Josh Teater reps local minor league team at Wyndham Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Josh Teater usually travels with six or seven hats in his golf bag.

He was the third alternate this week at the Wyndham Championship, though, and he forgot to pack any. So, when Teater got into the PGA TOUR’s final regular season event after Patrick Reed withdrew, he was in a bit of a pickle.

Not to worry. Teater has been friends with Donald Moore, the general manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball team, since his rookie year. He’s taken batting practice at First National Bank Field and even threw out the first pitch at a game in 2019.

So, this week, for the third straight year, Teater will be wearing a Grasshoppers cap.

“That’s kind of the beauty of not having a hat sponsor -- you can kind of wear whatever you'd like,” Teater said. “I love baseball and played a lot growing up and I just like collecting hats."

The bright orange hat got plenty of airtime on Thursday when the former Morehead State golfer was part of one of the Featured Groups on PGA TOUR LIVE. Moore had brought an assortment to his buddy when he came to Sedgefield Country Club for a luncheon on Wednesday.

Teater isn’t sure exactly how many hats he owns. He likes to wear hats with a local flair – witness the Hartford Yard Goats cap he donned a couple of years ago at the Travelers Championship or the Quad Cities River Bandits he wore at the John Deere Classic.

A few weeks ago at the 3M Open, Teater was wearing a Minnesota Twins cap. And last week he saw a Lake Tahoe trucker hat at a Rite-Aid pharmacy, bought it and put it into play, so to speak, on Friday at the Barracuda Championship.

“It's funny, my seven-year-old son and I wear the same size fitted hat so we can share them,” Teater said. “So, I don't know what that's saying, but yeah, I've collected a pretty good number.”

Teater also has a hat with a dynamite logo given to him by Dean Emerson, who caddies for Rob Oppenheim. Emerson’s nickname is Dynamite Dean. “I might have to break it out at some point, he said.

“It’s wide open, anything,” the good-natured Teater said with a smile. “It’s fun. Obviously, it’d be nice to have a consistent one, but I’m trying to enjoy it.”

Teater battled an uncooperative putter on a hot, steamy Thursday and ended up shooting an even-par 70. His hat did not go unnoticed, though, as he played with Wes Roach Jr. and big-hitting Jason Kokrak.

“I heard a few out there, volunteers and fans, you know, saying, ‘Go, Hoppers,” said Teater, who was glad to get the team some love. “So, I might bring the green one out tomorrow.”