Sam Burns was playing in his eighth PGA Tour event at the Honda Classic and was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round.
So that was different, especially on the first tee.
"I don't even remember feeling the club in my hands," he said. "It was like everything was numb."
The rest of the day was normal golf, normal conversations with one of the most famous athletes in the world. Burns said he settled down on the third hole, and it showed. He played bogey-free for a 68 and tied for eighth, two shots ahead of Woods.
Two sets of numbers stood out at the end of the week.
Burns moved up to No. 388 in the world ranking. Woods moved up to No. 389.
And while Burns was nervous and excited about the pairing, so were his friends. He checked his phone after the round and had 448 text messages. That's not likely to happen no matter whom he plays with next week at Innisbrook.
Pizza plans
So long Papa John's, hello Pizza Hut.
The NFL announced a multiyear marketing deal with Pizza Hut on Wednesday, one day after the league and Papa John's said they mutually agreed to cut ties. The league's relationship with Papa John's frayed last year when the pizza-maker's founder John Schnatter criticized NFL leadership over national anthem protests by players.
The Louisville, Ky.-based Papa John's said it will remain in football through marketing deals with 22 of the league's 32 teams.
Pizza Hut said its marketing partnership with the NFL will begin with the league's April 2018 draft in Arlington, Texas, just miles from the pizza restaurant's headquarters in Plano.
Flag on the play
The NFL Network is getting into the flag football business.
The American Flag Football League announced Wednesday that its inaugural season-ending tournament this summer will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
The network will televise 11 games from the U.S. Open of Football Tournament, capped by the championship between the best pro team and the top amateur team July 19.
The AFFL is holding a 132-team, single-elimination tournament for its first season.
There will be 128 amateur teams and four pro teams led by former NFL players Michael Vick, Chad Johnson and Justin Forsett; former NBA players Nate Robinson and Carlos Boozer; and Olympic champion Michael Johnson.
Bad medicine
Canadian curler Brent Laing, to the Winnipeg Sun, after a Russian counterpart failed a doping test at the Winter Olympics: "Beer and Advil, those are the only painkillers I've ever heard of for curling. I imagine it wasn't that. Hopefully not, or else I'm in trouble."
Sports on 03/01/2018