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The Loop

Glover pays tribute to Smith and family

June 24, 2009

U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover is admittedly in the midst of one of the most frenzied 48 hours of his 29 years, but he still has time to be a class act. After appearances on Mike and Mike in the Morning, Regis and Kelly and doing the Top 10 List on the David Letterman Show, Glover showed up in Cromwell, Conn., to honor his commitment to play in the Travelers Championship. But it was what he did at his Wednesday morning press conference that showed as much championship quality as any iron shot he hit all week at Bethpage Black.

Finished answering a slew of questions and about to be dismissed, Glover raised his hand and asked the assembled reporters to stop for a moment. Understated but commanding attention with his gravelly South Carolina drawl,

Glover took a moment to remember a friend.

"Quickly, just want to pass along my condolences to Chris Smith and his family and what he's going through," Glover said. "Chris is a great friend of mine. And I haven't had a chance to call or text him, but I want him to know that I, for one, and the rest of the tour is thinking about him.

None of us can imagine what he's going through. But our thoughts are with him,

and I hope he gets through it."

Smith's wife was killed and two of his children were critically injured in a fiery crash Sunday in Indiana.

-- Mike Stachura