, people who conform to our everyday standards. Sometimes, that is just not possible.

The revelation of Tiger Woods’ off-the-course activities is a case in point, but does that make his golfing achievements any less impressive?

After all, he was feted as a genius in 2008 when he won his last major championship, long before his spectacular fall from grace, so why should his achievements be viewed any differently now? Sure he lived a strange life but many of the greatest sportmen that I have ever met are weird. They are not my cup of tea but that doesn’t stop me marvelling at their achievements.

This past week, I have been reading and listening with fascination to the shenanegans with the GAA and how a Tyrone player’s actions have supposedly brought the organisation into disrepute. What a load of rubbish. Sportsmen and women in every code will take every opportunity to get one up on their opponent.

Great athletes and great teams will always find a way to win. Sure it might be unconventional, but every new achievement or record is also unconventional because it has never been done before.

Just look at how much Jack Nicklaus was hated early in his career when he threatened the dominance of Arnold Palmer. Times change and the emergence of new talent or new ideas are often unpopular but most often change brings about a higher standard from those who have learned best and who have the bravery to push on regardless of opinion.

Great coaches, great teams and great players find a way to succeed. They are not bound by the limitations of the majority, they are the dreamers (AP McCoy, Schumacher, Messi, Bolt, Nicklaus) who have no boundaries. Driven and determined their minds can only cope with success.

Failure is not an option, yet they inherently understand that sporting records come and go and all they want is to be major contributors to their time.

More and more it seems today as if Woods’ days of being a perennial winner of tournaments and major championships are over. In his prime, I have never come across a more complete competitor. Much like Michael Jordan before him, he dominated and retired many greats around him and his longevity, skill and tenacity mark him as one of the greatest sporstman of all time.

Yes, his off-course actions tarnished the integrity of the game of golf but it is sad to see that the greatest impact of his actions have been to himself and I hope he soon finds the motivation he now needs to move forward again.

Like any dominant force, from Jordan to Woods, people get bored of greatness. They want a fresh face and how lucky golf is at the moment to have McIlroy and Spieth Spieth’s performance yesterday was hugely impressive in that he buried emphatically any “intimidation factor” he may have felt playing with McIlroy.

This was a big moment in the tournament because McIlroy’s rustiness hurt while Spieth’s innate confidence shone for all to see. Like all great champions he has found a way to get into the tournament and at five under par he has now laid down a marker to the rest of the field that he will be a factor over the coming days.

Dustin Johnson and others of course will want to have their own say and so too will McIlroy but once again Rory’s second successive 71 risks him falling too far behind a pack that will not come back to him.

Once again it has been emphatically proven that their is no substitute for competition. No matter how hard Rory may have tried during his enforced lay-off you can not simulate competition 100% in training, so missing vital tournament time at this time of the year has been very costly. That said, McIlroy is game and every day he will get stronger.

Spieth on the other hand has his eyes now firmly set just on yet another major championship. Achieving that remarkable outcome will not come easily on a course waiting to punish errant golf shots but champions are made of much sterner stuff. They find a way and just like yesterday’s round it seems that Spieth is mounting an irresistible charge

Bobby Long: The Wyndham's, and Triad's, gem of a gentleman

There was a story going around Augusta National in April about a man in a green jacket, which was ironic because during the Masters, there are any number of people walking around in green jackets.

The story goes something like this:

A young boy and his dad were visiting the course on one of the practice days early in the week when the boy sustained a serious cut and needed immediate attention. A doctor was on hand, but he needed help. He needed first-aid supplies. He needed someone, anyone, in that huge gallery to go get help.

From out of the crowd walked the man in the green jacket, confident and cool, a striking man with a glint in his eye and an assured demeanor that everything would be all right.

“You just wait here,” he said to the group on the ground where the boy was bleeding and scared. “I’ll be right back.”

In a short time, the man returned carrying an armload of first-aid equipment. Right there on the golf course, the doctor mended his patient, wiped the tears from the boy’s eyes and sent them on their way. No one knew the doctor’s name. But the man in the green jacket was a familiar face.

He was from Greensboro.

His name was Bobby Long.

We were done

Few of us really know Bobby Long. We know he’s the chairman of the influential Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation’s board of governors, a group that only sounds like a bunch of stuffed shirts and self-important men. And were it not for Long, the board might very well be just that.

But that’s not how he does business.

“Bobby Long is the most humble person I know,” says Mark Brazil, the tournament director of the Wyndham Championship being played this week at Sedgefield Country Club. “He’s real, and he saved this golf tournament.”

