Mauney, just four months into his first year on the tour, has heard all about it. It was something Mauney, a Charlotte native, did on his 50th birthday after two years of prodding from his wife, Gaynell, and he's waiting to see if anyone else joins him. I've told them the moment I win, I'm putting one in the other ear. However, the learning curve Mauney encountered on the Senior Tour was steeper than he expected. Mauney did it to hit softer shots into the tour's firm greens and it has worked well.
Every course is a new one and there's something to being comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
More than once, Mauney has missed a makeable putt because of a misread and thought to himself how players with more experience would have saved themselves a stroke. As comfortable as the Senior Tour is, there are different pressures on Mauney than on the circuit's more established stars. He needs to finish among the top 31 money winners this year to retain his full playing privileges. That's always in the back of Mauney's mind, and too often bogeys come with dollar signs attached. Unlike some players who made enough money during their time on the regular tour to relax about their financial future, Mauney's portfolio is very much a work in progress.