With just less than 3 months before the tournament, the Invitational Shootout Pairings Committee has heard from anonymous sources that Aaron Knight is shopping around for a new partner. Many still view Knight as the best player to have never won this prestigious tournament.

Shootout Champion Joe Hill thinks that Knight has a few more good years of golf left in him, “but he is obviously feeling the pressure as his window of opportunity to win this thing closes more rapidly with age and his deteriorating physical conditioning, or lack thereof.” Shootout Champion Mike Howley added, “Aaron has become increasingly aloof and solitary on the golf course with each passing year without a title. You can almost see the added stress on Aaron when the subject of the Invitational Shootout is mentioned. I really feel bad for the guy, but I think his new partner, whoever that may be, should be aware that he will be stepping into a very volatile situation.”

Ray Shinkle, a two-time Invitational Shootout champion, responded that “(he) could see things going south real quick if Knight’s new partner were to shoot poorly on the opening holes.” Shinkle then caught himself and refused any further comment on the impetus for Knight’s search for a new playing partner citing his desire to stay on Knight’s “good side.”

Another year has passed and not much has changed. Former champions, Mike Howley, Walter Lis, Ray Shinkle and Joe Hill all had solid performances once again in the Shootout, a tournament that some golfers claim is more pressure packed than Q School or even the Ryder Cup. Meanwhile, nerves once again seemed to get the better of Aaron Knight, who under normal circumstances makes up for his lack of length with solid ball striking.

Mike Kroening, Knight’s long time partner, cut his two week turkey hunt short just so he could try to settle Knight’s annual jitters. Kroening commented, “Aaron is a nervous wreck out there! Perhaps he (Knight) should attend my annual month long annual turkey hunt before the Shootout to help clear his mind. Kroening (pictured), who bagged the nearly 35 pound turkey the day before the Shootout, remarked “I went from hunting turkey one day to playing with a turkey the next!”