Hot darn.

Tom Watson once said something very close to that in describing his feelings after winning a golf tournament.

It was mostly about the hunt, and what it took to get to that end result. His elation, I'm sure, came from being challenged, tested, and ultimately, succeeding.

A whole bunch of Men's Citizen Masters competitors probably felt that same way last weekend. It's a chance for a bowler to prove himself and perform under pressure.

I was certainly feeling it. Even though I'd qualified about 15 times, there has been a bit of a drought over the past few years. And now that I was back in the tournament, I wasn't sure if I belonged there.

George Mills was my first-round opponent Saturday, and I didn't know how it would go. I knew George was, at 73 years old, a perfect gentleman and had bowled 651 to qualify. I was concerned because I hadn't shot 651 in my last two months of league play.

I couldn't feel my legs for the first few deliveries, but I settled down a bit. Along with George, I had some great guys on my set of lanes. Bill Dockstader, the owner of King Ferry Lanes, and Joe Bennett, a member of the board of directors, each have fine demeanors. They helped to ease the stress.

I imagined asking George about his son, Jamie, who was also in the tournament, but I never got around to it. The Citizen Masters is too serious. It's all about concentrating, and trying to win. But there has to be a loser in every match, and it means just as much to handle defeat gracefully. I've slowly come around to that concept.

George struggled and I built an early lead. The condition was playable, so to offset my nerves and lack of good execution I tried to stay committed to what I was doing. Get the ball on the lane and follow through. I finished well, which gave me confidence heading into Sunday's match against a hot shooter from Elbridge named Brian Richardson.

I had never met Brian before, but I found out how good he could be. He was on my pair in the opening round, and he rolled two straight 255 games to win his match. As a first-time qualifier, he clearly was having a blast. And like George Mills, he was a gentleman.

I was less nervous Sunday. I tried not to worry about Brian Richardson. I simply wanted to bowl the best I could and see where it took me.

The old Masters attitude was kicking in, but still, I was fortunate. Brian was off his game, and I managed to win.

The Richardson family was there in support of Brian, and I could relate to how badly they wanted to see him to do well. But they were cordial, and Brian's mother had kind words for me after the match, which I appreciated.

Brian, too, wished me luck and hoped for a rematch later in the tournament. You know, something about how I'm still in the winners' bracket on the final day and he's trying to beat me twice to wrest the championship away from me.

For sure, that was a heck of a thought.

Old Timers' Tourney Feb. 3

The annual Old Timers' Bowling Tournament will be Sunday, Feb. 3, at Starlite Lanes. It is a no-tap format open to men and women aged 50 and older. The cost is $15 per person. The event benefits the American Heart Association. Last year, the event raised $215.

For more information, or if anyone would like to donate a door prize, please contact Clint Symonds at 282-7438 or 729-6662.

Sport League Scores

Gary Feldman Jr. bowled a 798 four-game series to set the pace in the PBA Experience Sport League Thursday at Starlite Lanes.

Brian Brooks (754) was second high. Randy Stanton (746), Mike Ryan (744) Nick Pingryn (720), Mike Wilczek (711) Doug Augustine (706) and Jimi Locastro (701) rounded out the top eight.

Team Ryan and Cory Slater leads the league with 73.5 points, followed by Brooks-Locastro (62.5) and Kevin Ashby-Mike Walker Jr. (58).

The rest of the standings are: Dick Bobbett-Wilczek (57), Dan Pilat-Bob Clarke (56), Brandon Slayton-Feldman Jr. (53.5), Steve Rusin-Pingryn (50) and Patty Wright-Benny Appleby (47).

Also, Augustine-Ted Phillips (44.5), Dan McNeilly-Justin Wayne (40.5), David Whiteside-Jason Whiteside (40.5), Wayne Bibbens-Greg Bibbens (37), Jamie Cordway-Paul Roche (36) and Rob Darling-David Hunter (18).