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A Family Affair for the Zuckermans

When David Zuckerman teed off in his first PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship in 1985, his daughter, Alicia, was 18 months old. Walking and talking were her priorities while David couldn't wait to experience an event his friends had raved about.

As Zuckerman struck his first tee shot in the second World Amateur, he never dreamed that he would eventually compete against his wife, Maggie, and his infant daughter in the tournament. But he did know his first World Amateur wouldn't be his last.

The tournament's 25-year participants garner a lot of attention, but they don't have much on Zuckerman, who has played in each of the last 24 events.

"This tournament has really been very, very special to me," Zuckerman said. "I haven't missed a single tournament since the first one, and I'm still mad at my friends for not telling me about it ... I've met other friends down here that are so close to us. We look forward to coming down here every year for 10 days. I really enjoy this more than any other vacation."

While David's affection for the tournament grew - he won his flight and finished 10th in the 1999 World Championship Playoff - Alicia developed into an outstanding soccer player with little interest in golf.

"I thought it was boring at first," she said. "I would come to the beach and layout all day (when her parents played the World Amateur)."

Alicia's indifference eventually turned to passion with a big assist from her father.

"He put a driver in my hands and the first time I ever hit a golf club, I hit it 250," Alicia said. "He was like, 'You are quitting soccer and playing golf.' That's only been six years ago. I was a senior in high school."

The youngest woman in the World Amateur field, Alicia proved to be a quick study. After playing one year in high school, she played Division I golf at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., lettering all four years.

After she graduated with a degree in communications, Alicia joined her father as a World Amateur participant last year, delighting him and keeping her competitive juices flowing.

"It's really exciting because I see that she is going to have a great life playing golf like I have, but she can do a heckuva of a lot better than I can," said David, who gets nine strokes a side from his daughter but rarely tastes victory.

If everything goes according to plan, Alicia will have an altogether different life playing golf than her father. She is an amateur member of the Duramed Futures Tour - an LPGA feeder system - and believes she has time to develop her game to the point where playing for pay is a viable alternative. 

"I plan on turning pro," Alicia said. "But it just depends on when my game gets well enough that I think it's time to turn pro. I'm going to give myself about two more years to try and go for it. I practice every day, and I play 18, 36, 54 whatever I can get in before dark."

While Alicia, a 5 handicap, hones her game and dreams of one day playing Lorena Ochoa and friends, the World Amateur provides a competitive outlet and the opportunity to play with her parents.

For his part, David missed out on the attention that come with being a 25-year participant, but if Alicia continues to play, the Zuckerman family may eventually become the tournament's standard-barer for longevity.

"It does (mean a lot that she plays)," David said. "I can see her continuing on when I'm not going to be here."

Alicia might be here if she isn't playing in tournaments every weekend on television.