DALLAS AMATEUR'S RECORD 600 ROUNDS IN ONE YEAR

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
By Art Stricklin
IRVING, Texas -- Dallas amateur golfer Richard Lewis walked, literally, into golf history Sunday afternoon with his 600th round of golf of 2010, surrounded by family and friends at the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, home of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
At 11 a.m. Sunday, he smashed the Guinness World Record for number of rounds in a single season for an amateur and also set one that never even existed by walking every single round, all at the TPC Four Seasons twosome of courses.
Four Seasons members paid up to $5,000 to play with Lewis, 64, on his milestone round in sunny and chilly conditions, with all money raised going to the First Tee of Dallas programme.
They raised a total of $8,800 for his milestone round and presented a cheque on the first tee at the Four Seasons before his round began.
"Did you ever think I would get to 600 rounds?" Lewis smiled as he celebrated his golfing accomplishment before a few dozen people late Sunday.
"I thought 400 was tough and 500 was a stretch, but 600 was what I had in mind all the time," he said. "It's a huge relief and sense of accomplishment."
In fact, Lewis felt he was slacking off on Sunday only doing 18 holes. He played 36 on Christmas Eve in cold rain and 36 more on Christmas Day.
"I can't remember the last time I did only 18 in a day," he said after carding an 86 in cold condition.
Lewis said he has already received the official documentation from the Guinness World Record Book officials in Europe to turn in his information and be listed in the 2011 record book.
When he plays his final 2010 round on Friday, he expects to have completed 611 loops in one unforgettable golf year.
He will shatter the previous record, 586, for documented rounds in a single year, set in Ohio in 1998. He also hopes to set new records for 11,000 holes in a single year, 611 rounds all walking at the same club and for playing the last 285 days of 2010.Lewis retired as president of an insurance company in April 2009. During his work career he played 2-3 times a week. Upon retirement, he began to consider what he would do with all his free time.
A member of the TPC Four Seasons Resort since 1987, Lewis learned there was a record for most rounds of golf played in a year, but no record for walking every round and no record for playing every round at the same place.
He drove from his house in DeSoto, Texas, just south of Dallas every day, arriving before 8 a.m. He would play 36 or 54 holes a day, spend a brief time in the Four Seasons sauna/spa to recover before eating a high-protein dinner and going to bed, only to repeat the routine the following day. He lost 35 pounds and four trouser waist sizes in his record quest.
His longtime girlfriend, Debbie Shaw, played some rounds with him at the beginning of the year, but rode in a cart to watch more and was on hand Sunday for photos.
"One thing, he's certainly found out what persistence is," she said.