Barry Sanders Is Ready to Explain Why He Retired

Barry Sanders has just piped a 3 wood maybe 220 yards, splitting the fairway of the 10th hole at the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club, nestled in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles. It’s about as good a first shot as you can hope for. That much is clear to me, at least, and to Sanders’ agent, and to the husband-and-wife member couple hosting us this morning, and quite possibly to the birds chirping and the rabbits hopping and the coyotes lurking around the golf course. It’s not at all clear, though, to Sanders, who is convinced he’s lost his ball in the scrub running down the righthand side of the hole, and who is quietly criticizing his tee shot.