A Golf Outing With Sean Callebs

by John Kim

He's faced down Iraqi guards, braved numerous hurricanes, interviewed top business leaders, and spoken with some of the country's most notorious criminals - so not much should faze Sean Callebs. And yet - "Good God," he says in wonderment, "look at THIS hole. There's no way to get to that pin!"

It's ironic that when I called Sean to set up this golf round, he was the one who told me about the Payne Stewart jet crash. Sean has made his mark as one of CNN's most versatile and most traveled reporters. He has traversed the globe doing stories ranging from the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the aftermath of the Gulf War in Iraq, to the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. Viewers all over the country can see him not only as a CNN Headline News reporter, but also as a correspondent on CNN's New source service, which allows his stories to air on affiliate stations all around the country. He also anchors CNN Headline News on weekend mornings from 6 a.m. to 12 noon, until the end of November.

We meet at Cobblestone Golf Course at 10 a.m. and find we have to wait an hour due to a frost delay. Sean passes the time discussing the Payne Stewart tragedy with members of the pro shop staff, adding a unique journalistic perspective - including experiences he's had in similar planes and theories on what may have occurred. The staff is clearly engaged and impressed with Sean's breadth of knowledge. We then hit a few balls on the range before going to the putting green, where we entertain ourselves with impossible putt after impossible putt. Finally, a little after 11 a.m., we tee it off. Sean plays the first hole in ideal fashion and taps in for par. (Is this where I get to mention my 25 foot birdie putt that fell in?) We wait for a few minutes before we can hit on hole #2, I spend the time telling Sean how hard it is to hit a good drive on the hole. (Well, it is the #1 handicap hole!) Sean listens intently to my warnings and then blasts his tee shot 270 yards down the middle. On #3, he shows some short game skills as he saves a bogey after pulling his tee shot into some lovegrass as tall as fifth graders. He does get a few bad breaks from the course, and in all honesty, the course is playing pretty tough, but Sean is holding his own pretty well. After six holes, he is four over.

Sean first got involved with golf at age 10, caddying for his father who was "an excellent player." He played some growing up, but took a leave of the game for an extended time until his late college years. Since then, he has rediscovered his passion for golf. He isn't able to get out as much as he'd like (who is?) but he does manage at least a few rounds each month. Even when he's not on the course, he is an ardent student of the game - well read in it's history, characters, and traditions. He typically shoots in the mid 80s to low 90s, though he can claim a best ever round of an even par 72. He does offer the caveat that, "it was a REALLY easy course," but heck, 72 is good on Sony Playstation, much less on any course. The Ocean Course on Kiawah is his favorite course that he has played, although on that day, he shot "around 155!" "But," he explains, "it was beautiful and I had a blast." If he had his choice of golf partners, he would pick Arnold Palmer and Bill Murray, two pretty good picks. However, today he has me (no one's ideal partner) and a tough stretch of golf holes awaiting him.

Sean falls into a mini-slump, just missing putts and getting a little wild off the tee. As we approach hole #14 he turns to me and announces, "I'm getting at least three more pars." Well I was going to question him, but his last few holes have been a struggle and he does seem to be fighting his game a bit. After a relatively weak drive, he still has 225 yards to the green. He does some serious contemplation before picking up his 3 iron and giving it a mighty rip. To be honest, I don't think he can get it there. I'm dead wrong. The ball flies like a laser towards the pin, stopping 12 feet past the hole. He just lips out the birdie putt, but I'm not sure it matters, he couldn't have been much happier than after that approach shot. On the next hole, the par 5 #15, Sean sends his drive to the right; way to the right. About 30 yards right of the cart path - into a clump of trees. My first thought was - "If' he's smart, he can make a double bogey from there." He finds his ball and blasts a shot through the trees, back through the fairway, through some more trees, and onto the tee box of hole #3. I'm now thinking a triple bogey at best. A group coming off of hole #2 finds Sean's ball and he gives it another rip, through more trees and - of course - onto the green. A very nice 30 foot lag putt later, he taps in for the best par of the day. To finish his run, he hits a wedge right over the pin on #16 and gets an easy par. 20 minutes after promising 3 more pars - his mission is accomplished.

Sean hails from Huntington, West Virginia. He attended school at Marshall University, best known as the last collegiate stop of the Minnesota Viking's Randy Moss. He worked in local television in West Virginia and South Carolina before coming to CNN ten years ago as a writer. Since then, he has served stints as an environmental reporter, business reporter, sports journalist, news reporter, and news anchor. He was the only journalist to interview a person connected with the Oklahoma City Bombing when he tracked down Michael Fortier in Phoenix, Arizona right after the attack. He has filed reports about the Mayan ruins in Guatemala to shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral to the rash of school shootings around the country. Yes, he can pretty much talk logically and coherently about any topic you can think of. Well, except for fairway bunkers......

"Sean, hit the wedge." After his drive finds the fairway bunker on #18, Sean finds he still has 175 yards to a well guarded green. Even worse, he has an eight-foot tall mound a few yards in front of him.

"I can get a five iron over this hill," he says. I don't believe him.

"Just hit the wedge to here, hit another wedge, and maybe you can still make a par," I say.

He insists the 5 iron isn't a problem for him on this shot. Well, he did make that miracle par on #15, so I shut up and let him hit. He makes a nice swing with the 5 iron, and to my surprise, the ball sails cleanly out of the bunker. In fact, he may have hit it too well, as it flies toward the green and ends up just to the left. Unfortunately, just to the left of the green is a water hazard. But there is no feeling of "I told you so" as I walk up to the green with him. His wasn't the "proper" play, but it was the fun play and he was confident enough to nearly pull it off. No, he wasn't happy about losing his ball, but I'd bet you if you asked him to hit the shot again, he'd pull out that same 5 iron. The occasional double bogey is a price he is willing to pay for his aggressive style, but considering the pars on #'s 14 and 15, the payoff is quite evident as well.

I really enjoyed my round of golf with Sean. He takes his golf seriously, but puts a higher premium on the fun. It would be a treat to talk to the guy for four hours, much less do it while playing a beautiful course like Cobblestone. When you watch television, don't be surprised if you see Sean in the middle of the biggest story making the news. It's what he does best. And if you're out playing golf, don't be surprised to see Sean in some trees trying to make par. He