July 21 Report: LPGA Tour and Solheim Cup Star Kelly Robbins

The successes continue to come in sporadically this time of year, so any day I add a success is a great day!

Today I've added another signature for my Solheim Cup collection, courtesy of Kelly Robbins. Robbins has won nine times on the LPGA Tour, including a major championship at the 1995 LPGA Championship.

She made six consecutive Solheim Cup teams beginning in 1994 up until 2003.

Day of the Year: 200
Number of Autographs This Year: 231

July 14 Report: Former Florida Gator and New York Jet Derrick Gaffney and LPGA Tour and Solheim Cup star Michelle McGann

A pair of successes to report today, which is always a welcome bit of news.

First up is that of Derrick Gaffney. Gaffney was a standout at the University of Florida before being drafted by the New York Jets in the eighth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He made an immediate impact and proved well worth the pick, catching 38 passes in 1978 for 691 yards and 3 TDs.

He was a steady performer for the Jest the rest of that decade and continued to contribute regularly through the 1984 season.

This is a great add to my collection because he went to high school locally where I live and also went to UF, which is a sub-collection I have going.

Secondly today I added a pair of signatures from LPGA Tour winner and U.S. Solheim Cup star Michelle McGann. McGann, who has one of the greatest smiles in all of sports, halved a pair of matches against Annika Sorenstam at the 1996 Solheim Cup and defeated the top player in women's golf, Laura Davies, in singles play.

Unfortunately McGann's signature on my Solheim Cup photo was smeared pretty badly in the mail. The good news is she wrote me a terrific note on her personal notecard talking about her Solheim Cup memories.

Definitely one I will want to show prominently, so I will probably go back and ask her to sign another photo with the hopes it doesn't get ruined in the mail. I'd like to have the photo and the notecard displayed together.


Day of the Year: 194
Number of Autographs This Year: 227

June 17 Report: LPGA Star Kelli Kuehne

Kellie Kuehne had a truly terrific amateur career, twice winning the U.S. Women's Amateur (1995, 1996) and also adding a British Ladies Amateur (1996). She was an All-American at the University of Texas and also played on the 1996 Curtis Cup team.

She won the 1999 LPGA Corning Classic and has competed in two Solheim Cup teams for the United States (2002, 2003).

She signed my American Solheim Cup photo for my collection of U.S. players who have competed on the women's version of the Ryder Cup.

Day of the Year: 168
Number of Autographs This Year: 216

June 7 Report: Former Masters Tournament Winner Craig Stadler and LPGA Solheim Cup Player Michele Redman

Another former Masters Tournament champion came through for me today, signing my now-familiar photograph of the silver Masters clubhouse trophy.

This time it is 1982 champ Craig Stadler. Stadler, known as The Walrus for his similar looks, also inscribed the photo with his wining year, much as many of the other previous major championship winners have done in this project.

Stadler has won all around the world, in the U.S., Europe and Japan. He's currently playing on the Champions Tour, where he has notched five victories.

Stadler has proven to have some longevity, winning the 2003 B.C. Open, becoming the first golfer in 28 years to win a PGA Tour event after age 50.

Today's second success also comes from the world of golf. This time it is from current LPGA player Michele Redman. She has recorded a pair of victories to date on the Tour and has proven a herself to be a consistent performer.

Redman has made four Solheim Cup teams representing America -- 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Day of the Year: 158
Number of Autographs This Year: 204

June 1 Report: Hall of Fame Golfer Juli Inkster, Solheim Cup Star Meg Mallon and Left-Handed PGA Tour Winner Sam Adams

Today's postal deliveries included three more golf additions to my collection.

Two of them help round out my U.S. Solheim Cup collection and the third is the first addition to a very new subset for me.

As I like to do, we're starting with the Hall of Famer, Juli Inkster.

Inkster signed my customary Solheim Cup trophy photo. She has won 31 times on the LPGA Tour to date, including seven major championships. She has played on eight Solheinm Cup teams and has won 18 points for the red, White and Blue. No other American has won more points for her team.

Inkster was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.

Meg Mallon is another LPGA star who should one day also find herself in the Hall of Fame. To date she has won 18 LPGA Tour titles including four major championships.

She is an eight-time participant in the Solheim Cup.

On an obscure note, Mallon was also the marker for Annika Sorenstam when she shot an LPGA-record 59 several years back.

Lastly today is the autograph of Sam Adams. This has nothing to do with beer, so don't get too excited. Sam Adams is actually my first success from my quest to get a golf glove (for the right hand) signed by every left-handed player who has won on the PGA Tour.

Adams was the first American to win on Tour when he claimed the 1973 Quad Cities Open. For the record Bob Charles, a New Zealander, was the first lefty to win on Tour.

Adams was kind enough to sign the golf glove and also include a nice note on his personal notecard thanking me for remembering him. A nice touch and a great way to kick off this subset.

