Boys and Girls Clubs in Indian Country

5/20/2004 Notah Begay III was smiling Wednesday as he walked through the Marriott Riverwalk during the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 98th National Conference.

Signing autographs and posing for pictures made Begay happy, which was a contrast to the unhappiness and self-doubt that a back injury once stirred in the PGA Tour player. It stunned Begay that fans still wanted an autograph in the wake of his erratic performances the past four years.

He has missed 44 of 81 cuts since 2001.

"I haven't done anything," said Begay, who will open play at the Colonial today in Fort Worth.

Perhaps the fans wanted an autograph because Begay and former Stanford teammate Tiger Woods are the only golfers in the past 20 years to win at least two tournaments in each of their first two seasons.

Or maybe it's because the Native American is living the ultimate American dream.

Half-Navajo, one-quarter San Felipe and one-quarter Isleta, Begay lived on a reservation in Albuquerque, N.M., until he was 6 years old. Even after moving into a middle-class neighborhood, Begay did menial chores at the Ladera Golf Course so he could play with a piecemeal set of clubs.

Begay has since won more than $4 million and four tournaments on the PGA Tour.

"He came from nothing," said Mark Freeland, Begay's agent. "He didn't grow up at a country club playing manicured golf courses. He had to hop the fence to play a municipal golf course. He's a man of the people."

Now that man has a message for everyone.

"Our kids are too fat," Begay said. "We need to do something about it."

Begay is concerned because 18.2 million people in the United States have diabetes. While genetics can contribute to the disease, a lack of activity is creating an epidemic among children.

Diabetes is caused by the body's inability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The disease can lead to heart disease, nerve damage, blindness and kidney disease.

While Native Americans are 2.2 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than Caucasians of similar age, it's a disease that is not bound by race or economics.

Begay instituted a "Walk With Me" campaign in conjunction with Boys & Girls Clubs Diabetes Prevention Program. Children are encouraged to walk the same amount of miles Begay does each week. Averaging about 30 miles per week, Begay posts his weekly total on his Web site, notahbegay3.com.

"Walk With Me" is so important to Begay that he flew to San Antonio less than 24 hours before his first round in the Colonial. He made the keynote speech for a one-day symposium entitled "Cultivating Our Future: Native American Club Programming and Sustainability," during the Boys & Girls Club national meeting.

Today, Begay tees off at 7:41 a.m. at the Colonial Country Club. He is confident about his game after enjoying an upgrade in his own health. Begay suffered for three years with annular tears of L-4 and L-5 discs in his lower back.

"His body wouldn't let him perform," Freeland said. "He's such a fighter that he was out there playing and he probably shouldn't have been."

After strengthening his back, Begay is playing better lately. Two weeks ago, he finished tied for fifth at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C.

But from 2001 to 2003, he was a picture of inconsistency. He had only five top-10 finishes. He has not won since capturing consecutive victories in mid-2000.

"It wasn't so much frustrating as it was depressing," said Begay, who ranks 92nd on the money list with $322,128. "You struggle with doubts and fears and pain. Those sorts of things take their toll on you after a long period of time."