Clint Eastwood saves tournament director from choking
Actor-director performs the Heimlich manoeuvre at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Clint Eastwood added another starring role at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am – life saver.
Eastwood attended a volunteer party on the eve of the PGA Tour event when he noticed tournament director Steve John choking on a piece of cheese. The 83-year-old actor quickly performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on Wednesday night at the Monterey Conference Centre.
“I was drinking water and eating these little appetizers, threw down a piece of cheese and it just didn’t work,” John said. “I was looking at him and couldn’t breathe. He recognized it immediately and saved my life.”
Eastwood is a prominent figure at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, formerly as an amateur contestant and now as chairman of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. It has raised over US$100 million for charity as the host of the PGA Tour event.
He’s often in the CBS tower on the weekend and presents the trophy to the winner, a list that includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker in recent years.
The Hollywood star wasn’t expecting an additional duty this week.
“I looked in his eyes and saw that look of panic people have when they see their life passing before their eyes,” Eastwood said. “It looked bad.”