In the eyes of many, Long is the Wyndham Championship. He deflects such talk and credits people around him, but the truth is, were it not for Bobby Long of Greensboro, there would be no Wyndham Championship this week or any week.

It’s a familiar story by now. We’d lost the tournament in the eyes of the PGA Tour. The local Jaycees had done all they could to keep the tournament solvent, but when Chrysler pulled out as the sponsor in 2006, its run had ended.

PGA schedule plans leaked out for 2007, and they did not include Greensboro. After 68 years since Sam Snead won the first Greater Greensboro Open, we were done. Our run had ended, too.

This was about home

Long, 59, was a recently retired insurance executive at the time, a businessman with money, clout and time on his hands. He also had a plan to save the GGO. His plan wasn’t just about golf.

Like many in the Triad business community, he’d watched several big companies leave the area, watched as entire industries left, taking jobs and part of Greensboro’s soul with them. Losing the golf tournament, our signature event since 1938, seemed somehow fitting. And symbolic.

“We’d lost our swagger,” Long says.

It sounds simple, but that was the driving influence for Long. We needed to get our swagger back.

Long was just the man for that. A guy’s guy, he had friends who would follow him wherever he led. Whether it be a fishing trip to New Zealand or a fundraising drive to develop a law school at Elon University, he had that certain charm and assurance that he knew exactly what he was doing.

“He’s the kind of man who gets people’s attention,” says Steve Holmes, Wyndham Worldwide chairman and chief executive officer. “When he has an idea, people listen.”

Long had more in mind than fishing and golf. He was, and is, a businessman at heart. And this was about home.

“This was about much more than a golf tournament,” he says. “This was about bringing us together again as a city and a region.”

Better because of Long

When the tournament announced a 10-year extension with Wyndham and BB&T and the PGA Tour this year, tour commissioner Tim Finchem came to Greensboro. He came because this tournament has become a model for how tournaments should be run. He came because 10-year extensions in today’s economy are rare. And he came because he wanted to shake hands with Long.

“This is a signal event,” Finchem says. "This tournament gets better every year, and it's because of Bobby Long and his people. This city is so fortunate to have someone like Bobby. He’s the real deal.”

And not just for this tournament and this region but for tournaments across the state. When the tournament in Charlotte announced a few years ago that it would bring the 2017 PGA Championship to Quail Hollow, the club there needed help. They needed somewhere to move the Wells Fargo Championship for one year to keep its own sponsorship, to keep its own spot on the Tour schedule and to maintain its presence as one of the most respected tour stops in golf.

Again, it was Long who stepped forward.

Long arranged for the Charlotte folks to meet with club members at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, where he is president. A handshake sealed a deal.

It wasn’t about territory. It wasn’t about Greensboro vs. Charlotte. It was about doing the right thing.

“Bobby is a good friend to so many people for so many reasons,” Finchem says. “He’s so important to this region and is important to some things we’re doing on the PGA Tour. He’s a good friend to us in many ways.”

Bringing it back

In this day and age, a handshake is hardly a binding agreement. But for Long, it’s a bond. He’s an old-school guy, his friends say. But he’s very quiet and unassuming in his business dealings and his friendships.

Holmes, the Wyndham CEO, says from the moment he met Long they became friends, not just partners.

“We saw things the same way, and that’s rare," Holmes says. “I felt like this was something that was going to work, not just for us and for this tournament but for the Triad, for the business community of this region and for the people here. Bobby is a wonderful ambassador for Greensboro and for the people in the Piedmont Triad.

“You have a gem here, and his name is Bobby Long.”

Brazil, the tournament director, is careful not to say too much about his friend and his associate. Long is very protective of his private life, and he’s far too humble to take credit for all that’s happened here since he and his partners set out to save the golf tournament.

“He talks about partnerships and trusts, and that’s what drives everything he does," Brazil says. “When you’re dealing with people, whether it be business or just in building relationships, you don’t hold anything back. You put your cards on the table and look people in the eye. I feel like I have an MBA from Harvard just from hanging around Bobby. His deals usually end with a handshake. In this day and age, that’s almost unheard of.”

Long has more plans for the tournament and more plans for the area. He’ll keep those to himself for now, but his ideas tend to get noticed. He and his wife, Kathryn, are active philanthropists in areas we don’t always hear about – scholarships and trusts, civic affairs from our ballpark to the performing arts center.

Where we go from here is anyone’s guess, but Long says it won’t just be about golf.

