June 1, 2011

On this day of remembrance, Nationwide Tour golfers preparing for this week's Melwood Prince George's County Open have a lot to think about.

Strolls down the fairway might be accompanied by memories of those who make it possible for people to thwack golf balls and stroke putts for a living.

One player in the field, however, may think back to his own time in uniform, when golf was barely a part of his life.

Despite graduating as the country's top collegiate golfer, Billy Hurley III has so far navigated a career highlighted by much more than clutch putts or hoisted trophies.

Just a few years ago, the golfing prodigy was wrapped up in more ambitious pursuits, like steering a war ship through the Suez Canal, or sailing from Pearl Harbor to the Persian Gulf to help protect Iraqi oil platforms.

Hurley - a 2004 Naval Academy graduate - spent time near Bahrain, the Red Sea, Djibouti, Indonesia, Philippines, Maldives, China, Japan and Korea before concluding his mandatory five-year tour of duty in the summer of 2009.

Now he's trying to find a permanent home on the PGA Tour.

For the complete article by Nick Eilerson of The Washington Times click here