The Jimmy Williams Story (All Heart)-Sunday, -Golf With Jay Delsing

This is golf with Jay Delsingh. A two-time college All-American at UCLA. A participant in nearly 700 PGA Tour events.

Seven professional wins to his credit. Over 30 years of professional golf experience. This is Golf with Jay Delsingh. Hey, good morning.

This is Golf with Jay Delsingh. I'm your host, Jay. I got Pearly with me. Pearly, good morning. What's happening? Nothing much, Jay. How are you doing? You know what? I'm doing fine, thanks.

I'm doing fine. We formatted a show like a round of golf and the opening section is the On the Range segment and it's brought to you by our friends at the Gateway section of the PGA. We appreciate their support. Over 300 men and women across our area. That means so much for us too.

Help support the game. Make our golf experience better. And boy, we just had, it's just now starting to get cold in the Midwest. They have had a long year. I saw the boys the other day over in Norwood. They were dragging. It was 80 degrees out and the golf course was full and all the members and everything were happy and they were working their butts off. But I could tell they were tired so they're not going to be too mad when it gets a little colder like it is now.

I imagine the end of the season for these guys after they just work their butts off all year long. Oh yeah, I know John. It's a tough one. And we also give away a dozen TP5 golf balls each week to one lucky listener. Send me an email. Jay at jdelsongolf.com spelled JAY out on both sides of that email address and put in the subject matter ball somewhere and you will be entered to get a free dozen golf balls. I had an interview this week with 13 year old Jimmy Williams. I just, he's a new friend. He's a heart transplant recipient but gosh, just a rock star human being at such an early age. He shows so much, oh my gosh, the superlatives. I don't want to get too gushy here but he just shows so much character and so much wisdom and so much whatever at 13 years old. It's just impressive to me. So much poise. Yeah, I think we talked to him once before and I'm really looking forward to the updates because I know it's, I'm hoping it's good stuff.

Yeah, no, absolutely. Very positive stuff. So Pearl, let's break down some of the stuff that's happened in the last week or so. First of all, and this has flown largely under the radar to me at least, Tony Feenau goes off again, gets his third win in 2022. And you know, John, this guy is quietly moving up the world golf rankings. He is quietly becoming one of the true forces on the PGA Tour to be reckoned with. And what's interesting, John, is that his game has always gone the way his putter's gone for the most part. But it looks to me like he's found something out because he's come out of the gate strong and just kind of put these events away early. Well, he certainly did this one and he listened to quite a bit of this. I didn't watch much of it but I've been traveling quite a bit so I was listening to it on the radio. And he took it to him on this week. The weather was tough, it was windy, the course was tough, and this guy's just absolutely pounding it and shooting some numbers just kind of lapping the field. And when you get a three or four shot lead on the field after a couple rounds on the tour, that's pretty unusual. It's pretty special stuff.

I'm with you. He's mild-mannered, he's got his life in order, he's a family guy, he's a nice guy, I've met him just a little bit, and I see nothing but blue skies for this guy going forward. Yeah, no, there's no question about it. It's interesting, John, what confidence looks like, isn't it? When you get these guys that are already great players, and here's a guy up until recently, I think, John, he's only won one time. I know this is his fifth win, he had one kind of in there, kind of hitchhiking in there somewhere, but that confidence goes a long, long way. He is an easy-going guy, so he always looks kind of just unflappable, but he absolutely crushes the ball off the tee.

Well, I think the confidence goes a long way, and like you and I have talked about, when you've got, I don't know, 5, 10, 20, 30 million in the bank, that helps the confidence, too. And as you said, and as we learned from the last two weeks, last week's show, distance helps out there on the tour, and he's got plenty of that. And what an interesting swing that he's got to have that distance. Because when you watch it from a distance, it's a wonderful swing, but you wouldn't think he necessarily crushes it. He crushes it. And it's also what I love about his swing, John, is it kind of disproves that fallacy that's been going on that you need to be parallel to hit it a long way. I mean, he is short and really right on to the ball. Yep, sure is.

Yeah, anyway, so that was interesting. You know, hats off to my buddy Stephen Alker. The New Zealander comes out for his first year on the Champions Tour and absolutely just whips everybody's ass. He winds up finishing third in the tournament this week at the Phoenix Country Club. Padraig Harrington just went bananas at, what, 27 under, John?

Something like that? Just a ridiculous score. I mean, I've played Phoenix Country Club. You have as well. It's not the hardest golf course in town, but 27 under? Come on.

Yeah. And Padraig Harrington really had another super, super solid year, but Stephen Alker winds up winning the season-long Schwab competition. And you've got to take your hat off to him because he's basically been kind of in the witness protection program for the last 10, 12, 15 years. Oh, and a journeyman at best ever, but he's absolutely turned it on. You know, once again, get a little confidence, get a little comfort, find your comfort zone, and really have the desire to play, which he certainly seems to have that.

