Calfee keeps it cool at Stonebrae Classic Pro-Am

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Condon/PGA TOUR

Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee (right) grills up some food at the Stonebrae Classic with the help of Tom Clark, executive director of The Presidents Cup.

HAYWARD, Calif. -- No fooling, that guy cooking burgers at the turn really is Bill Calfee, President of the Nationwide Tour.

The man to his right really is Tom Clark, Executive Director of The Presidents Cup.

April 1 may be April Fools Day around the country, but it also happened to be Pro-Am day at the inaugural Stonebrae Classic at TPC San Francisco Bay. Calfee and Clark had players and caddies all doing double-takes as they walked past the grill that is set up near the No. 1 tee, No. 9 green and No. 18 green.

Much to the surprise of many, Calfee and Clark were grilling turkey sausages, cheeseburgers and pork chop sandwiches.

"That's the Nationwide Tour," said Calfee. "We're a little different. We're out here to make sure everybody has a great time. We want to show them some Nationwide Tour hospitality. It's a great tournament, we have terrific weather, it's a fantastic golf course. We're just adding the food."

Calfee wore a white jacket that has his name and his title, "Nationwide Tour Executive Chef." He spent about five hours behind the grill, greeting the amateurs and making sure they didn't go hungry or thirsty.

The pork chop sandwiches were grilled with a special dry rub that was picked up at last week's Chitimacha Louisiana Open in Lafayette.

"Those are my specialty," said Calfee, who takes great pride in his ability to handle the grill.

Clark, who will host The Presidents Cup at Harding Park in October, is spending much of the week welcoming players, caddies and fans to the tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday and will be televised live by GOLF CHANNEL.

"This sends a whole different message about what the Nationwide Tour is all about," said Clark. "It's a great experience. This Tour is special. Everybody's involved. Everybody pitches in."