Friesz Gets Into Swing At Easley Golf Event

Seattle Seahawks quarterback John Friesz has heard the story before - how former all-pro strong safety Ken Easley used to sneak out of the team’s training camp in Cheney before dawn and play golf at Indian Canyon Golf Course prior to morning workouts.

The temptations of The Canyon could figure into the preseason equation again next month when the Seahawks return to the Eastern Washington University campus for the first time since 1985 to open training camp.

But don’t look for Friesz to be among those hoping to sneak in a few early morning swings especially considering the grueling physical nature of two-a-day practices.

“I wouldn’t even think of trying it,” Friesz said Friday morning at Indian Canyon just prior to the start of Easley’s fifth-annual Celebrity Classic golf tournament. “Sleep’s way too important to me.

“Golf is what this time of the year is for, and once July 15 (the opening of camp) rolls around, I pretty much put the clubs away.”

Friesz, who was a prep standout at Coeur d’Alene and a college star at Idaho, said he isn’t playing much golf these days because of family commitments. But he has become a regular at the Easley Classic and somehow - along with former Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg - managed to commandeer the course marshal’s golf cart to play a few practice holes prior to Friday’s start of the 54-hole event that will be played over three different city courses.

Among the other sports celebrities scheduled to appear in this year’s tournament, which moves to Downriver today and finishes Sunday at The Creek at Qualchan, are Easley, Jacob Green, Efren Herrera, Leonard “Truck” Robinson, Reggie McKenzie, Terry Taylor, Dave Valle and Lenny Wilkens.

Friesz, who used to play in 15-18 charity golf events each summer, plays in only a handful these days. He’s cut back his schedule, he explained, to spend more time with his 18-month-old son, Hunter.

“I just haven’t been playing much, lately,” he said, “and I guess a lot of it goes back to having a kid. Actually, Hunter plays more golf than I do. He’s got a little plastic putter and whiffle ball and he goes around the house smacking it into corners and off tables all the time.”

Friesz, who lists Seattle as his residence but still has a home in Coeur d’Alene, said he is looking forward to the start of training camp so he and his teammates “can get on the same page 100 percent of the time, instead of 80 percent of the time,” like last season.

“There’s a different attitude this year,” added Friesz, who has already attended three voluntary camps and a mandatory mini-camp this summer at the Seahawks’ training complex in Kirkland.

“We’ve had the best attendance ever at our off-season training program and our weight coach (Dana LeDuc) has really put us through the wringer.”

Robinson had the top gross score among the celebrities Friday with a 69. Ron Plummer had the top gross score (69) among amateurs.

GU hires golf coach

Gonzaga University has hired Kelly Lynch Stewart, a former assistant pro at Downriver and current teaching pro at Liberty Lake, to coach its men’s and women’s teams.

Stewart, a 1991 graduate of Eastern Washington University, used to coach golf at her alma mater and has also served as an assistant pro at Indian Canyon and Manito.

“Kelly brings a vast range of knowledge and experience to this position,” GU athletic director Dan Fitzgerald said. “We are fortunate to get someone of her caliber to oversee our golf program.”

Stewart is a member of the Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA.

Scramble event on tap

The Inland Empire Chapter of the National Rehabilitation Association will hold a four-person scramble tournament July 15 at Wandermere Golf Course.

Entry fee of $30 per person includes greens fees and admission to an all-you-can-eat barbecue. Entries must be received by July 11.

For more information, contact Gerry Steinauer at (509) 533-2278.

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