Fast approaching is the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a tournament that for obvious reasons conjures up plenty of memories. Now if you were told that this is a story about Jim Renner of Plainville, Mass., putting a halt to his PGA Tour aspirations, you might wonder where the connection is.
Trust me, there is one, because I was fortunate enough to watch it unfold.
Back to that in a minute, but here is the deal with Renner. At 39, he’s been banged up pretty good in recent years. Elbow surgery in 2015, his right hip operated on in 2017 to shave down the bone so the ball could fit more comfortably in the socket, then in 2022 he needed the same procedure to the right hip.
It was no way to go about challenging young and fearless Korn Ferry Tour players for the right to return to the PGA Tour. Renner had spent three years in the big leagues as a card-carrying member – 2011, 2014, 2015 – and it wasn’t hard to spot what instructor Adam Schriber called “kick-ass talent.”
