‘It’s special’: Tampa golfer playing in Valspar Championship grew up attending tournament
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gaither High School alum and Tampa native Jimmy Stanger is living out his childhood dreams of playing on the PGA Tour.
“I used to say, one day, I want to play in this tournament. I had the opportunity as a sponsor invite in 2017 and 2018, which was special in so many ways, but my game wasn’t quite ready to compete out here, and as a sponsor invite, you’re not a member of the tour. So, now, as a member, I’ve earned my place out here, and it’s cool,” Stanger said.
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It means even more to him as he’s able to play in front of his huge hometown crowd at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor this week.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘If I ever get a chance to be out here, I want to be like that to the guys who work the range and do all those things.’ Again, I keep saying it’s special, but it is special to be able to have that opportunity to do that to whoever my standard bear is this week and be able to talk to them and ask them those questions and maybe make an impact in their lives,” he said.
Even at 7 years old, Stanger remembers working at this very tournament as a standard bearer, keeping score of the pros who inspire him to have the same kindness today.
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There’s no question about who Stanger roots for when he’s not golfing.
“I’ve always been a diehard Bucs fan… Bucs and Rays fan — obviously, Lightning as well, but the Bucs hold a special place in my heart for the reason that my real full name is Raymond James Stanger. My dad had me convinced until I was about 10 that he was able to pull some strings and get the stadium named after me,” said Stanger.
Stranger is a part of Birdies for Hope, which means for every single birdie he makes, he’ll donate $20 to the foundation that builds churches in third-world countries.
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