Richard Dunn
One of these days you might be hearing or reading about how Dennis
Paulson just slipped away from professional golf through the backdoor
without making a peep.
Even with more birdies in him, and eligibility down the road on the
Senior PGA Tour when Paulson turns 50, he'll simply disappear.
"I want to be retired by then and watch my kids grow," Paulson said. "I
love my job ... but I only want to do this for as long as I have to."
Paulson, 37, and his wife, Linda, are expecting their second baby boy on
May 14 and are building a home in Encinitas just above La Costa.
The former Costa Mesa High standout who grew up playing at Santa Ana
Country Club, where he's an honorary member, would like to cash out of
the PGA Tour by age 45.
"But it depends," Paulson said. "If I win six tournaments in the next six
years, you might never see me again. It's a living, it's a job and I
enjoy what I do, but it's still a job. I try to put the hours in when I'm
not working -- you've got to treat it like a job to improve.
"But I'd like to retire like anybody else. Wouldn't you? ... if I don't
have to play golf, then I'll cut back and spend more time with my family.
I'd love to be a professional dad. That's a lot greater than a
professional golfer."
Paulson, who said his father spent a lot of time with him growing up and
even coached his baseball team, was the star of the first round at the
Masters last week, shooting 4-under-par 68 in a round that included one
eagle and five birdies in his "maiden voyage" at Augusta National Golf
Club.
Among other things, Paulson can tell his first son, Dillon, who turns 3
on June 10, and his second when he grows up that he once led the Masters
-- perhaps golf's greatest and most prestigious championship.
"The media always likes to make something a lot bigger than they really
are, but what we do is not rocket science, it's not what it's all about.
It's just golf," Paulson said. "I've been doing it long enough to know
that what we do is basically entertainment.
"To be leading any tournament is exciting, but any tournament doesn't
matter until the final round. Like the old cliche: You can never win a
golf tournament on Thursday, but you can definitely lose it."
Paulson, who is taking this week off from the tour, finished an
impressive tied for 14th at the Masters, shooting 73-72 on the weekend to
remain in big paycheck range after carding a 76 in the second round to
fall out of contention.
Paulson, who earned $80,500 for his Masters showing, enjoyed a
