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He shared the stage with Luke Donald and David Feherty at the Taste of the First Tee fundraiser at the River East Art Center. Mr. Nicklaus may be the greatest golfer ever, but with a microphone in hand, nobody tops Mr. Feherty.

The CBS analyst/funny man stole the show. He delivered one line after another — some of which you can actually print on a respected site like ChicagoBusiness.

Here’s a taste of Mr. Feherty:

On Mr. Donald: “He’s got an invisibility cloak. He can wander down the street and people don’t know he’s a human ATM.”

Replying to Mr. Nicklaus’ majoring in pharmacy at Ohio State: “I turned pro at 17 with a 5-handicap and became an amateur pharmacist.” (Mr. Feherty has battled addiction issues.)

On today’s long hitters: “I stood behind Gary Woodland and almost got sucked into the vortex of his follow-through.”

Mr. Nicklaus summed up Mr. Feherty: “I’ll tell you one thing. It’s never dull with you around.”

The All-Star threesome helped make a big winner out of First Tee, a golf initiative based in St. Augustine, Fla., that combines life-skills training along with introducing kids, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to the game. According to Rob Dauphinais of the Illinois PGA, the $1,000-per plate dinner will have raised as much as $300,000 when everything is counted. The evening included a wine tasting of signature vintages from Messrs. Donald and Nicklaus, among others from Lake Bluff-based Terlato Wines.

A silent auction produced a $16,000 bid for a round of golf with Mr. Donald in Florida. A corporate outing with Mr. Feherty generated $20,000.

First Tee Executive Director Joe Louis Barrow told the crowd he hopes the organization, which has locations across the U.S. and several international ones, will have 10 million kids enrolled by 2017. The First Tee of Chicago has several area locations.

“We know we’re going to make a societal change,” Mr. Barrow said.

Mr. Nicklaus is one of First Tee’s biggest supporters.

“The thing that’s happened is that you see the results of some of the kids,” Mr. Nicklaus said. “It just tears your heart out to hear some of their (life) stories. And then you hear what First Tee has done for them. It’s fabulous.”

Advice from the greatest: Mr. Donald made the most of his 30-minute drive to the event with Mr. Nicklaus. He sought some advice from the 18-time major winner on playing in golf’s biggest tournaments. While Mr. Donald is having his greatest year, he is frustrated about getting shut out in the majors in 2011.

“He said, ‘What would you do?’ ” Mr. Nicklaus said. “I don’t think he has to do a whole lot. He said he goes into the majors with a different mindset. You shouldn’t go in with a different mindset. He’s too good a player to have to do that.

“I asked him, ‘What’s the weakest part of your game?’ He said, ‘I think my driving.’ So we talked about driving. Luke wants to learn and be better. I think he’s got several majors in him, but he’s got to get the first one. He’s ready to win. He should win.”

Mr. Nicklaus also touched on the state of the game no longer dominated by Tiger Woods:

“From a tournament standpoint, there are a lot of good young players right now. They are going to have to prove they’re going to be great players. (Rory) McIlroy was terrific at the U.S. Open. I think he’s got a great future, but he’s got to come back and come right after it again. Jason Day’s got a great future. Ricky Fowler.

“There’s a lot of good, young, early 20s that have won. And winning breeds winning. (PGA Championship winner Keegan) Bradley won twice this year. That’s a tremendous boost for this kid. There’s a lot of good kids with a lot of potential. They have a good sense of what’s going on and what they want to do.”

Of course, Mr. Nicklaus was asked about Mr. Woods.

“He’ll be fine,” Mr. Nicklaus said. “He’ll win again. He’s got to get healthy.”

WBBM-TV/Channel 2′s Ryan Baker then teed one up for Mr. Nicklaus. He asked who will bounce back sooner, Mr. Woods or Mr. Nicklaus’ Buckeyes, who have been plagued by scandal.

“Ohio State. Darn right,” he said.

Then thinking for a moment, he said, “That’s going to be an interesting quote.”

U.S. Amateur: Erin Hills gets its first big test in the spotlight with the U.S. Amateur next week. The course, near Milwaukee, can be stretched back to 7,760 yards, although it’s hard to imagine it will be set up that long.

The golf world will be watching to see how Erin Hills plays for a big tournament. This is a primer for the 2017 U.S. Open at the course. The reaction, and possible criticism, should be interesting.

- Ed Sherm

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-Kate Schmidt

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July 10 marks the second helping of Dose Market, which debuted in June. The Brooklyn Flea–esque food and fashion bazaar showcases esteemed—and often underrepresented—local artisans, such as 5411 Empanadas, Mayana Chocolate, and Jo Snow Syrups. “We are trying to think about people who are doing great things but are only known by a small segment of the population,” says Heather Sperling, one of the curators. Plans for an alfresco pop-up café on the River East Art Center’s second-floor patio are in the works for July, and the market, which features around 50 stalls one Sunday each month, won’t go on hiatus when summer ends. “It’ll be year-round. That’s what’s so exciting,” says Emily Fiffer, another curator. “The wintertime can get quite depressing.” Thanks for the reminder, Emily. River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois St.; 312-321-1001.

- Carly Boers

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This article appears in the July 2011 issue of Chicago Magazine.

—Gina Bazer

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Broadcaster David Feherty, typically the funniest man on the golf course, will serve as master of ceremonies.

The three-hour event, which begins at 6 p.m., will benefit The First Tee of Greater Chicago and feature a tasting of wines from the Nicklaus and Donald collections, as well as selections chosen from the global portfolio of Terlato Wine Group.

Attendees can bid on live and silent auction items, and sponsors participating at the “Ace” and “Eagle” Levels will have an opportunity to tee it up Aug. 17 with Donald and Mark Wilson, winner of two 2011 PGA Tour events, followed by a private “chalk talk” with Nicklaus.

For more information on the event, visit www.thefirstteegreaterchicago.org or call 773-800-1244.

“Just two years ago, the Taste of the First Tee began as a way to help raise funds and awareness for the work of The First Tee of Greater Chicago,” said Donald, the Northwestern alum and Northfield resident who is ranked third in the world. “With the participation of Mr. Nicklaus this summer, it helps grow the event in ways that we couldn’t have imagined. We’re thrilled to have him join us.”

A National Trustee of The First Tee, Nicklaus was named “Golfer of the Century” or “Golfer of the Millennium” by almost every major golf publication. He was also named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN.  In November 2005, the “Golden Bear” was honored by President Bush at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to any U.S. civilian.  Among his many accomplishments are 118 professional victories worldwide and a record 18 major championships.

“The work of The First Tee, and teaching young people the life lessons gained from being involved in the game of golf has always been important to me,” Nicklaus said. “I’m honored to join Luke and The First Tee of Greater Chicago at this special event and look forward to helping make it a great success.”

- Teddy Greenstein
Tribune reporter

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