"A buddy and I were approached by a company out of Singapore. They thought they could make a lot of

"I had a bit of an attitude problem," Hammontree said. "In the first team meeting, the coach said, 'We're going to be up at 6 a.m. for workouts,' and I raised my hand and said, 'What? I don't work out for golf.'"
Yet it's all worked out. Playing on the mini-tours put him in touch with Scratch norwegian cruise line Golf -- a club manufacturing company that used to be based in Chattanooga. He had the responsibility for Scratch Golf attending tour events from the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour and the LPGA Tour. He did a lot of traveling. But that fizzled out.
"A buddy and I were approached by a company out of Singapore. They thought they could make a lot of money and they were selling stuff in Asia, but it was awful-looking stuff," he said of his start with the company represented by Chattanooga's Brooke Pancake on the LPGA Tour. "We had to tear down the brand and reboot.
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...