Rocket fueled

Noticed Jason Gore (Hart High of Newhall/Pepperdine) was wearing an Astros hat during the opening rounds of the PGA Tour's Houston Open. Wasn't surprising, since Gore recently split with Nike.

But it seems there's quite a story behind the hat. To wit:

Clemens-inspired Gore shares lead at Houston Open
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
HUMBLE, Texas _ Jason Gore got a boost from the Rocket in the Houston Open.
Wearing a black Houston Astros cap that Roger Clemens gave him, Gore shot a 4-under 68 on Friday
to join a six-player logjam at the top.
Defending champion Stuart Appleby, Bubba Watson, D.J. Brigman and Texans Bob Estes and Jeff
Maggert also were 6 under after two rounds, and Hunter Mahan, Tommy Armour III and Tom Byrum were
one shot back.
Gore, who has a Boston Red Sox jersey at home that Clemens once autographed, first formally met
his boyhood idol two years ago at the ADT Skills Challenge and the two became friends.
“He’s always been my hero,” Gore said.
Clemens, still undecided on whether he’ll return to baseball, played in a pro-am on Wednesday and
also gave Gore a T-shirt that read “Tough All Day” across the front. The inspired Gore marked the
letters “TAD” on his ball before teeing off Thursday and shot a 2-under 70, his best round in
more than a month.
“It’s just one of those things,” Gore said of the simple message. “No matter how bad things go,
you’ve got to just stay tough.”