And he takes it to him. It's pretty impressive. Yeah, really solid, really solid guy. It's great to see. All right, Pearl, the last thing we're going to touch on, and this is golf with Jay Delsing. We were on the range, the on the range segment.

And Roger Mulpey and Gary Koch, John, with NBC Sports Golf Team, their services were no longer required. What were your thoughts? Well, you know what? It's always going to come. It's always going to come around, isn't it? You know, it's one of my thoughts, the changing of the guard, a new era.

I don't know. For me, Jay, it gets a little tough. I kind of get used to voices, used to perspective, used to tradition. And it's a little hard when they start throwing some of the new guys in there. Oh, because the new guys feel like they got to bring something new and maybe a little different and a little edgy and some stuff like that.

And so then we got to kind of decide if we can warm up to that. You know, Johnny Miller walked away from it several years ago, and we had to get used to Paul Asinger, which I think is fairly easy to do. But I was always a Miller fan just because I liked the way he oh, he kind of kind of stirred the pot and stuff.

And I just I like that. I like the fact that he was a superstar player himself and had quite a perspective. You know, Roger Mulpey, his friend of yours, I got to meet him through you several times.

Actually, I worked with him and assisted him at several Ryder Cups. And he ran me around like a hound dog. Because Roger wasn't going to move a whole lot. Roger wasn't into that much moving. There was nothing quick about Roger, but he was good at what he did. He obviously knew the game inside and out and extremely well coordinated with Johnny Miller and our buddy Tom Randolph.

So, you know, and I always thought that Gary Koch was just rock solid. You know, I appreciate the way that he handled things. It wasn't about him. It was about the players. It was about the golf course. It was about the events.

So I don't know. I guess I'll be interested to see what's coming down the pike. And I'm not going to shed a tear per se, but it is a changing of the guard. And I don't know, I'm going to miss it a little bit. Well, and you know, it's interesting, John, because Costas and McCord out several years ago at CBS, and you know, it is this changing of the guard.

And there's just a, for me, there's a staleness. And Roger Mulpe is a great guy. I remember seeing Roger about 10 years ago, and he had gained a little weight.

And I said, how you doing? He said, hell, if I can gain another 10 pounds, I'll be a perfect circle. And he had gotten pretty big. But he is a character and a hell of a good player.

Pearl, he actually absolutely led the money list one year and had five wins on the PGA Tour. And I can, I'll never forget when NBC came a calling and said to him, you know, we want to give you this contract. And he looked at me and he said, well, I don't have to worry about trying to hit this damn two iron anymore.

And I said, why not? And he goes, because I'm going to work for TV. And that was the first time that anyone had that I knew of that I had been around long enough to see someone go from playing to the to the television.

But, you know, John, there just weren't that many opportunities to do that. And so it was a very interesting move for Roger. And I think a good one. I mean, I know he made a lot of money. I think he did a really nice job. He definitely had his own style. And I agree with you with Gary Koch. I mean, Gary was, is almost kind of a linguist. He very, very sharp guy.

I think very respectful, but still called it like it was. You know, I have to say the thing I remember about Roger Maltby as a player was he would dress a little bit flashy. And one time I was up working the Canadian Open up at Essex Golf Course in Windsor, Ontario. And he hit he hit a ball off the tee and hit a tree. Then he hit another tree, then he hit another tree. And all of a sudden the club started flinging all over the place.

The clubs were hitting trees and the expletives were flying all over the place. And I can remember go like, Who is this guy? Oh, yeah, Roger. You know, found him. You know, found him in the bar drinking a Michelob, man.

He was on the Michelob staff and he was he was a true blue supporter and a character. You know, that's going to wrap up the front line. Let's do the tip of the cap. The tip of the cap is brought to you by my friends at the Dean team. Volkswagen of Kirkwood and Colin Burt three one four nine six six zero three zero three. Colin's a great guy. John's got a Colin vehicle. I have a Colin vehicle. My daughter, Joe, had a Colin vehicle.

Just terrific. If you want, I can introduce you personally to Colin. Just email me J at J. Delsing golf dot com. I am tipping my cap to the Colin Burns of the word world to dirty business solutions. It is our title sponsor. So this golf with J. Delsing show is brought to you by dirty business solutions.

We've got Marcon. We've got Pro-Am golf. We've got vehicle assurance.

And Sherry Smith, who's just a rock star human being. We've got Powers Insurance Agency and our buddies, Tim Davis, Whitmore Country Club. John has been with us from the very, very, very beginning as some health. The guys that helped me with my knee. We just have a really good group that we really appreciate. I mentioned the guys at Marcon. We did this Marcon viewing deck this past year at the Ascension Charity Classic, which was a huge hit. And, John, I don't know if you know this or not, but I got officially last Friday, got an exemption into the next year's tournament.

