Carmel Magazine

W hat a beautiful baby!" the handsome man proclaimed. It clicked. It was actor Dennis Quaid sitting at an adjoining table at the Tap Room, otherwise known as Pebble Beach's "19th hole." It was 1994 and friends had come to town for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with their sixth-month-old, my goddaughter, who was, in fact, stunning. As Quaid oohed and ahed, we did, too—it was one of our first brushes with a major celebrity. It was exhilarating to be part of the excitement of the AT&T. I'd lived in Carmel for two years and was working as the week- end news anchor at KSBW-TV. One of the perks of my job was covering events at the tournament, including the celebrity shoot- out, and conducting field interviews with pros and celebrities. I felt on top of the world as I was allowed "under the ropes," then broadcasted live with sports anchor Dennis Lehnen in front of the grand Lodge at Pebble Beach. Like a highlighter on old text, I can recall what was going on in my life by what I was doing during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. So many of us locals can. The event makes an imprint, even subconsciously, on us and our community. More than a quarter-of-a-century later, I sometimes catch myself complaining during tournament week: about the one- way traffic, the crowds, the dust kicked-up in the giant field mere feet from my house from the staking of tents for tour- nament services. Then, I recall two decades of sweet memories when it was quite a different story. 1992: I'm a first timer, and Fuzzy Zoeller and Jack Lemmon are just as charismatic as I expected. 1995: Called into the general manager's office at KSBW. A photo in the National Enquirer catches my then-boyfriend Clint Eastwood sweetly kissing me on the cheek in the gallery at Spyglass as I'm rushing off to work at the station. The GM finds it undignified for one of her anchors to be in the tabloids. (As if I had control.) 1997: My not-quite-two-month-old daughter Morgan, in her infant-sized golf shoes, sleeps in my arms as we follow her dad on the course. A young Tiger Woods, who ends up tying for second place, leans in to coo at her. 1999: Kevin Costner snaps at me during an interview for asking his age. I think of the honor of emceeing the annual all-star show for the generous volunteers who help run the tournament. How I'd shake with nerves every time, almost throwing up, as I'd address the huge crowd of more than a thousand people, only accustomed to speaking in a small TV studio with five other people in the room. 2005: My daughters Morgan, Franny, and I are dressed in our sharpest outfits. We're the welcoming committee at the Monter- ey Bay Aquarium's night for the families of the AT&T players. We wish we were as cool as Jesper Parnevik and his clan. 2008: My father is chosen as a pro-am alternate. He birdies Pebble's 18th from the sand in a practice round, but doesn't get to play in the real deal because everyone who's registered shows up. 2010: Dinner hosted by Jim Nantz. At the table—people who go by only one name: Faldo, Romo, Mickelson, Romano. After all the years I'm still in awe, and wonder how the heck Ruiz ended up here. 2020: My little pug and I walk into the field across the street from my house. We poke our noses into a large tent, curious to see what's being staged. A gruff looking security guard asks for my pass. "I don't have one, I'm just walking my dog," I stammer. "You'll have to leave. No pass, no entrance." The next night, the annual volunteer party thundered from that tent. The music and revelry was so loud it sounded as if it were in my living room. I walked across again, hovering on the periphery, as to not get scolded again. "Are you Dina?" a differ- ent guard asked. I nodded. "Come in! Check it out!" The offer was tempting. I started to walk in, then stopped abruptly. I thanked the man, and told him this time I'd just enjoy the show—and my precious memories of the AT&T— from afar. Dina Eastwood is a former news anchor at KSBW TV, past host of "Candid Camera" and has starred on a reality show on the E! Network. She is a writer, editor and yogini. She resides on the Monterey Peninsula with her daughter, Morgan. BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT D I N A E A S T W O O D s friends had come to town f I think of the honor of emceeing the annual all-star show for the generous volun- teers who help run the tournament. AT&T and Me 46 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

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