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'Terrible Tommy' Bolt is back in the spotlightBy KEITH NIEBUHR © St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001 Famed golfer and Black Diamond resident Tommy Bolt is getting a lot of attention these days. He was featured in Sports Illustrated last week, and earlier this week he was interviewed on The Golf Channel. Why? Bolt was the winner of the 1958 U.S. Open at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., site of this year's Open. Known as "Terrible Tommy" because of his club-throwing tantrums, Bolt was one of the PGA Tour's most colorful characters. He was known to break clubs over his knees, smash them into the ground and even hurl them at trees after mis-hitting a shot. In the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in Denver, he tossed a club into the lake in front of the 18th tee. Bolt, nevertheless, had a charismatic personality. Writers loved him because he provided them with great material. Fans rooted for him because he was anything but dull. Bolt won 11 PGA Tour events in his career, but none was bigger than his performance at Southern Hills, where he fired a 3-over 283 to win by four strokes over U.S. Open rookie Gary Player. For his efforts, Bolt earned a grand total of $8,000. For more about Bolt, go to www.Tommybolt.com. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LEG: Forget about two-way standouts. Will Bleakley of Crystal River gives the Pirates' football team a three-way threat. Bleakley, a rising senior and two-time Times All-Citrus/Hernando first-team pick, will start at defensive end, tight end and kicker this fall. He's expected to be one of the area's top players at each position. A groin injury prevented Bleakley from kicking most of last season. Now healthy, he placed three kickoffs into the end zone at last week's spring jamboree and booted a 30-yard field goal. Crystal River coach Jere DeFoor said Bleakley has made 45 and 47-yarders in practice. An arm injury at the start of the baseball season may have been a blessing in disguise for Bleakley, who pitches for the Pirates. Because it hurt to throw, he spent a good bit of time strengthening his legs in the weight room. THE DRIVE FOR FIVE: Lecanto track standout Kate Wheeler, a senior-to-be, has qualified for the state track and field meet in four events each of the past two seasons. Next year, she hopes to get there in five. Don't bet against it. Last month, Wheeler -- the 2001 Times All-Citrus/Hernando Female Track Athlete of the Year -- finished first at regionals in the high jump and triple jump, second in the 300-meter hurdles and was a member of the Panthers' third-place 4x400 relay team. In her favorite event, the 100 hurdles, she was second after prelims but false started in the finals and was disqualified. At state, Wheeler scored 11 of her squad's 17.5 points. On her own, she would have finished 20th in the team standings. Wheeler likely would have recorded even more points had the 300 hurdles not been held simultaneously with the triple jump. Because of that conflict, she had to go back and forth and finished a disappointing 10th in the 300, an event she took third in at the 2000 state meet. What's scary is that Wheeler says she was in "bad shape" at the start of the 2000 season. HEY, GOLF COURSES: The Times "Dream 18" golf page, which will feature our pick of the best 18 holes in Citrus County, is scheduled to run June 17 -- U.S. Open Sunday. Courses can submit their nominations by June 1 via fax (352) 860-7320 or by mailing them to the Times, 301 W. Main Street, Inverness, Fla., 34450. A course can nominate no more than four holes. Please include hole yardage and a graphic of the hole.
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