2023. I'll be playing at Norwood. Do I get in? No, you want to?

Yeah. You got to get in shape. Well, listen, you get in shape on the front nine because it's going to wrap up the underage segment. But don't go back. Don't go away.

Pearly and I'll be right back. This is Golf with J. Delsing. How would you like access to 90 holes of golf? Well, that's what happens when you join at Whitmore Country Club. You get access to the Missouri Bluffs, the links to Dardeen and the Golf Club of Wentzville.

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The front nine is coming up. I love having Daugherty Business Solutions as the title sponsor of the Golf with Jay Delsing show. You already know that they're the number one largest IT consulting firm and the largest software developer in the St. Louis region. You also know that there are over 2,500 Daugherty teammates in 30 states and three countries around the world. What you may not be aware of is what Daugherty Business Solutions does right here in our own community. They were the sponsor for the first Advocate PGA event at Glen Echo this past September. Daugherty Business Solutions was also a presenting sponsor of the Ascension Charity Classic. They have created Access Point, which builds diversity in the IT workforce. This is a game changer in our community. Literally hundreds of mostly young African American women are getting $50,000 to $60,000 per year jobs right out of high school.

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These are just a few examples of the positive things Daugherty Business Solutions is doing right now in our community. Golf with Jay Delsing here. I'm Jay, he's Pearly, and we are headed to the front nine brought to you by the Ascension Charity Classic. That's right. September 5th through 10th, 2023 Norwood Hills.

Best players in the world over 50. They will be there. I'm going to be there. Pearly's going to be there.

You got to come out and give us a little bit of give us some grief. I've got an interview with keep this in mind, folks. 13 year old Jimmy Williams, who is now a best selling author with the Amazon Book Club. He is a heart transplant recipient at the age of 11.

He is a public speaker. He is the poster child for homeless for health down with Matt Holiday at Cardinal Glennon Hospital. Lives down in Jackson, Missouri, and a friend of mine and a fun interview. So please enjoy that interview. The way that you and I met, I had a friend here in St. Louis that told me there was a young guy down at Cardinal Glennon Hospital that wasn't feeling too too well.

He was a big golf fan. And could I, you know, go over and say hi to him and see if I could cheer him up a little bit? And I was like, yeah, for sure. We could do that. That's kind of how we met.

But let's go back a little bit and talk a little bit about your life before that, Jimmy. So you guys had just moved from Tennessee to Jackson, Missouri, right? Yep. Yep.

And gosh, that was a big deal for you because that's where your dad grew up. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'd always wanted to be a Jackson Indian. And so talk a little bit about what Jackson's like for people in St. Louis is just down the road a little bit, but they may not know much about Jackson.

Yeah. So Jackson, it's just a huge all around just sports town, man. So everywhere you go, it's all sports. We have a great football community. It's just a huge sports town and a little me.

I mean, I just love that. I love sports my entire life. And that's really just and my dad took me down there and the football games, the basketball games. Every game you go to, even the junior high games, they just have a great atmosphere. And it's like Jackson really rallies around their sports communities. And it's a very small town.

And it's just awesome. Okay. And how old are you when you moved to Jackson? I was six years old.

Six years old. Okay, cool. And so you play in all sports. I mean, as you say, you are truly a sportsman.

You love them all. You've even wrestled and baseball, the whole thing, football. Yeah. Yeah, I played football. I mean, I even swam. That's how much of a I mean, I swam, played football, wrestling, golf, baseball. I mean, I did everything soccer.

I was just a sports guy. Yeah, that's awesome. And so let's fast forward a little bit to the Junior World event. You and your dad go on a really cool golf trip and you are really taken to golf at this time, aren't you? Yeah.

Yeah. We had just right before that, me and my dad decided to go on a trip. And it was kind of like our little pre-trial almost to see if I was really ready to go down there and compete in such a big tournament. And so we made our way up through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and finally made it to Cincinnati. And when we were in Cincinnati, my dad was selling a truck. And as he was selling it, they were like on the lot and I ended up throwing up and that was like the first time we'd ever experienced anything.

Like we really we were wondering if I was going to be sick or not. And so we made our way back. And that entire time going up through Ohio and Cincinnati, I'd been playing golf tournaments all the time. I was just going around.

I was playing these different golf courses. And once we got back to Jackson, Missouri, and we kind of just shrugged the throwing up thing in Ohio off and my dad asked me, I was like, so do you want to do this? And obviously me, I was like, yeah, man, I really want to do it. So, yeah, like two or three days later, we made it.

We were driving down to Orlando. And man, I was I was just really excited. And the days, even my pre rounds, I didn't feel good, but I was just so excited and nervous that I just I mean, I just thought it was the nerves because I can still remember the feeling before the first tee. I mean, I was literally shaking, holding the club, like shaking like you can like tell it. So, yeah, I was just I was just really nervous.

