NISKAYUNA — Blaine McCallister may be as close as the Capital Region comes to claiming a former PGA Tour player as one of its own.
McCallister, a Houston native who proudly wore logos of his struggling Astros on his apparel Tuesday for the Charity Skins Game at Mohawk Golf Club, has made annual trips to the area since 1993. That was the start of the Capital Region Skins Game, which lasted for 16 years.
He was around two weeks ago for the “Jonesy” benefit at Capital Hills. McCallister is a frequent guest at the Double-H Ranch fundraiser at Sagamore.
At 64, he has declared himself officially retired from competition after a career that included five PGA Tour victories and more than $5 million in earnings.
“I don’t have to play golf anymore,” said McCallister, who served as on-course host for Tuesday’s event. “I played (Monday). It was my ninth round of golf in 2023. Last year I played 16 rounds.”
Does he miss it? “No. … Do you know the work ethic you put in for 40-something years? I didn’t want to go do it. It was easy. I looked at my wife and said, ‘It’s your time.’ ”
“Blaine’s still very good,” said Chris DiMarco, one of the Skins Game participants. “He’s just reached a point where he doesn’t want to do it anymore. He obviously doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody in this membership because he’s been here so many times, he’s probably played with all the members anyway.”
Golf wasn’t the top priority Tuesday, something McCallister and the four competitors — DiMarco, Billy Andrade, Tim Herron and Rocco Mediate — fully understand.
“It’s all about raising money,” McCallister said. “If you’re going to put forth the effort of doing it, you want something to be a cause. The cause this week is the Boys’ and Girls’ Club.”
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