Traverse City Record-Eagle

Top 10 Sports Stories of 2009

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December 25, 2009

Top 10: Hebert stays on center stage

GT Resort and Spa head pro played for USA in PGA Cup

BY MIKE ECKERT

Editor's Note: As we count down the top 10 sports stories of 2009, read them as they're published at record-eagle.com/top10sports.

TRAVERSE CITY -- In 2008, Scott Hebert's success on the golf course landed him the No. 4 spot on the Record-Eagle Top 10 sports stories of the year.

He had won another Michigan PGA Professional Championship, but highlighted the golf season with the biggest victory of his career when he won the 41st PGA Professional National Championship.

Those achievements carried over to 2009 for the head pro at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, landing Hebert back on the Top 10. This time, he checks in as the No. 6 sports story of the year.

"(This year) was in large part due to what happened in 2008," Hebert said. "It was the residuals of winning the National Championship. One couldn't have happened without the other."

The National Championship gave Hebert a number of exemptions on the PGA Tour. He played the FBR Open in Arizona, the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun and the Zurich Classic in New Orleans during the winter and spring before competing in both the Buick Open and PGA Championship during summer.

The PGA Championship was his third straight. And like the Buick Open a couple of weeks before, he came within a stroke of making the 36-hole cut.

But the biggest highlight of the year came in September, when Hebert represented America in the bi-annual PGA Cup. This year's event -- featuring club professionals from the U.S. against those from Great Britain and Ireland -- was held in Scotland at Loch Lomond.

"I knew I was going to be a member of the team. When you win the National Championship on an off-year, you have enough points for a spot on the next team," Hebert said. "I had no idea what it was going to be like. It was a trip of a lifetime."

Winning made the trip even sweeter.

For the first time on Scottish soil, the Americans claimed the PGA Cup with a dominant 17.5-8.5 victory.

Hebert was a huge part of the success. He finished 4-0 in doubles during the first two days and came back with a 2-up victory over England's Jon Bevan on the final day.

"I was definitely a little more nervous than I thought I'd be," Hebert said. "It's not like playing the Tour. If you make a mistake, you feel bad letting down the team. It reminded me a bit of the college days."

Closer to home, Hebert continued to add to his legacy as one of the all-time greats in the state. He won his fourth straight Michigan PGA, was named the state's Player of the Year a fourth consecutive time and won the PGA Tournament of Champions.

He was sixth at the Michigan Open -- the first tournament played away from GT Resort & Spa in 29 years -- and was tied for 16th at the 2009 PGA National Championship.

It will be hard to top the run for Hebert over the last couple of years.

"In 2010, it's back to reality for me now," he said. "I'll be playing a much more limited schedule. The members are going to see me a little more."

Hebert plans on competing in the Michigan PGA events, as well as this year's National Championship in French Lick, Ind. If things go well there, he could earn a fourth-straight berth in the PGA Championship.

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