And it was just yeah, it was it was an awesome experience that I learned from it. OK, so now we're talking about right around the June timeframe of 2019, I think, right? Yeah. Yeah. OK. And we and I don't know for any folks that have ever been to Orlando in June, but it's Africa hot down there. Right. I mean, it is super hot. Yeah, I think I remember even playing in the tournament.

And I mean, you know, my mom, she was she was concerned. And so, like, we had these like water rags on the what they called like toad things. There are some for baseball.

I don't know. And they have like those little water things. And you can just rub them all around your face when you get really hot. And we use the crap out of those things, man. Yeah.

We're a lifesaver. Yeah. I think before the day, I mean, it's like my tea time is at like seven thirty. So it's really early in the morning and it's already maybe ninety two degrees. I mean, just ridiculous.

And then by the middle of the ground, by the middle of the round, it's like maybe one hundred and one. I mean, it's just crazy, man. And it's humid, man. It's humid.

It's not like there's a lot of breeze blowing in Orlando in the summertime. It is a meltdown. Well, so now describe describe a little bit to our listeners how you felt. So was it kind of like feeling flu like? Is it something you had never felt before? But because of the tournament, you just kind of shrugged it off and kept plowing through.

Yeah. So honestly, I think that since I was in such a big tournament that I really shrugged it off and dealt with it really well. And even though it was like a hard thing that we didn't know at the time, like I didn't feel anything like with my heart, which is honestly kind of weird. But I was just really nauseous before the rounds, like even in the book, it says I threw up on the practice green before my second round. And I was just really nervous and I was throwing up like acid because I wasn't eating anything. And I was just severely I was just severely nauseous. I didn't have like a runny nose or any really bad headaches. But I remember like I couldn't sleep at night.

It was so bad. And I could get out there and go play some golf and play golf. You did. I mean, you wind up finishing third in the Hurricane World Junior. And that was I mean, I don't want to overplay this, but a heroic effort. Because shortly after you guys drive back, go to Jackson and you get life changing news. Yeah.

Yeah. So we were driving back and it was around the first like day of school around when we got back. We went to a few doctor's appointments and it was my first day of school, but not only was it my first day of school, it was my first day of middle school.

So it wasn't a whole completely new building. I was in fifth grade and I was really excited to go. So, I mean, I was feeling awful that morning. I can remember I was begging to go.

So I ended up going and it was just awful. Like I could barely walk through the hallway. And then in seventh period, I finally broke and I threw up all over the floor.

It was really embarrassing. And so, yeah, after that, the nurse sent me I mean, my teacher sent me to the nurse and my mom came and picked me up. We went to another doctor's appointment.

I kind of shrugged it off, you know. And then the second day I went I went back again and I tried to just battle it out. And as I was walking in the hallway, one of my science teachers stopped by and she just said, man, you look really pale and you have like big dark circles under your eyes and good enough. She sent me to the nurse. And then from the nurse, when my mom told her that they didn't really do anything about it. Yesterday, the nurse went ahead and go.

She said that we ought to go ahead and go to their emergency room. And then when we got to the emergency room, they did a few I think they did some tests on me, like a blood for all or something. And after that, they still didn't know what it was. So they set me up to Cardinal Glennon. And then once we got to Cardinal Glennon, they took me back into this office, into this room. And they shocked my heartbeat and checked my pulse and everything like that.

And they could see that it was really, really high. And then they took me into an X-ray room. And once they did the X-ray, they did an X-ray of my upper body. And then right then they found out my heart.

I mean, it was really, really big and just like overwhelmingly big. And so and then they found that I had 16 percent heart function. And then that's really when we got the news and that's really how it all transpired. So you're going through the stress of a golf tournament, 100 plus degree temperatures, all of this stuff.

And you've got 16 percent of your heart capacity working for you. Yeah. Yeah.

If I. Obviously, I didn't know, but I just even looking back, it's like kind of a chip on my shoulder and it's like, yeah, I did that. You know, so it's it's cool. It's cool to think about, you know, and like I can even remember that I can remember looking back and like remembering how bad I felt like if that was me now.

I mean, there's no way, man, I would have been like, oh, my God, get me to a hospital right now. Well, I mean. No, go ahead, buddy. I'm sorry.

No, you're good. I mean, I just feel awful. Yeah, I can't believe I can't believe I played, you know, but the experiences that you've been through. So, gosh, so you find out that you need a heart transplant. I can't even imagine.

Getting that sort of news. Yeah, it was. I didn't really know how to react, honestly, because I mean, I was a healthy kid a week ago.

