NAPLES, Fla. – Actor Lucas Black has played as an amateur in the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, starred as a golfer in a movie, and even talked about taking it up professionally.
This week, the 38-year-old who will be in the next “Fast and Furious” movie later this year — it will be his third — is inside the ropes as a caddie for sponsor exemption Craig Bowden in the Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
Black, who was also in “NCIS” and “NCIS: New Orleans” on TV from 2014-19, was in the third installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise – “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift” – in 2006 as Sean Boswell, had a cameo in “Furious 7” and will have another in the upcoming ninth movie slated to be released this summer.
“The other day we got to teach the First Tee kids, and that was fun, just watching them hit balls and try to help them with a few tips,” Black said Saturday. “They recognized me mainly from Tokyo Drift. A lot of the youngsters have seen the Fast and Furious franchise.”
Black also played quarterback Mike Winchell in the movie version of “Friday Night Lights” in 2004.
After an even-par first round in Friday’s first round, Bowden shot a 4-under 68 to move up into the top 25.
“Lucas and I have been friends for 13, 15 years, something like that,” Bowden said. “He caddied for another buddy of mine, Jason Schultz, back at the Wayne Gretzky event a long time ago, and we just kept in touch and have grown really close as buddies and brothers in Christ and just enjoying each other’s company.
“This is the maiden voyage (with Black as his caddie). We spoke a lot on the phone, and I help him with his golf swing from time to time.”
Black and Bowden would see one another at the BMW charity pro-am in Greenville, South Carolina, regularly. They’d play practice rounds, and also were paired together.
“I hit him up on the phone, ‘Hey, give me some tips, what do I need to do, what do I got to do. I’m feeling this, what do you think?'” Black said.
Black said he is practicing a lot with his boys, especially after finishing his stint as Special Agent Christopher Lasalle on “NCIS: New Orleans” in 2019.
“I’ve got a lot more time to get back out there, and I’m learning a lot out here,” Black said. “Craig is teaching me a lot, so it’s awesome.”
“I’m teaching him how to hit it short and keep it in play,” Bowden joked.
Black played golf in high school in Alabama, and also was golfer Luke Chisholm in the movie “Seven Days in Utopia” in 2011.
“I love the game,” he said. “I think you’ve got to use your imagination, or at least I do, around the short game area, and I think it kind of feeds into acting, too. You can create something and create shots.
“You only get one take in golf. You might get multiple takes in front of a camera, but that’s good, just accepting the challenge and it’s a fun game. I love it.”
from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3dp7mtV