Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2024 - 25

In
2013, fellow Cardinals receiver
Andre Roberts was first bitten
by the golf bug that would
infect Larry Fitzgerald Jr. from age 29 to
40 to, well, the rest of his life.
" Andre asked me to try it and drove me
out to a charity event, " says Fitzgerald, a
Minneapolis native, former Holy Angels
star and probable first-ballot Pro Football
Hall of Famer in 2026. " I really did not
want to go. "
How'd he shoot?
" About a million, " Fitzgerald says.
But ...
" I also hit a couple shots I really thought
were great, " he adds. " I fell in love. "
That's putting it mildly.
Fitzgerald now plays every chance
he gets. Wherever he wants. With basically
everyone. He's played with Tiger
more times than he can remember. And
Michael Jordan, of course. And, oh yeah,
every living president. As
in " of the
United States, " for gosh sakes. In fact, one
of Fitz's four career holes-in-one came
one swing after Barack Obama-or " 44 "
as Larry calls him-when he stuck his
tee ball 6 feet from the cup at the 170yard
13th hole at Seminole Golf Club in
Juno Beach, Florida.
" I was elated, but I didn't celebrate
too much initially, " Fitzgerald says with
a laugh. " With all the Secret Service
around, and all those guns, I didn't want
anybody to think I was making any
sudden movements toward President
Obama. He did say that was the first one
he'd ever seen in person, which was cool. "
Fitzgerald has played all over the world.
Literally.
" I took a golf club to Antarctica and hit
a ball, " Fitzgerald says.
Why? " To say I did it, " he says.
And why were you at the barren bottom
of the world, Larry?
" Sightseeing, " he says. " I've been to 108
countries. I bet I'm one of the few people
in the whole world who's hit a golf ball on
all seven continents. "
With a house in Eden Prairie for the
last 20 years, Fitzgerald spends summers
in Minnesota. He's a member at Spring
Hill Golf Club in Wayzata and Interlachen
Country Club in Edina, not to mention
Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale,
Arizona, Paradise Valley Country Club
in the Arizona city by the same name and
Seminole, where he carved that beautiful
8-iron into the hole to one-up the 44th
president of the United States back in 2019.
A Giving Receiver
Four years after the final catch of his
17-year NFL career, Larry Fitzgerald
Jr. still refuses to use the " R " word to
describe himself.
" I'm definitely not retired, " says the
40-year-old Minneapolis native. " I'm
transitioning. I'm busier now than
I've ever been. "
The
former
Arizona
Cardinals
receiver now dedicates himself full tilt
to the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation,
established in 2005 to carry on the
devout community service and advocacy
work of his mother, Carol, who
died of breast cancer in 2003. The
foundation supports youth education
and breast cancer awareness while
providing equitable access and new
pathways for success for underrepresented
communities.
Fitzgerald's addiction to golf led
him to working with the First Tee of
Minnesota and the Solomon Hughes
Sr. Golf Academy (SHSGA), a fellowship
and community outreach program
that serves Twin Cities youth
lacking opportunities and resources,
with a focus on Black,
Indigenous
and communities of color. One of the
SHSGA's collaborative partners is the
Minnesota Golf Association.
" Golf brings people together, which
is my goal, " Fitzgerald says. " It's also a
game that teaches you a lot of great life
skills-a lot of integrity-based things
I love and want to see all kids be able
to discover.
" In the end, it's about hope. I think
that's what we must do as a society:
Give more people hope. "
mngolf.org
Spring 2024 MINNESOTAGOLFER 25
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARIZONA CARDINALS
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2024

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