I mean, that's what I thought. You know, we knew I'd been sick for a while. And then when they told me that, man, they were going to get the elevated surgery and I was just I was completely took my life storm. I didn't even really have time to react almost. So, you know, you think I would have been like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I hardly I didn't really have time to think other than in the apartment and by the apartment. I mean, maybe after I got out of the hospital and maybe a month into the apartment, I was just thinking about golf, golf, man. And I was wanting to get back out there on that course. And I knew the only way that I was going to be able to do that is by getting that heart transplant. So I was I was scared, nervous.

And I was also like a little bit urgent. OK, that's going to wrap up the front nine and the first half of our Jimmy Williams interview. John and I'll be right back with the back nine and more of that interview.

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314-647-8054 or you can visit them at ProAmGolfUSA.com. All right. We are going to the conclusion of my interview with 13-year-old top selling author, Jimmy Williams. I remember setting up a time to get together with you and your dad. We are going to P.F.

Chang's over in the sun. And I grabbed Mr. Bernie Federko's Stanley Cup ring. What a superhuman being. And I told him your story and he's like, oh, my gosh, you know, give him the ring.

He could absolutely, you know, take it. And then, Jimmy, we're sitting there having lunch and we're playing with the ring and we're just cutting up and acting weird and fun and having a good time. And all of a sudden, your dad's phone rings.

Yeah. The phone rang and we were just sitting there and we were just talking. And let me go back a little bit. Before me and my dad even got there, we were talking. They're like, when are we ever going to get this heart, man? It was like when we just started to kind of lose hope.

You're like, I mean, I don't know if we're ever going to get this dang thing, man. And then, obviously, right there at PF Chang's, my dad got the call and you could see he kind of started to tear up a little bit. He kind of, I don't remember, he gave us some like hand gestures that kind of signified. He was like, yeah, we got the heart. And then he went to the bathroom and talked to my mom for maybe 10, 15 minutes. And that time, me and Jay, we were just talking and we were like, oh, my gosh. This seemed like, it seemed like an hour.

It seemed like two hours. I'm like, is this going to be it? Like, what do we do? I've never been through anything like this before. And I'm sitting with you and we got the Stanley Cup ring and we have food and the ring is in the box and nobody's eating. You know, we were just.

Yeah. I mean, it's just a crazy thing, you know, like you can't even focus on one thing. It's just, and then he came out of the bathroom and then he was like, yeah, we got the heart. We need to pack up our stuff and get ready for tomorrow.

He's like, we already called the sisters and told them to get up here. And I was like, man, that's just crazy. It was a great time to have the call. Great time. Oh, my gosh. I felt so privileged to share that with you. But but then anyway, so you go through this surgery and I mean, this is.

Oh, my gosh. Obviously, I can't even I don't know the words to describe how I know that it's super, super lengthy. It's almost 10 or 12 hours or something like that. Isn't it, Jimmy? And just a massive undertaking.

Then I can remember visiting you a couple of days after. And it was almost like it just seemed like a miracle to me. Yeah.

Yeah. It honestly was because even during the surgery, the surgery wasn't initially going to take that long. It took exactly 13 hours. But during the surgery, they had to delay it because two kids, two little babies, they both needed liver transplants. And so they ended up getting a guy's liver and splitting it in half and giving it to both the babies right during my surgery. So they kind of had to delay mine.

And then they did mine. And then I mean, I woke up and I just felt a surge of energy. You know, it was like getting an extreme blood transfusion. You know, I just yeah, I felt great. And then my I just felt great. And I was a lot more energized. And it was just awesome. And I wanted to eat more. So it was like everything was going everything was going good.

And I made such a fast recovery. It was just awesome. So Jimmy, talk a little bit about the experience with those nurses and the special people down at Cardinal Glennon. Yeah, I mean, they're awesome. Like, they're they're the best people that you could ever know. I mean, they're just awesome. The kindness and the the heart that it takes for another human being to do that as a profession.

You know, you and I both wanted to grow up and be golfers in it. You know, that that takes a certain amount of courage. But it's an entirely different sort of human being to donate and and to give forth so much of their time and effort to just helping someone else feel better. Yeah, yeah. I mean, they they're truly just special people. And then the way they cared for me was just awesome.

I mean, they did everything they could. And even in the book, Mary Grace, she used to give me Chick-fil-A in the morning. And yeah, and like video games and they even had some VR headsets that I looked through and it was just awesome. And I had a night nurse that I think her name was Lee. And I remember one night, like I was really, really thirsty and everything I drank. And they had that they had some weird sprite and it was Sierra Mist or something like that. I hate it.

She ended up going to Chick-fil-A like that night and getting some like ice cold lemonade. So, I mean, the nurses, they just really special. They just careful. Yeah, yeah, they are their angels. Absolutely. So you just mentioned your book. And I just am so glad to know you and so proud of some of the things you've done. I know you've done some motivational speaking. I've actually heard you do some of this stuff.

