The second ESPN The Magazine Celebrity Mulligan Classic didn't quite have the postgame oomph that the inaugural event had. REM's Mike Mills had to catch a plane to Chicago, so he shook hands and bolted minutes after the team photo on the 18th green of the Atlanta Athletic Club's Highlands Course (site of this week's PGA Championship).

That left Tennessee Titans RB Eddie George, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kordell Stewart, and ESPN's Dan Patrick to discuss the course over popcorn and several beverages of choice. (Memo to Jeff Fisher and Bill Cowher: This was last month.)

The verdict: Rough as thick as Patrick's hair, corset-tight fairways, receptive greens. In short, you make or break your round with tee shots.

"The adventure here is 100 yards and out," says Patrick. "The greens aren't as difficult as you might think."

The rest of the table agrees and slowly the conversation turns to football, to other golf courses, and eventually to the post-round events of last year's Celebrity Mulligan Classic, which featured Patrick, Charles Barkley and University of Utah coach Rick Majerus.

It was Majerus, in the apres-golf setting of the Pebble Beach Tap Room, who was introduced to two drop-dead-gorgeous San Francisco stockbrokers while going over the scorecard with Barkley and Patrick. Barkley, who actually went to Auburn with one of the stockbrokers, invited them to join the group for a martini or two. Or three. Or what the hell, four.

As the near-empty martini glasses began to litter the table, Majerus, who had been drinking diet sodas all night, kept staring in the direction of one of the stockbrokers. She caught his glance, and smiled demurely. This went on for about 10 minutes until Majerus cleared his throat and addressed the striking woman.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" he said.

"Of course, not," she said, amused by his shyness. "Ask me anything you want."

"You sure?" said Majerus, hemming and hawing.

"Of course, I'm sure," she said, leaning forward ever so slightly. "What would you like to know?"

"Well," said Majerus, "are you going to eat those olives?"

The stunned woman, expecting something else altogether, said, "Uh, no."

And with that, Majerus reached across the table and plucked the olives out of the martini glass and popped them into his mouth.

So much for romance.

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.