Lehman, TPC course finally get acquainted

Golfer Tom Lehman is having a great 2011 season. Lehman, who grew up in Alexandria, Minn., has played in 13 events on the Champions Tour, finishing in the top 25 in every event. He's won three tournaments and finished in the top 10 seven times.

The former Gopher has earned more than $1.3 million this year, tops on the Champions Tour, and he already has surpassed his 2010 earnings (more than $1.1 million) despite playing in one fewer event so far. He will be one of the big attractions this weekend at the 3M Championship, where he'll make his first playing appearance.

Lehman also has played in four PGA Tour events, with two top-25 finishes. At the British Open in July, he tied for 22nd and raised his season earnings on the PGA Tour to a little more than $165,000.

"I guess a few more putts have gone in, but I've been playing pretty well for a while," Lehman said Wednesday as he prepared for a 3M Championship pro-am event. "It's not a huge difference, quite frankly. Just made a few putts at the right time, and I won a few times. I think that's really the simple part.

"I'd say putting a little better, chipping a little better, driving it about the same. My iron game isn't quite as good, but I think more than anything I've had a really good attitude. I think the good attitude is really important. I've had some injuries off and on but I'm not 100 percent, I probably never will be, but I'm good enough to play good golf.

"I've had knee surgeries but typically it's been in the offseason where I haven't really missed a whole lot. The most recent one was about a year and a half ago."

Unfortunately, Lehman has played in only one of three majors so far this season -- the British Open.

"I'm not in the PGA [Championship], I wish I were," he said. "Being on the Champions Tour, I played last year because I was the Senior PGA champion. But this year I didn't win the Senior PGA, so I'm not eligible."

Lehman plans to stay active for the rest of the golf season.

"I'm going to play a full schedule through the end of the year, which is another seven or eight tournaments," he said.

Playing his course Lehman will play for the first time at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, a golf course he was involved in designing. Arnold Palmer and his company was the lead designer and Leh-man was the player consultant for the PGA Tour.

"I can't wait. I'm going to be in the pro-am [Thursday]," Lehman said. "I've never actually even played the golf course, so I can't wait to play. It will be fun to play in front of the Minnesota fans, and I'm sure it's going to be a typical Minnesota tournament where it's very well attended, a lot of support. I think it's a very fair golf course. It's forgiving. Scores are low there, so obviously a lot of guys hit a lot of greens, hit a lot of fairways, and you have to make a lot of putts. It's a golf course that I think people enjoy playing."

Many years ago Lehman turned down a chance to become the Gophers golf coach because it would have meant giving up playing in any PGA Tour events.

"They didn't want me anyway and [then-Gophers athletic director] Rick Bay at the time said, 'No, thank you.' I always tease him that he made a good decision for both of us."

There are a lot of great families involved in sports but certainly the Lehmans are one of my favorites. Tom's father, Jim Lehman Sr., one of the most popular residents of Alexandria, died two years ago. But Tom's mother, Barbara, one great lady, got married again Tuesday. So it's a big week for the Lehman family.

Two Gophers healing Gophers football coach Jerry Kill was asked about the health of his squad with fall practice approaching.

"[Sophomore defensive end] Kendall Gregory-McGhee ... was playing pickup basketball and broke a foot," Kill said. "He is healed at this point in time, but I don't know how much he'll be ready to go right off two-a-day practice.

"Da'Jon McKnight, who is a critical piece of what we do at wide receiver, is coming off his knee situation and it's been a slow process in that healing. We'll have to be careful with him in camp. ... I would say those are the two major concerns I have right now, and certainly the biggest one is Da'Jon and making sure he's ready to go when we play USC."

Jottings In the Miami Herald on Tuesday, Susan Miller Degnan reported that former Cretin-Derham Hall standout Seantrel Henderson is going to have major back surgery, and there's a chance the University of Miami sophomore offensive tackle might miss the entire 2011 season. Henderson started nine games last year and was named a freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America.

Notre Dame wide receiver and former Cretin-Derham Hall standout Michael Floyd was reinstated to the football team Wednesday following a suspension stemming from his arrest on a drunken driving charge in March.

Linda Cohen, the chairwoman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, is a granddaughter of Louis Gross, who not only was a great football player for the Gophers (1922-24) but also was one of the university's most influential alumni.

The Gophers athletic department earned more than $300,000 by renting TCF Bank Stadium for the U2 concert. ... The Gophers football team got its 19th commitment this past week in 5-11, 220-pound running back Rodrick Williams of Lewisville, Texas. ... The Gophers basketball team has added games with Appalachian State on Dec. 6 and Central Michigan on Dec. 30. ... Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said season ticket sales in football, hockey and basketball are at a 90-percent level.

Antonio Ford, who was a tough running back for Coon Rapids, is going to make Wayzata a lot tougher to beat this year after the Division I prospect transferred to the defending Class 5A champions. Ford was named the MVP at the Madden IMG camp in Florida run by former Cretin-Derham Hall star and 2000 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke. ... Columbia Golf Course pro Jeff Sorenson has qualified for the PGA Championship next week in Atlanta.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com