I know you got to play in the Ascension charity classic program last year. And I know I'm all over the place with the order here. Let's put the book on hold just for a second. Let's talk a little bit about there's something about you that I said to your mom and dad that I noticed changed once you got the new heart. And there is this monumental desire within this little 13-year-old person that you become to give back.

Yeah, yeah. When I was there, I'm really fortunate to just have a great family that really cared for me. And when we were in there, I mean, we'd see kids and that it really showed you how special the nurses are. And the all the nurses and they would just be caring for them and the parents wouldn't be there. There'd be no family to really care for them at all. Give them anything.

Give them any snacks. So when I was in there and I was thinking, I mean, this is really and I was like, this is really hard for me. And I have a great family to support me and everything that we're doing. So imagine how hard it is for some of these other kids that don't have any family.

They don't have any moral support or anything like that. So once I got out of the hospital, I really reflected on that and how grateful that I should be for having such a great family. So what I did was I ended up starting a Jimmy's toy drive that donates toys to the hospital every year on October 1st. And we've just increasingly progressed on the toys.

And it's just awesome. I mean, we give two to three toys to every kid in the hospital and they love it. And I think it really just anything that can help brighten their day for maybe 10 minutes or even like five seconds. You know, anything helps.

And I can remember I mean, obviously we aren't going to be able to give all the kids Stanley Cups. But when I was in there, the Stanley Cup, I mean, it really like boosted my more my morale almost. You know, it gave me a little bit of hope. And it was like these people like really care about me, you know, and I need to fight through this for them. So, yeah.

Yeah. I think if we can help boost some of those kids in the hospital that aren't as fortunate to have such a great family like I did. We can really help them get through it.

And I know you've gotten a total over a thousand toys and I know you're not stopping anytime soon. And how about your your relationship with Matt Holiday, the Homers for Health and that whole program? Because I see on the TV, I see it down at Busch Stadium. I know you threw out the first pitch. I mean, it just keeps going here. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's just awesome. I've seen him two times tonight. I have this picture of me and I'm I'm standing up there with my jacket and everything.

I'm not holding. I'm just proud as ever, you know. And Matt, he's just a really cool guy. He's a big dude, too, Jimmy. Holy smokes. I mean, his biceps are as big as my head. Yeah. He's a big man. He's huge.

I mean, I wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised if he still played MLB. It looks like he could. Oh, he's so. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. He's just an awesome guy, man. He's awesome.

He's the best. And then it's OK. So let's talk just a little bit about your book. You are absolutely a number one bestseller on the Amazon. Amazon dot com book list. And your book is called Attitude of Grace.

I love the picture on the cover. I'm going to guess that you're on the second hole at Torrey Pines. Oh, yeah. And you got it. How about that? I looked at that.

I'm like, he's played Torrey Pines. One of my favorite places. That's so cool. Yeah.

So I remember even thinking about that. There's like another hole. I don't really remember if it's four or five, but there's a hole that looks just like it.

Just look out like the coastline. I remember it like we got up to some hole and it looked just like the hole on number two. I don't know if I'm like daydreaming or something.

No, no, you're right, because number two and number five run the same way. And so, yeah. Yeah. Gosh, it's it's a great cover. And so tell people how they can buy the book and where we I'm in the middle. I'm about two thirds of the way finished reading it. It is such a fast read.

I can't wait to read it again. It's really fun. Yeah. Yeah. I've read the book already.

Like sometimes, man. So it's a great book and you can purchase it on Amazon. Amazon books and you just type in attitude of grace and it's right there by Jimmy Williams. So, buddy, tell us how you came up with the title.

I know your dad may have had some influence to and your mom, but tell us how that came about. Yeah. So an attitude of grace is basically just God giving you the strength and the humbleness to really endure anything. And when you get in that hospital and it's like in sports, you can really do something about it.

You know, you throw a bad pass, you make a bad shot or you miss a really easy putt. You know, you can do something about it and you can fix your stroke or whatever. And in that hospital, you just can't do anything and you've got to give. And then you've got to give God all the power and you just got to trust in what he's doing.

And just give God all the power and give him all the glory. And that is awesome, my friend. That is awesome. So tell us what's next on the horizon for a young 13 year old that's already an author, a number one best selling author and a great athlete. What do you what do you got going on? Yeah, I'm dreaming big, man. So I'm hoping to get a few more huge speaking engagements. I'm really looking forward to going down there and spring training and going to see all the guys on the baseball team. That'll be really fun. I'm looking to go.

Do you want to go? Oh, yeah, I'm just I'm just dreaming big, man. So absolutely. That's what we do.

Yeah, that's what we do. Well, Jimmy, thank you so much for the time. Thank you for the friendship. Thank you for it's hard for me.

I'm 62 years old. I'm going to tell you. Thanks for being such a leader with with your attitude with you know, things could have gone a lot of different ways. Your attitude could have been different.

