Winter-2022

116 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 Peter Jacobsen celebrates a superb shot at Pebble Beach. Though sometimes plagued by winter storms—known locally as “Crosby Weather”—many times Mother Nature serves up short-sleeve weather, such as this magnificent February day. Photo: Marc Howard/Monterey Peninsula Foundation since 1986, but has he ever put down the micro- phone and picked up a club? “Years ago, while having lunch with [MPF Board Vice Chair] Doug Mackenzie at theTap Room, he asked me to play. I thought about it for a minute but realized the idea of putting my game on national television mortified me,” he laughs. “But it was truly an honor to be invited.” Yes, Nantz was on the golf team at the University of Houston. Yes, he roomed with leg- endary PGA pros Fred Couples and Blaine McCal- lister. “Everyone knows that, and they draw the wrong conclusion that my game is in the 70s. It is, but that’s when I get to the seventh hole.”That invitation gave Nantz an idea, though. He dreamed up the popular event known as The Cisco Million Dollar Hole-in-one- For Charity (see sidebar on page 114). Monterey businessman and avid golfer Ted Balestreri has been honored with an invitation to participate in the AT&T several times. “I was thrilled when it came,” he says. “It’s a chance of a lifetime to play with some of the greatest play- ers on the greatest golf courses in the world.” That opportunity does come with some trepi- dation, however. “I knew a lot of people in the stands. I saw all those local people cheering for me and I was nervous as hell. I recall one time on the very first tee I was so anxious. I swung and hit the ball about 90 feet.” Balestreri was mortified. “But I kept playing.” As co-owner of The Sardine Factory, one of the Monterey Peninsula’s signature restaurants, Balestreri plays host to many tournament par- ticipants during the week of the tournament, including, in the old days, the founder of the event, Bing Crosby. “Bing used to come and sit in the Captain’s Room with his son. He was the most popular guy in the house.” Balestreri says that many celebrities stop in during the week, but one of the most coveted events is a seat at the annual party Jim Nantz puts on in the restaurant’s wine cellar. “Jim is truly the host of hosts,” Balestreri says. “The cellar only seats 28 and the attendees are a who’s who of the golf, ath- letic, entertainment and business worlds.” The real star of the show, however, is the loca- tion. When the weather is just right, the pictures beamed to those Midwestern televisions provide a glimpse of the paradise that is the Monterey Peninsula.“Also, in my opinion,” says Peter Jacobsen, “Pebble Beach is the greatest spot for golf in the world.” The tournament’s web site provides updates on what pros and amateurs have accepted invitations to the 2023 event. For more information, visit www.attpbgolf.com . Jacobsen was paired with Jack Lemmon for 20 years, at the late actor’s side while he pursued his famously quixotic quest to make the cut.