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Opening Round Nerves?

From the clubhouse deck, the view was picturesque. The Intracoastal Waterway provided a beautiful backdrop, live oak trees supplied a canopy, and ocean front homes on the horizon allowed everyone to dream.

But I wasn't one of the 110 players in Flight 8 that opened play in the 25th anniversary PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship.

While I admired the surroundings, tournament competitors paced from the driving range to the putting green, insisting, almost to a man, that nerves weren't a big issue. Chain-smoking, perspiration soaked shirts (there is a reason deodorant comes in the tournament goodie bag), and brisk beer sales suggested otherwise, but who am I to judge?

Only one guy admitted to having a stomach churning harder than the Atlantic Ocean in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay, and he wasn't lying. The wraparound sunglasses, his 6-foot-2 frame, and full goatee couldn't camouflage what his body language and a cigarette that disappeared faster than Sergio Garcia in crunch time were screaming - "Am I ready for this?!"

But it was great.

The World Amateur is a one-of-a-kind event that allows golfers to experience the type of competitive butterflies that many left behind years ago. It tests a competitor's game and nerves in a way your Saturday foursome never could.

While a pair of local residents enjoyed the clubhouse view, a three-some beginning play on No. 18 seemed oblivious the surrounding beauty, until drowning multiple golf balls.

But nerves weren't a factor, right?