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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2001
Talk about pressure: Walter Industries president Don DeFosset was paired with Tiger Woods for the second round of the National Car Rental Golf Classic at Disney World this month.
"It seemed like almost half the spectators there were following Tiger Woods around," said DeFosset, a 16 handicapper who admits to having been very nervous on the first tee.
"It was a little daunting," he said. "I asked Tiger how you deal with that. He said 'You really have to pay attention to your game and the ball. You can't pay attention to the gallery.' "
DeFosset, 52, said the tip helped. He shot an 88 to Woods' 67, aided by the fact that the amateurs hit from shorter tees than the pros.
DeFosset's chance to play in the tournament came courtesy of Walter Industries' auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, a Professional Golf Association sponsor. The pairing with Woods was the luck of the draw.
The two mostly talked about golf.
"He was a nice guy," DeFosset said. "Any time I made a shot that was even remotely decent, he turned around and said 'Nice shot, Don.' " DeFosset said Woods shook hands and signed a few autographs before security whisked him away when the round was over.
But don't expect to see Woods signing any endorsement contracts with Walter Industries, a Tampa home builder and building products company. "I don't think we could afford him," DeFosset said.