Briny Baird is doing his part to help find missing children by displaying their photos on his bag.
By BOB HARIG
Published August 21, 2003
The space on a golf bag is rarely wasted by any self-respecting, endorsement-seeking touring professional. Depending on the player, a properly placed logo or message can be quite lucrative.
Briny Baird is using his golf bag to get across a different message.
The PGA Tour pro from Jupiter displays a photo of a missing child on his golf bag at each tournament he plays.
Last week at the PGA Championship, the photo was of Nathalia Munoz, who has been missing from Long Island since August of 1996. At each tournament site, Baird uses the photo of a missing child from the surrounding area.
"I think anybody with a heartbeat would have said yes to an idea like this, an idea involving little kids," Baird said. "If some child was found as a result of someone seeing these pictures, it would be an incredible thrill. The word is getting out. I've heard a lot of words of encouragement."
Baird started putting the photos on his bag in April at the Heritage Classic. He was approached by Canon, with whom he has an endorsement contract, because the company has been donating money to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Canon proposed the idea of the Canon4Kids Program, and each week he receives photos from the company that fit on the sleeve of his golf bag, just below his name. It's the same boy or girl for the entire week, usually from within a 50-mile radius of the tournament site.
A child featured on Baird's bag at this year's Byron Nelson Championship was found.
"It was completely unrelated to the golf bag, but they did find the girl," Baird said. "It was encouraging to know that someone I carried for a week was found, even though it was unrelated. The family thanked me nonetheless. The father said that the exposure we were providing was great."
Baird, 31, is the son of former PGA Tour and Champions Tour player Butch Baird. He has been a full-time member of the tour since 1999 and though winless has earned more than $3-million. This is Baird's best season. He has earned more than $1.5-million and is 24th on the PGA Tour money list. Earlier this season, Baird's wife, Laura, gave birth to their first child, which gave him more perspective. When things are not going well on the golf course, Baird has a ready reminder of the relative importance of a few bad golf shots.
"It definitely can bring you back to reality in a hurry," he said. "Sometimes in your sport you get so wrapped up in it that it feels like your world is crumbling around you. Then you look at the face of that kid on your bag and you realize what you are dealing with pales in comparison with what those kids and their families are going through."
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, some 800,000 children are reported missing each year, about 2,000 per day. Baird said he had no idea the numbers were that staggering. One thing Baird particularly likes about the program is that Canon donates $100 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for every birdie, and $250 for every eagle he makes this season. He joked last week at Oak Hill Country Club, where only three players finished under par, that he should get a bonus for pars because the course was so difficult. Baird shot a final-round 81 and finished tied for 39th.
He has earned $32,350 for the center.
"That's the neatest thing about the whole Canon4Kids program," Baird said. "It's nice. It's an extra incentive to play well and make more birdies."
Baird is taking this week off, but next week he is entered in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, where the image of Jesus De La Cruz, who was last seen in Lynn, Mass., on Sept. 28, 1996, when he was 6, will be on his bag. Jesus, who has a scar above his left eye and a pierced left ear, is now 13.
Later this year, Baird is scheduled to play in the Chrysler Championship, and a child from the Tampa Bay area will be on his bag.
"Until I got involved in this program, I didn't realize how big the problem is," Baird said. "The numbers are frightening."
- For more information about the Canon4Kids program, call toll-free 1-800-THE-LOST 1-800-843-5678 or visit www.missingkids.com
