By Randy Savoie, BCL

They say golf  is “a good walked spoiled” but for Job Corps students it was more like a relaxing walk in the park this week at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

 Several New Orleans Job Corps Center trainees had an opportunity to walk side-by-side with the world’s greatest golfers this week, volunteering as standard bearers Wednesday at the TPC Louisiana course during the annual pro-am.

 None of them seemed fazed by the experience.

“I held up the sign and kept the score. The golfer (South Africa’s Ernie Els) made sure I stayed hydrated in the warm weather,” said CMA trainee Kristian Jupiter. “He played great- he was making a lot of his putts.”

On Sunday, Els, one of the sports’ elite players, came within a stroke of winning the tournament. Els would finish as runner-up, losing in a sudden death playoff to Jason Dufner of Auburn, Alabama.

MOS trainee Sherell Bailor served as the standard bearer for PGA player, Charles Howell III.

“We walked with the golfers, kept the score, met some great people and got to eat some great New Orleans seafood,” said Sherell. “Mr. Howell gave me an autographed golf ball after he finished playing.”

And although most find the sport of golf incredibly frustrating- even “a good walk spoiled’ – Kristian Jupiter said with the confidence of youth, “It doesn’t look hard. Not really. Not to me. It was a great experience.”