Life on the Links with Team Penske
October 5, 2021
Competing at the highest levels of motorsports can be stressful. Each weekend is a pressure-packed test to prove your abilities against the best in the business. Team Penske has always welcomed the challenge and the pressures that go along with it, and team members also embrace the opportunity to relax and let off some steam away from the track. One of the most popular ways that Team Penske members unwind is to enjoy a round of golf.
Some of the team’s key players have also shown considerable skill on the links.
In honor of the United States recent victory over Europe in the Ryder Cup – one of golf’s most popular match play events hosted every two years and featuring some of the top players in the world – we wanted to offer up our version of a formidable Penske Dream Team of duffers. Maybe we can call this collection our Penske Truck Rental Cup team – get it?
OK, it’s time to tee off.
Ryan Blaney
Aside from being one of the talented racers in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ryan Blaney – driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang – has taken up the game of golf in earnest. Despite catching the golfing bug only recently, the naturally athletic Blaney has made great strides in his game and can hold his own on the course. He hopes to continue his rapid improvement in the game, especially if he relies on the assistance of his spotter/caddie, Josh Williams. More on him later.
Scott McLaughlin
As he completes his first year living in America, Scott McLaughlin quickly discovered some of the best golf courses in the greater Charlotte area. The driver of the No. 3 Dallara/Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES sports a 12 handicap. McLaughlin plays often and he plans to continue to refine his game now that he lives in North Carolina and has access to some amazing courses. McLaughlin and Blaney recently played at Quail Hollow Club – home to the 2022 President’s Cup event that will pit America against non-European countries.
Tim Cindric
While there is no real criteria for choosing the members of the Team Penske squad, anyone that can claim a hole-in-one on their resume will naturally be included. Team Penske President Tim Cindric accomplished that feat a few years ago at his home course in the Charlotte area. The former standout basketball player at Indiana’s Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology who also calls race strategy for the No. 2 Chevrolet team in the INDYCAR SERIES in addition to overseeing all Team Penske operations, has become quite a force on the course as well.
Josh Williams
If there was a No. 1 seed for Team Penske’s fictitious match play event, that honor would undoubtedly go to Josh Williams. The spotter for Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team is likely the best golfer across the Team Penske organization. Before choosing to help direct drivers while positioned on the top of racetracks as a profession, Williams was a player on several mini pro tours. He currently sports a +1.7 handicap – meaning he scores nearly two strokes under par on average – but it has been as low as +4.3 and he shot even par from the championship tees at Pebble Beach in 2019. Williams’ career-best round? Try a 61 at Lynwood Country Club in Martinsville, Va., his home course. Oh, and he’s hit five holes-in-one in his life. Yeah, he’s pretty good.
Jeremy Bullins
As one of Team Penske’s true North Carolina natives, No. 2 Ford Mustang team crew chief Jeremy Bullins grew up in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area (known as “The Triad”) with access to some of the most historic golf courses in the U.S. A member of Sedgefield Country Club that is home of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship, Bullins has also played many courses in the area known as “The Home of American Golf,” in Pinehurst, NC. With such an array of premium courses at his disposal, it’s no wonder that Bullins carries a four handicap and has carded a low round of 66. He has also produced a hole-in-one, coming on the eighth hole at historic Pinehurst Resort’s The Cradle short course.
Chris Yoder
Logistics are a key ingredient to a winning motorsports operation. Just ask Chris Yoder, transportation director for Team Penske who manages the fleet of transporters, motorhomes and vehicles that are required to keep the team’s NASCAR and INDYCAR operations functioning as a well-oiled machine. Yoder still finds time to hit the links, something he has done since he was five years old. Yoder has developed a strong game over the last 37 years as he currently sports a 4.2 handicap. His favorite golf courses are two gems: Congaree Golf Club in the low country of South Carolina and Diamond Creek Golf Club in the North Carolina mountains. Yoder sunk a one hole-in-one on the third hole at Larkin Golf Club in Statesville, NC. His lowest round ever came at Statesville Country Club, where he shot a 3-under par 69.
Todd Gordon
As longtime NASCAR crew chief Todd Gordon winds down his Team Penske career at the conclusion of the 2021 season, there may be a few rounds of golf in his future. For now though, Gordon and Ryan Blaney are focused on advancing with the No. 12 Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. There will be plenty of time for golf after the season for Gordon as he plans on reacquainting himself with the game he has played since he was four years old. His favorite course is McConnellsville Golf Club in New York where he honed his game in his home state. Gordon’s lowest round was a 75 shot at Chickasaw Point in Westminster, SC, while he was a student at Clemson University.
Ben Bretzman
Since 2015, Ben Bretzman has served as the race engineer for the No. 22 Chevrolet driven by Simon Pagenaud in the INDYCAR SERIES. Bretzman grew up in the golf-crazy state of Florida and he has been playing for 25 years after picking it up in high school. His lowest round is an 83 at Harbor City Golf Course in Melbourne, Fla. and he carries a 16 handicap. Bretzman plays out of Northstone Country Club just north of Charlotte. Spyglass Hill Golf Course on the Monterey Peninsula of California is a picturesque course that he lists as his absolute favorite. While he is still searching for that elusive hole-in-one, Bretzman does have a 110-yard eagle on a par four to his credit.
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