There's a lot of things that could have been different. And what you've done has been a great example for everyone. Thank you. Thank you.

All right, Pearl. That wraps up the Jimmy Williams interview. What's the first thing that came to your mind? I mean, my head was swimming when I finished that interview. Well, the word poise is what comes to mind when I think of that interview. It's so hard to believe 13 years old the way he handled himself in your conversation.

13. What were you doing when you think about that, John? It would have been idiot. No one would have. No one would have talked to us, or at least me. No, no, I'm sure.

I'm sure me either. Anyway, I loved it. I loved his poise. I loved his excitement.

I think you and him obviously I can see why your friends, you guys just connect. I love that he's just kind of gone to the next level. I mean, it blew me away when he started to talk about he's a public speaker. So that's just so much fun.

But who better than to be a public speaker than somebody that's gone through what he's gone through. And the passion that he's got and the energy that he's got. Just fantastic. That's just amazing. All right, that's going to wrap up the back nine.

But don't go anywhere. Pearly and I have more nuggets for you on the 19th hole. This is Golf with Jay Nelson. I am proud to welcome the Gateway section of the PGA back to my show. Whether you're pulling into your favorite driving range, public golf course or country club, there is an excellent chance that the staff there is part of the over 300 men and women PGA professionals at over 100 facilities that make up our Gateway section. I grew up watching so many of these fine men and women getting to the golf course at dawn, leaving at dusk, spending their entire day running events, giving lessons and growing this great game. PGA Reach, Drive Chip and Putt, PGA Hope and the fantastic PGA Junior League are a few of the examples of the programs run by these same PGA professionals. Go to GatewayPGA.org to learn more or to find your next PGA professional for your next lesson, go to PGA.com.

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So guess what? Neither should your insurance coverage. Go to PowersInsurance.com or call 314-725-1414 and ask for Tim Davis. That's PowersInsurance.com. I want to summarize some of the fantastic things that Marcon, your hometown company that is the largest distributor of General Electric compliance parts in North America has done this year. We started out with CEO Jim Sowers donating two service dogs to the wounded service men and women heroes in our country. We followed that up with a raffling of two suites at St. Louis Blues Home Games with Danny Mac and myself and with all of those proceeds headed to the Backstoppers organization. Lastly, the Marcon first responder military police and firefighters viewing deck at the Ascension Charity Classic was a huge success. So much so that this idea and model is being implemented at other PGA Tour Champions events. Thank you Marcon for your support and thank you for your tireless giving in our community. The legends of golf return to St. Louis in 2023.

You won't want to miss one of the strongest fields in golf. Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Bernard Langer, John Daly and many more when they compete for the 2023 Ascension Charity Classic title September 5th through the 10th at historic Norwood Hills Country Club. All proceeds benefit area charities. Together we were able to donate over $1 million to those most in need last year.

Visit ascensioncharityclassic.com. Hello friends, this is Jim Nance and you are listening to golf with my friend Jay Nelson. I've been looking for over three years for the perfect place to be the official 19th hole the golf with Jay Nelson show and this search is over. Please welcome the loading dock to the show. What a great place it is.

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Welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Nelson. I'm your host Jay.

I've got John Perlis. Billy is with me and we're headed to the 19th hole. It's brought to you by our friends at the loading dock in Grafton, Illinois. We love the Allens up there. Guys, get up and see the Allens. They've got a great patio. 618-556-7951. Great people.

Go to graftonloadingdock.com. Alright, John. We've got to break down a little bit more of that interview. One of the things, John, I have had the tremendous good fortune to know a lot of neat people and have some really kick-ass experiences in my life. John, I cannot describe to you what it was like sitting at a table having lunch with he and his father.

Their phone rings and it is the call that changes their life. I nearly broke down. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

I was speechless. I didn't know what to do and I was sitting there going, is this happening? Well, it certainly got real quickly, didn't it? John, I just, you know, we were 13 years old.

He was 11 years old at the time and have that happened to you? I mean, come on. It just, man alive. What we were worrying about was are we going to throw rocks at a school bus today? Are we going to play football or basketball when we go outside? You know, and what are we going to have for lunch?

I mean, to have that thrown on your plate is, that's a whopper. Spectacular things that they can do in medicine these days. Thank goodness for them and we can't take it for granted.

You're always doing tip of the cap. That's the tip of the cap down the road. We've got to come up with the nurses and all the folks that make those stays in the hospital doable because even though it worked out, that's still a tough road, that young boy. And now a young man went through, but boy, it's paying dividends and such an exciting time for him and his family now. Absolutely.

Giving back, giving the toys for the kids and every kid gets a couple of toys for Christmas. I mean, it's absolutely amazing and they're a great family, the Williams family is. All right, John, we've got a couple minutes before we have to wrap up. Pearl, I know you're a huge fan, as I am, of Nellie Korda, but Nellie Korda is world number one again, John.

