Local golf: They are the sons of a golf gun

No, the 21-time PGA Tour winner wasn't in the middle of trying to win a tournament.

He was watching sons Travis and Tucker compete in a Future Collegians World Tour event at The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

Wadkins, who turns 54 and lives in Dallas, has been a little surprised that his 16- and 11-year-old sons have taken up his game.

"It's just a kick, man, how lucky my boys are to play golf," he said. "I haven't pushed them. It's what they wanted to do. I was always a big baseball fan. I wanted them to play baseball. They wanted golf.

"I'm not sure how good of a spectator I am. They kind of wear me out a little bit, watching them."

The FCWT is a junior tour with tournaments all over the country, and players from all over too. On Saturday and Sunday, 90 golfers competed in four age divisions: boys 11-12, 13-15 and 16-18 and girls 13-18.

Tucker Wadkins finished second out of three players in the boys 11-12 age group with a 36-hole total of 166, six shots behind winner Austin Wolf of Lititz, Pa.

Two area players competed in the boys 16-18 division. Michael York and Carl Santos-Ocampo each finished with 154 totals, well back of winner Chad Koschmann of Lake Forest, Ill., who had a 141. Travis Wadkins struggled to a 168.

These days, the elder Wadkins has been watching more golf than playing, whether it be his sons or the golfers on the PGA Tour. He replaced former Marco Island resident Ken Venturi as CBS Sports' lead golf analyst two years ago. That has caused a balancing act between working and playing. This year, he only played in 10 Champions Tour events.

"I would've liked to have played more," he said. "It gets where every time I get to start playing well, I can't go play for two months (because of TV duties)."

Wadkins won his Champions Tour debut in Naples back in the 2000 ACE Group Classic, winning a four-way playoff with Tom Watson, Walter Hall and Jose Maria Canizares at Pelican Marsh Golf Club.

However, Wadkins was not able to play in the tournament because of TV and that will once again be the case in 2004. The PGA Tour's Buick Invitational in San Diego, which CBS telecasts, is the same week as The ACE Group Classic.

"I would to play, especially since I won here," said Wadkins, who will get to play in the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in Tampa the following week.

Wadkins' TV schedule has allowed him to spend more time with his family. Since he does TV primarily on weekends for CBS, except for The Masters and PGA Championship, he's at home during the week.

"That gives me a lot of time with them and that's good," he said.

Wadkins, who was just in Naples for CBS for the Franklin Templeton Shootout on Nov. 15-16, planned on staying in town for Thanksgiving and spending more time with his family, playing golf.

"Now all of our vacations are golf," he said. "It always used to be work for me. Now it's the other way around."