Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004060135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Randy King sportswriter
DATELINE: AUGUSTA, GA. LENGTH: Medium
"Can't you just see a Masters rap song?" Jacobsen said after shooting a 67 during Thursday's opening round.
"How about it? Do you know rap?" Jacobsen asked a green-jacketed official in the Augusta National interview room.
The unsmiling official replied, "Not hardly."
Jacobsen, the PGA Tour's resident entertainer, definitely was in his element sitting in front of the huge media audience.
"Pick an adjective to describe yourself, Peter," one writer said.
Jacobsen paused a second, then fired back: "Adjectives? Hey, that's your job, buddy. You can pull out a thesaurus, can't you?
A grinning Jacobsen then said, "Let's see. Masters champion would be fine. Unpredictable. Great putter. Or how about rap master?"
Golfer or comedian? At times, many folks on the tour don't know which one Jacobsen really is.
"It's all right to me that some people think I'm more of an entertainer than golfer," said the 36-year-old Oregon native.
"It did bother me at first. But doing the impersonations of guys' swings helped me feel like I belong out here. The rest of the players love it.
"Plus, I can sing. I'll sing a song now if you like."
Jacobsen already had played a tune on the Augusta National course.
"And you guys laughed at me when I said I could win this thing," he said. "Well, take a look at the board, pal. Whose name do you see up there?"
Thanks to a new putting stroke, Jacobsen's pro career has been rescued from the ashes. Only three years ago, after suffering a ruptured disk in his back, he admitted wondering if it was time to throw the clubs in the lake.
"I was very, very down," said Jacobsen, who had to pull out of the 1987 Masters the night before the tournament.
"I was talking to the networks about going to the booth and doing commentary work.
"But, thanks to working out and weight training, my back started to get back in shape. And now I'm playing well again."
After winning two tournaments in 1984, Jacobsen didn't win another regular tour event until January, when he captured the Bob Hope Classic.
"That was big for me," he said. "Arnold Palmer is my idol and he won that tournament five times."
Coming to Augusta, Jacobsen ranked fourth in scoring average (69.81) and seventh on the money list ($305,679).
"Putting is the difference," he said. "I learned the game backward. I always thought you were supposed to learn how to get from tee to green first. Now, I'm know it's the other way around. You've got to learn from the cup on out.
"Now, I'm no longer a streaky putter. I'm a good putter."
If he can drain enough putts the next three days, the sales of Jake Trout and the Flounders' new eight-song tape could skyrocket, Jacobsen predicted. Jacobsen is the lead singer, Jake Trout, while fellow pros Payne Stewart and Mark Lye are the Flounders.
"We've sold about 15,000 copies so far," Jacobsen said. "We didn't exactly hit the chart with a big bullet." It's all right to me that some people think I'm more of an entertainer than golfer. It did bother me at first. But doing the impersonations of guys' swings helped me feel like I belong out here. The rest of the players love it. Plus, I can sing. I'll sing a song now if you like.
by CNB