Day of the Year: 152
Number of Autographs This Year: 199

May 28 Report: Solheim Cup Player and Former University of Florida Golfer Deb Richard

Very happy to report the addition of another former University of Florida golfer to my collection.

This time it comes via Deb Richard, the first female UF golfer I have in the collection. Certainly many more to come, but you've got to start somewhere.

And Richard is as good a place to begin as any considering her NCAA pedigree:

*Twice an All-American
*She led UF to its first NCAA women’s golf national championship in 1985
*Won 1985 Honda Broderick Award as the nation’s top female collegiate golfer
*She remains the SEC leader with her three medalist honors
*Richard was the inaugural recipient of the SEC Women’s Golfer of the Year honor in 1985
*Richard won the 1984 U.S. Women’s Amateur
*She was inducted into the Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995

This doesn't even include her LPGA career, where she won five times.

Richard did a great job of signing and personalizing my Solheim Cup photo. And a major bonus is she added a pair of inscriptions: first she wrote "UF '89" which was when she graduated and also added "Solheim '92" which is the year she made the American team.

Day of the Year: 148
Number of Autographs This Year: 196

May 24 Report: 1971 Masters Winner Charles Coody, 1958 PGA Championship Winner Dow Finsterwald and Solheim Cup Player Becky Iverson

Three subset collections I began this year are slowly rounding into form.

Certainly those who regularly read this blog know I have been focusing a lot on golf lately. And amongst the thousands of individuals who have ever teed it up professionally, only a small percentage ever win a major championship or play for their country in either the Ryder Cup (men) or Solheim Cup (women).

The reason I chose to start a collection of American women who have competed in the Solheim Cup was twofold. First it is a heck of an accomplishment, and secondly it is the only subset among golf's 'major' accomplishments in which every player is still alive.

I've added Becky Iverson (2000) to the Solheim Cup collection today. I'll wait until the halfway point of the year to provide tallies on my subset quests, but suffice it to say I'm had pretty good success with the Solheim Cuppers.

The other subsets I received additions to today are from major championship winners.

First is 1971 Masters Tournament winner Charles Coody. Coody is among the 30 living Masters Tournament champions I'm hoping to collect on 5x7 photos of the Masters trophy. I know it's a longshot of ever getting Tiger Woods to sign, but if I can get all others I'll be incredibly pleased.

The other major championship winner I received today was Dow Finsterwald. Finsterwald won the first-ever PGA Championship in the stroke-play era.

You may recall Finsterwald signed for me earlier this year but the autographed photos were smeared so badly one could barely make out that they were signed. I explained this to Finsterwald and he kindly signed for me a second time.

Day of the Year: 144
Number of Autographs This Year: 191

May 17 Report: Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King, Solheim Cup star Danielle Ammaccapane and PGA Tour star Dudley Hart

Always great to add a Hall of Famer to the collection, and today is that of golfer Betsy King.

King was an elite player on the LPGA Tour in the 1980s and 1990s and continued to win into the 2000s.

Her rise to Hall of Famer was a long one, going seven seasons before her first Tour win. But once that first one came, it was impossible to hold back the rush. She won 30 times in 11 years and became the first LPGA player to cross $5 million in career earnings.

In all she won 34 times on the LPGA, including six major championships.

King, who today is actively involved in mission work and charitable efforts, signed a Solheim Cup photo for the collection of every American Solheim Cup player I am putting together.

My Solheim Cup project actually gets two additions today, as Danielle Ammaccapane also returned a 5x7, custom-made Solheim Cup photo.

Ammaccapane, who has won seven times to date on the LPGA, was a member of the 1992 U.S. team.

And to round out the hat trick of golf successes today is Dudley Hart. Hart, who has twice won on the PGA Tour, added a great inscription, too. Hart was a four-time All-American at the University of Florida and was gracious enough to add "Go Gators" to the card.

Day of the Year: 137
Number of Autographs This Year: 185

May 14 Report: LPGA Superstar Paula Creamer

Major milestone accomplished today.

Not only did I add the signature of one of the top players on the LPGA to my Solheim Cup collection, it also put me at the halfway point in this project.

Paula Creamer, who has won eight times on the LPGA to date, has also competed on three Solheim Cup teams in her young career. The Pink Panther's signature is the 182nd different one of the year for me, and it puts me squarely at the midway point of my quest to add 365 autographs to my collection this year.

Thank you Paula and here's to hoping the second half of 2010 is as productive as the first half.

Day of the Year: 134
Number of Autographs This Year: 182

May 8 Report: Two-Time Masters Winner and Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer; Solheim Cup Player Brittany Lincicome

As I typically like to do, I'll begin with the Hall of Famer.

Bernhard Langer is definitely that. Not only is he in the golf hall, he'd also be in the great guy HOF if there were such a thing.

I've had the opportunity to be around and meet Langer on several occasions and he's never disappointed his fans. Definitely a role model for today's young people.

On the golf course Langer accomplished 80 worldwide wins and was the first-ever player to be ranked No. 1 in the world when the rankings debuted in 1986. Among his most notable wins are his two Masters Tournament titles.