“We’ll never rest on our laurels,” he says. “No matter how far we’ve come, we’re going to keep going at that pace. We aren’t going to level out. Working with these people, and the way we work, makes me feel good. It makes me feel good about the world.

“The reason I got into this to begin with is because our spirit was down. We’d lost a lot of companies, and growing up here I saw this an as an iconic event, and I didn’t want to lose this tournament too. Regionalism, from a business standpoint, was the only way to propel this thing, raise our spirits and do some economic development as well.”

The tournament has brought back this city’s can-do attitude. There was a time when we stopped doing big things. There was a time when we lost our way, and the dying days of the old GGO was a symbol of that.

Long became a symbol of how we used to get things done here and how we can do those things again. There’s an old-school charm about him that reminds us of the way we were. They weren’t days of smoke-filled back-room decisions, but handshakes among gentlemen.

“We wanted to bring that back,” he says. “We wanted it spread to other areas. We’re not going to stop, either. We’re working on a couple of things now that are monstrously transformational for this region, and it’s all come out of this tournament.”

Bobby Long will be wearing a blue blazer this week, comfortable among his own people, confident in his style and in his stature. In that sense, he’s more than just one of us. He is us.

Unity considers regulations on drones near Palmer airport

Unity officials appear to be leading the way in Western Pennsylvania as they attempt to regulate the use of drones near airports.

Preliminary discussions indicate an ordinance would limit the height and proximity that operators can fly the unmanned aircraft near Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in the township.

The regulation was considered because of concerns raised by Gabe Monzo, executive director of Westmoreland County Airport Authority, officials said.

“I think it should be a concern for anyone near an airport, if you have drones flying around,” Monzo said.

The aircraft can range in size and shape. They often use rotor-type propellers and can hover at various heights.

Pilot sightings of drones near airports jumped from 238 in 2014 to 650 as of Aug. 9 this year, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Pilots on four planes reported drone sightings as they approached Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday. Recently, the FAA has received reports about near-collisions at airports in New York, Minneapolis and Austin.

No sightings have been reported at the Unity airport, Monzo said.

“I think they're a very useful tool. You don't want to eliminate them altogether; you just want people to realize they're within the parameters of the airport and they have to use caution,” he said.

“Drones have not been an issue at Pittsburgh International or Allegheny County Airport,” said Robert Kerlik, spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

The authority is not working with any municipalities on regulations, but members are keeping up with the topic of drones, he said.

The last report of an unidentified drone the authority has is from June 2014, when one flew over PNC Park during a Pirates game.

Pennsylvania requires drones to fly below 400 feet and keep a line of sight from the operator to the aircraft. The FAA requires the operator to notify either the airport operator or control tower if flying within 5 miles of an airport.

Other regulations are evolving on both the state and federal levels to accommodate users while ensuring safety, said Justin Towles, staff vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs with the American Association of Airport Executives.

Monzo recently joined a group of members discussing drone regulations with the Alexandria, Va.-based organization, hosting a November conference in Las Vegas dedicated to the topic.

“There's a lot of work that needs to happen,” Towles said. “We want to make sure the right information is getting out there and it's widespread and the users of UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) follow the rules.”

Accountability ­— linking a serial number on the drone to a registered owner, for example — and enforceability are major concerns on the federal, state, and local levels, Towles said.

In Unity, the township is considering setting a distance requirement from runways and limiting the height at which a drone is allowed to fly.

Rostraver Commissioner Pat Egros said an ordinance there could help dictate how leaders approach unmanned aircraft near Rostraver Airport.

“Their airport (in Unity) carries far more air traffic than what we do,” but the Rostraver facility will take any recommendations from the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which oversees both airports, Egros said. “We will be looking into it in the future for safety as far as air traffic and patterns.”

In 2013, Conoy Township in Lancaster County was one of the first governing bodies in the state to pass an ordinance limiting use of drones to a resident's property. The township's 18 square miles contain 3,452 residents. It's located 6 miles from Harrisburg International Airport and south of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station.

Conoy Supervisor Steve Mohr said the ordinance was passed after he spotted a drone hovering over a farm for sale in the area. It was being used to photograph real estate.

While Township Supervisor Steve Mohr's concerns about drones were rooted in privacy issues, he encouraged Unity officials not to wait for federal regulations to catch up.

“That ‘wait and see' doesn't work,” he said. “They need to address it pretty swiftly.”

LI club pros get their shot at glory in PGA Championship

Darrell Kestner's experience in the PGA Championship, and he has had plenty of it, tells him that his two star pupils will be just fine this week. Matt Dobyns and Ben Polland do not need to do anything extraordinary, according to the dean of Long Island club pros.

