And it’s Friday! Day
II
We have the afternoon shift once again. As we are walking through the entrance to the
course it was staggering how many people were leaving! It was not even noon. I
think there were two things going on.
First, people get to
the Open, they do the Merchandise thing, go to the Lexus and Amex tents for
pictures and freebies, maybe get a bite or a beer and head to the course. When they get there and see the crowds, find that many
of the grandstands are full and it is 15-deep for the marquee groups which were Tiger and
Brooks. Or they are so tired from the long
walk from the buses to the course itself they don’t want to walk another 30
plus minutes out to 9 or 10.
Second, Tiger was
just finishing the day at 9.
It is a long walk back from 9 so maybe you bail after 6 and get home in
time to watch the afternoon wave on TV.
And a third reason – it is less than 60 degrees and overcast. The sun did peak out a tiny bit a tiny number
of times.
It is 1:36 and we are ready to roll with Rory, Jon and
Mark. Pretty nice duty again with our
team from Thursday. All is good. We definitely did not have the crowd we had
yesterday which made our jobs easier.
There were a few random shots here and there but if they didn’t hit the
fairway they were in the rough inside the ropes. Nothing compared to Tiger’s ‘what the hell
just happened there?’ on 5.
Yesterday while there wasn’t a whole lot of chatting Tiger,
Jordan and Rose did walk together at times and talk. I don’t remember seeing today’s threesome
walking together or talking. Obviously,
we’re not near them every second but they definitely were not in talkative
moods with one another. It was a
different vibe altogether.
That said, Phil was two groups behind us, and he had a huge
following. No surprise there. I understand that group had their hands full
a lot of the time. I think Phil siphoned
a lot of people away from Rory and Jon.
All three of our guys made the cut which is good. Rory was on a roll, floundered a bit with a bogie
and then a bad double on the par 5 14th but came back with two birdies and
finished strong. Thought for sure he’d
be right there and then Woodland went nuts and he’s four back. But this is the Open and anything can happen. There are 47 players at Even or better.
Tomorrow is moving day and it will be great fun. We do not work, so we get to be spectators and
watch anyone we want. Then there is the
small issue of full grandstands and the crowds around the big boys. But bit of a strange thing has happened. Pay attention to the pairings. Go back to Tiger’s group. From there of the
groups have a well-known player and one you barely know or have never heard
of. I wonder if viewing might be a bit
easier with the big boys totally spread out.
Hope so.
Other things…
I think I said earlier that the USGA knows how to move
people to and from. Uh, strike that this
time around. Both days so far the lines
for the buses to leave are staggeringly long.
Thank heavens we have the volunteer line. It is not what you want when you just walked
miles, hiked up a large incline and four sets of stairs.
Each year we see volunteers from the past which is great
fun. My friend Peter from Wichita is a every
year guy. He is typically in charge of a
volunteer group or a Grandstand (18) Captain.
This year he is again on 18, but not in charge. A lot of us have worked holes before so you know
that the marshals rotate around as the shift goes along. Not with the guy on 18 here. The marshals are assigned a position and
there they stay – all day! It’s wrong on
every level if for no other reason than you need to walk around during a six-and-a-half-hour
shift.
As we walked the course many of the Hole Captains thanked us
for being there to help them out if needed.
This is nice. And this year the
USGA notified the Hole Captains that there are Advance Teams coming around. In previous year the captains had no idea who
we were or why we were there. Some were
not happy. Having the orange Inside the
Rope Access lanyards also helped.
We are at one of the most beautiful places in the
world. It is unfortunate that the
weather is so cold and unsunny. There is
nothing more beautiful than the view of Carmel Bay in the sunshine. Still hoping for some sun but not in the
forecast - mid-60s and full sun – until Monday.
Of course.
Later kids…
Still friends...
Just one of the many parties happening all weekend. I love this house with it's own sand trap and putting green. You can't see but each chair has a US Open logo on it. Unfortunately it is rather cold for outdoor parties. The groups we saw today were wrapped in blankets under heaters. Such a bummer!
Happy Flag Day!!
Happy Flag Day!!
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