It is those two titles I was seeking autographs to represent, and Langer accommodated both. I'm just picturing one here, but he signed two prints of the Masters trophy and inscribed each one with the year he won.

I also received another signature for my Solheim Cup collection today. This is the first one from a current player, that of Brittany Lincicome.

Lincicome has won three LPGA events in her short career to date, including a major championship in 2009 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

She has competed for the U.S on the 2007 and 2009 Solheim Cup squads. The U.S. won both competitions.

Day of the Year: 128
Number of Autographs This Year: 177

May 6 Report: LPGA Major Champion and Solheim Cup Star Pat Hurst

Incredibly busy week this week with my "day job", but wanted to make a quick post on today's success.

Pat Hurst is the latest to sign and return one of my custom Solheim Cup prints to me for the collection I am working on of all the U.S. players who have competed on at least one team.

Hurst, who won the 1998 Kraft Nabisco Championship, played on five different teams between 1998-2007.

Day of the Year: 126
Number of Autographs This Year: 174

April 26 Report: Solheim Cup Player Cathy Gerring, Minnesota Vikings Receiver Sammie White and Heisman Trophy Winner Charlie Ward

Cathy Gerring was an All-American at Ohio State before turning pro and joining the LPGA Tour.

She won three times on Tour before her career was tragically cut short by a freak accident at at the 1992 Sara Lee Classic.

Gerring was severely burned in a hospitality tent fire. While her career essentially ended then she was not robbed of the opportunity to play for her country in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990.

Mrs. Gerring was kind enough to not only sign the photo but also inscribe it with the year in which she played.

The other two successes today come from the football. It is not often I ask for autographs of Florida State players, but it is hard not to appreciate someone of Charlie Ward's character.

Ward won the Heisman Trophy while at Florida State and he went on to a successful basketball career with the New York Knicks. Today he is making a difference int he lives of young people at a high school in Texas.

Ward was among the very first requests I sent out in late 2009 for this project. To date he is the longest wait for a return at 121 days.

Lastly is former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammie White. He is from the era of my childhood -- the 1970s -- that was so impressioned by football.

White had a fine career in Minnesota, catching 393 passes for 6,400 yards. He accounted for 50 touchdowns as well.

White not only signed the football card, but he also added the designation I discussed in my letter to him. He inscribed ROY 1976 to commemorate his being selected the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1976.

Nice touch too in that he signs with purple pen. Perfect for a Viking!!


Day of the Year: 116
Number of Autographs This Year: 167

April 22 Report: Olympian Bruce Jenner and LPGA Solheim Cup Player Tammie Green

First up today is a repeat of sorts as I've previously been fortunate enough to have Bruce Jenner sign for me.

Not long after he did that I learned that he was a golf nut and even played in the Pebble Beach event on the PGA Tour earlier this year.

All that added up to a perfect match to ask him if he would sign a Pebble Beach Golf Links logo ball I had gotten from the course years ago. He was gracious enough to sign again so I'm thrilled to add this to my "celebrity" golf ball collection.

My second success today is another add to my American Solheim Cup collection. Tammie Green was a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, including a major championship in the 1989 du Maurier.

Green -- who autographed the photo in green Sharpie -- played on two Solheim Cup teams, in 1994 and 1998.


Day of the Year: 112
Number of Autographs This Year: 160

April 16 Report: British Open Champ Stewart Cink, Hall of Famer Beth Daniel and Solheim Cup Player Brandie Burton

Three more golf 5x7s to report today.

First up is 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink, who outlasted the ageless Tom Watson to capture his first major championship at Turnberry.

Cink is the first success on a Claret Jug to inscribe his year if victory, which can be seen here.

Cink has won six times on the PGA Tour.

World Golf Hall of Fame member and Solheim Cup champ Beth Daniel signed one of my custom Solheim Cup photos.

Daniel won 33 times on the LPGA Tour, including a major championship. Daniel has played on a record eight Solheim Cup teams (tied with Meg Mallon and Juli Inkster).

Lastly is Brandie Burton, who also was an American Solheim Cupper.

I've got enough horizontal photos signed now to fill out my first trophy collage. I'll try to post that this weekend so everyone can see how it has turned out.

I think it's going to be a neat way to fill a wall in my gameroom with signed trophy photos!

Day of the Year: 106
Number of Autographs This Year: 154

April 10 Report: Heather Bowie

Today is the 100th day of this project where I am attempting to collect 365 different autographs throughout the course of the year.

Thankfully the 100th day has a success to report, too!

Amongst the different golf subset autographs I am collecting is every American player to have competed on at least one Solheim Cup team. The competition began in 1990, so I actually have a chance ot get everyone who ever played as they are all living (as opposed to the majors which are much older and have many deceased champions).

Heather Bowie signed this Solheim Cup trophy card and even added the inscription for the year in which she played. What a great bonus!

Day of the Year: 100
Number of Autographs This Year: 145