She won this week. Really an emotional win. And you know, you know, John, as an athlete coming off an injury, and there's always that uncertainty, Pearl, isn't there, on whether or not your game's going to come back and to what degree it's going to come back. For a lot of reasons. The physical reasons, obviously, with the blood clots she had that gets you recovered from that.

But just what you're talking about, Jamie Williams, you have a different perspective. You know, when you're at those situations where it's kind of life-altering or life was at risk, you know, how are you going to handle things going forward? Is golf going to still matter? Is that intensity going to matter? Are you going to be able to give that effort?

That kind of thing. I'm just thrilled that she's come back. Again, we've talked about this many times on your show, but she is such a class act and man, can she play. It is just beautiful to watch her play.

It really is. It's aesthetically beautiful. I mean, she's a nice looking human being, but I'm not talking about that. I am talking about, John, the way that she swings the golf club. Honestly, it reminds me of the first time I saw Tiger Woods and I was like, man, it's like this dude, this woman was created to play golf.

Well, and the swing is wonderful and it's beautiful, like you said, and it's powerful and it's effective. But just the way she attacks it as a technician as well, Jay, as an athlete, it's just the whole package and her intensity. She comes across very mild-mannered, but when it comes to crunch time, she's a killer. Oh, she is a killer. She's an assassin.

She'd gnaw your arm off, no question about it. No question about it. I totally agree with you. It's nice to see, I'm a USA hunk, but I love seeing an American as world number one on the LPGA Pearl. Absolutely.

That's going to be tough to come by because she's surrounded by a bunch of non-USA people, for sure. That ladies tour is truly a world tour. It's impressive. A lot of wonderful players. Hey, I know one thing I wanted to throw out there as long as we're talking about superstar ladies. I watched, I think it was like a 30 for 30 with Annika Sorenstam a couple of weeks ago. I know it's a replay of a replay, but man, what a fun story she's got with her child, her family, what she went through being number one, her career, how she walked away from it, how she's an ambassador to the game now. If anybody gets a chance to watch that, she just has a great story, and what a lady. Again, what's just a nice quality lady, but also an assassin, an absolute tiger on the golf course.

Oh my gosh, John. When Annika was doing her thing, she cut through those fields with precision. She tackled those golf courses. She was long. She putted great. She's a total package. I mean, she's got to go down as probably one of the top five players of all time, don't you think?

Oh, I think she has to, but that's one thing I loved about the story. She did a little bit like Tiger has done. She did a little bit like several great players have done in different sports even. She redid herself about halfway through her career and got way stronger and started hitting the ball further and recommitting to the game completely, because as we know, life gets in the way of your golf game more than once in a career, and it was impressive what she did. I always liked her swing and how she had that big finish, but I guess when she went back and started working out very intensely, which is, I guess, the only way she knew how to do things, she starts hitting the ball 25, 30 yards further. That's a big difference, Jay, when it's not all equipment.

That's a big difference. And then when she went out and played with the guys, what did she play down at Colonial, I think, is what she played. Yep, she did.

Yep. And we'll call it that she was competitive, let's say. But, you know, there again, you're talking about, sure, she's a superstar, but she walked out in front of, into an arena that she was incredibly uncomfortable in, and she still was, we'll call it competitive. I think she missed a cut by two or three shots, something like that.

Yeah, no question about it. I mean, John, you know, it's always, I guess, you know, I was in the middle of my career playing a lot and stuff, and sometimes you just don't realize what you're watching and experiencing. You know, and when you talk about Annika, I feel like I've never really given her her just due, because she was dominant as all hell, and I met her, I got to play with her, and she's extremely impressive. But I just, for me personally, I just probably didn't pay nearly as much attention as I might have at some other time. You were battling yourself. You were out there trying to make things happen as well. I wasn't out there battling.

I was out in my life battling. But, you know, I do appreciate being able to see the film they put together on her, because I did miss most of it, and it is impressive as can be. So it's a fun story if folks get the chance to watch it.

Yeah, absolutely. We're also, you know, we also talked a few weeks back about the John Daly movie. I hope that's in the works, which that'll be an awful lot of fun to watch. And, John, before we sign off on this show, let's give... Is that going to be called Hangover 3 or Hangover 4? Is that what that movie's going to be? I think it's just going to be, yeah, I think there's going to be a Roman numeral at the back end of it. Yeah, like a letter, like an L. What is an L? 50?

I don't know. Maybe that's a C. Whatever. Pearl, that's going to wrap up another show. Love it. Love it. Hey, I didn't even get to do my beer opener tonight. You want to open one now? You're getting good at that. You've got to be good at something. All right. Well, that's going to wrap it up. Folks, we will come back with another show next week. Hit them straight, St. Louis.