JUPITER, Fla. — After listening to their St. Louis Cardinals teammate Adam Wainwright spin tales for a reporter about How He Spent His Off Day as a star on an 18-hole tour, pitchers Kyle McClellan and Brad Thompson offered to write the headline for any article. Seeing as how we don’t write the headlines, a blog will have to do.

WAINWRIGHT BORED WITH BASEBALL, WANTS TO BE ON TOUR

Seeks Something More Challenging

McClellan authored the main hed, and Thompson crafted the subdeck. They did so without a trace of sarcasm.

Wainwright was manager Tony La Russa’s surrogate for Wednesday’s Pro-Am at PGA National, one of the opening events of this week’s Honda Classic. Originally, La Russa had been invited to join a foursome that included former NFL players Joe Theismann and Nat Moore and musician Kenny G. La Russa declined, but offered the invitation to the person he felt would “best represent the Cardinals out there.” Sources would not confirm how Wainwright landed the gig.

“Had a great time with those guys,” Wainwright said of his Pro-Am debut. “Playing in front of fans for the first time. Felt sort of like the big time. I’d like to do that (Pro-Am) again … a lot.”

Wainwright, whose group was assigned pro Mark Wilson, declined to give his score from the round, saying there wasn’t one because the group didn’t keep track of scores once somebody birdied. Wainwright got two birdies, and he added that this was the best round of golf he played since he came down to Florida for spring traning. He credits an impromptu swing clinic he got he got before hitting the course from pro and friend Jonathan Byrd.

“He kept me in play,” Wainwright said.

Chris Carpenter had talked about going with Wainwright as his on-site swing doctor, but neither he nor La Russa showed up for even support. The only Cardinal to attend was reliever Ryan Franklin, who Wainwright got under the ropes so that the righthander could travel with the group on the course.

“I guess,” said Thompson, listening in, “I forgot to get invited.”

It was then that he and McClellan started kicking around headlines for any article about Wainwright’s whacks at the pro-am. Thompson piped in with the secondary suggestion about Wainwright ditching baseball and going after a career in professional golf to find “something more challenging.”

Deadpanned the starter: “Who said it was challenging?”

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