"They have to play their own game. They can't get caught up in watching the world's greatest players. Learn from them, but still, you've got to be yourself,'' said the director of golf at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, who has played in 12 PGAs.

Along with having also played in eight U.S. Opens and winning all the big tournaments in the Metropolitan Section, Kestner is as renowned a teacher as he is a golfer. PGA Tour players come to him for instruction. And he has had a huge impact on people who have worked for him, particularly Polland, his current assistant, and Dobyns, a former assistant who is head pro at Fresh Meadow Country Club.

Both men will play among the sport's elite this week at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. The PGA is different from the other major championships in that it guarantees places for the top club pros, who qualify at the PGA Professional National Championship. This year, Dobyns won it and Polland was runner-up, each earning a great opportunity and an intense challenge.

Dobyns will be paired the first two rounds with PGA winner John Daly and Colin Montgomerie. Polland will be paired with Marc Leishman and Kevin Kisner.

"The worst thing you can do is go out there and practice so hard that you wear yourself out. Matt is experienced in that now,'' Kestner said, referring to the fact this will be Dobyns' third major, to Polland's first. "And we have both given that advice to Ben. They went out there for a practice round. I think they can do very well.

"It's their maturity. They've played so much golf that they can handle any kind of adverse situations. Matt and Ben handle their games nicely and don't try to do things they can't do,'' he said. "At that level, so many guys have the physical abilities. Now it's the mental ability to play major championship golf. It's up to them to not get caught up in the moment and be themselves and handle the situation as best they can.''

A close second was the 1993 event at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio, when Kestner made the first double-eagle in PGA Championship history. "And I played a practice round with Arnold Palmer,'' he said.Ten years ago, when he was 51, Kestner withstood New Jersey's withering heat and humidity and made the cut at the PGA. "That was right here in our section, so I would say that was my favorite,'' he said.

Kestner and fellow local pro Ron McDougal were teeing off on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. "All of a sudden this big crowd is forming around us and we're saying what the heck is going on? Then the crowd parts and up walks Arnold Palmer,'' he said. "He says, 'Hey boys, got room for one more?' Ronnie looks at me and whispers, 'Tell him our twosome is filled.' We started laughing and said, 'Absolutely, Mr. Palmer.' We just had the time of our lives. He said, 'Let's have a little skins game. I need a little jet fuel money.' It was a really good time.''

That is the beauty of the PGA, which Dobyns and Polland will experience this week. "The club pros,'' Kestner said, "can be playing with their idols, or future idols.''

Verdict from Rory McIlroy's practice round: So far, good to go

It is hard to believe the Rory McIlory we saw in Twitter and Instagram posts this week was the same player practicing Saturday at Whistling Straits, site of next week's PGA Championship.

As McIlroy recovered from an ankle injury, we saw video of his swing. It looked flawless, but the injury was to his left foot — which he never raises off the ground.

The biggest question was not about McIlroy's ability to swing, but rather how he could walk the hilly and elevated Whistling Straits course. With its Irish links style, the tract outside Sheboygan, Wis., requires players to march more than five miles each round.

McIlroy is due to begin play on Thursday, and Saturday's round was his first attempt at playing on the sore ankle. If McIlroy makes cut, he would go more than 20 miles in four days — not counting practice rounds.

He looked perfect on the range on Saturday, hitting full shots with no sign of favoring his left ankle. Then he went to the course.

And that was where any doubt he is back was eliminated.

McIlroy walked with speed, a bounce in his step, jumping at times to limber up. On one steeply elevated tee box he jogged up the hill. His entourage walked slowly behind him.

Carts are not allowed at Whistling Straits except for late evening play, but McIlroy's team rode in a large, limousine-like rig. It wasn't needed for McIlroy; it was more so his entourage could keep up.

This puts a new light on the PGA Championship, the golf season's last major. Jordan Spieth will enter as favorite, but now with the defending champion and No. 1 player likely in the field, it might come down to McIlroy and Spieth on the finishing holes.

Spieth made it clear he wants to be No. 1 when he leaves the WGC-Bridgestone. Chances are good he will be. How long he retains that ranking will be the topic of conversation at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy enjoys being No. 1 as much as Spieth wants to replace him in that position.

Everyone has tried to make McIlroy vs. Spieth a rivalry. Fans would love it. Golf history is full of such personal competitions, the most famous being Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

It's too early to put McIlroy and Spieth in that realm, but entering the PGA Championship and at least two days of head-to-head play, it might reach that level. Golf will be better for it.