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On the Green
A Perfect Fit by Helen Ross
H
arold Varner has a lot of great memories of Pinehurst. Competing in the Donald Ross Junior when he was a kid. Bringing friends from Charlotte to play a round, then hitting the 19th hole and talking golf when he got older. Shoot, he can even joke about the time he discovered he was allergic to shellfish after a meal he ate in Pinehurst. And on a warm September afternoon earlier this year, the PGA Tour veteran returned the favor as he held a clinic for a group of about 50 inquisitive kids and their parents at the Country Club of North Carolina. Varner wasn’t there to dazzle them with big drives and pinpoint irons, though. He wanted to talk with the youngsters—“They do enough listening in school,” he said—just like so many people had opened up to him as he was growing up. No question was off limits for the gregarious Varner. Not even when one of the kids asked how many shoes he owned. For the record, it’s about 300, but considering he’s a Jordan brand ambassador that’s really nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, that Jordan. Michael Jordan. Varner has the ear of Tiger Woods, too, after finding him in the locker room one day and boldly asking him, “Dude, when are we going to play?” “It worked out and he’s been incredible, just when I need to ask him something, responding, not always timely, but he responds,” Varner says. “So, all of a sudden just hoping he’s healthy, you know, I guess we’ve been hoping for that for a while now.” Varner has carved out a solid career on the PGA Tour, making the FedExCup Playoffs the last six years and earning more than $8 million. The first win has proven elusive, but the affable 31-year-old knows better than to obsess over it. “I need to win anything,” Varner said, joking with reporters before the clinic. “I didn’t even win the little match I played today. “Yeah, winning’s the most important thing, but I’ve been around two winners that have won a lot—MJ and Tiger— and I find it weird that they don’t talk about winning. So maybe I should just focus on getting better. They talk about getting better, the process. They’re big about focusing on the present. The fundamentals. They’ve been really good to me, so yeah, it’s been awesome.” As Varner entertained the kids with stories about golf
54 ASOUTHERNSOPHISTICATION
Photo courtesy of Al Van Vliet, CCNC
and life, Mike Rogers looked on proudly. The CCNC member and East Carolina booster first met Varner when he was playing golf for the Pirates, and a friendship quickly developed. They played golf together and tailgated together and, most importantly, talked about how to make an impact on others. “When I first got to know him or meet him, I thought there’s really something special here,” Rogers said. “I think the quality of the person, the golf, you thought, well, there’s a lot of great players, but he’s got something extra. And then I saw this will to succeed. “I saw this positive attitude and everything about his approach was so purposeful. … We just became friends, and I gave him thoughts about life and how to progress as a person, how to hopefully be successful in every step of the way.” Rogers also noticed how people gravitated to Varner. So, he introduced him to Tom Beddow, who is president of CCNC, and suggested he would make a good ambassador for the club. The Board of Directors agreed, and the partnership, the club’s first, was announced last January. “He sees the good in people,” Rogers said. “He knows that people, if you give a hand to them, they can make something of it. I’ve had some business success and I’ve
