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Buffalo Payments quarterback Josh Allen follows his drive from the second tee of the Monterey Peninsula Nation Membership Shore Course throughout the first spherical of the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am golf match Thursday. (AP Picture/Tony Avelar)
PEBBLE BEACH – Outdoors of the confines of Buffalo and maybe his hometown of Firebaugh within the San Joaquin Valley, Josh Allen can nonetheless stroll round with out being acknowledged.
A chiseled golfer with film star appears, although, does at the very least create curiosity on the golf hyperlinks, punctuated with 300-yard drives.
Allen, who's participating this weekend within the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am for the primary time, has advanced into one of many premier quarterbacks within the NFL. But, only some followers appear to acknowledge the 25-year-old on the greens.
“Payments Mafia travels,” predicted Allen.
This isn’t his first journey to Pebble Seaside. Three years in the past, Allen was a visitor of the U.S. Open as a sidekick to 49ers legend Joe Montana. 
Few realized in 2019 that this 6-foot-5, 238-pounder was a quarterback and the Buffalo Payments No. 1 choose in 2018. Few took notice as a result of Montana stays one of many sport’s extra recognizable athletes.
“We didn’t actually speak lots about soccer,” mentioned Allen, who grew up a 49ers fan. “He (Montana) was coming off shoulder surgical procedure and his arm was in a sling. He simply jogged my memory of the significance of caring for my physique.”
Two weeks faraway from taking part in in arguably one of many wildest NFL playoff video games within the league’s 101-year historical past, Allen was calmly swinging golf golf equipment on a number of the nicest programs on this planet.
“Going from utilizing a silent cadence as a result of you possibly can’t even hear your personal ideas, to your ideas being the loudest factor you hear on the golf course – typically that’s nearly as scary,” Allen mentioned.
It was eerie silent at instances Thursday as galleries flocked to search out the likes of actor/comic Invoice Murray, who teed off 43 minutes earlier, whereas others needed a glimpse at boxer Canelo Alvarez.
Going from taking part in in entrance of 80,000 followers two weeks in the past to lower than 100 on sure holes softens the adrenaline rush. However the psychological strategy remained the identical for Allen.
“You can not let your final shot, or your final throw dictate your subsequent shot or subsequent throw,” Allen mentioned. “You must be good on that finish – of letting go and simply looking for out how one can finest transfer ahead.”
Allen had assist from that standpoint Thursday, taking part in alongside professional associate Keith Mitchell and former Cardinals receiver and 2020 Professional-Am winner Larry Fitzgerald. 
Each supplied recommendation on sure pictures for Allen, whose prolonged drives weren’t all the time as correct because the 60-yard missiles he launches on the soccer area.
“You must bounce again after a nasty shot, identical to it's a must to bounce again after an interception,” Allen mentioned. “There’s a psychological toughness it's a must to have as a golfer.”
Allen hasn’t had loads of time to sharpen his golf recreation, having taken the Payments to the divisional spherical of the AFC playoffs earlier than falling to Kansas Metropolis in time beyond regulation.
Allen rushed for 68 yards and threw for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns, together with what appeared to be the game-winner with 13 seconds left within the recreation earlier than the Chiefs kicked a area objective to power time beyond regulation, then gained it in OT.
After the sport, a Fb group known as Chiefs Kingdom arrange a fund to donate $13, signaling the ultimate 13 seconds of regulation – to the Patricia Allen Fund (Allen’s grandmother), which advantages the Oishei Kids’s Hospital in Buffalo.
Donations topped $300,000 within the first week, in accordance with a Fb submit from the hospital, which mentioned it started receiving donations in increments of $13.
“I haven’t actually addressed it but,” Allen mentioned. “I’ve been off social media for just a few weeks. However that was superior. It reveals the generosity of individuals on this nation. We want extra of that.”
The hospital grew to become related to Allen after Payments followers donated increments of $17 – his jersey quantity – totaling $1.1 million in honor of his grandmother, who died final 12 months.
Allen was not utterly with out help Thursday, as a small contingent of followers had been sporting Payments apparel, together with one No. 17 house jersey.
After sinking his putt on the fifth gap, a few followers yelled “Go Payments,” inflicting just a few others to tug out their cell telephones and snap a photograph of Allen, who humbly smiled, whereas his eyes had been hidden behind sun shades.
The truth is Allen hasn’t performed loads of golf of late. Along with throwing for over 4,400 yards and 36 touchdowns this previous season, there aren’t loads of locations to golf in Buffalo within the winter.
“If I might golf every single day, I might,” Allen mentioned.
He struggled together with his chip pictures at instances onto the greens, even choosing up the ball on one event when a shot rolled effectively past the opening.
A retired couple from Arizona following Fitzgerald politely requested who's Josh Allen? An argument could be made that a coin flip price him a shot at taking part in within the Tremendous Bowl.
Allen, who walked alongside the fairways in between pictures with Fitzgerald, has thrown for over 14,000 yards and 103 touchdowns in his first 4 seasons in Buffalo, revitalizing a franchise.
Earlier than changing into a No. 1 draft pick of Wyoming, Allen spent a season at Reedley Faculty close to Fresno, which is in the identical convention as Hartnell and Monterey Peninsula Faculty.
In his closing junior faculty recreation, Allen threw for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns, whereas speeding for 102 yards in Reedley’s 43-37 loss at MPC.
Passing up Sunday’s Professional Bowl in Las Vegas to compete within the Pebble Seaside Professional-Am, Allen is utilizing the match to melt the frustration he nonetheless harbors from the loss to Kansas Metropolis.
“This isn't a nasty comfort,” Allen mentioned smiling.