Live At The US Open: Live at the US Open - Pebble Beach

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Live at the US Open - Pebble Beach - Sunday June 16, 2019 II

The 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach is in the books. The Open rarely disappoints and this one was no exception. Final thoughts….

I don’t think we need to go over what happened again and what most of us saw on TV. I may not be thrilled with the Fox broadcasting crew but their visual coverage was outstanding.

Before I start Sunday let me remind you (like I need to) I am, have always been and will always be a huge Tiger fan. That said what I have to say in closing I hope it not too terribly one-sided because of it. We spent two of the four days with him and his groups and one day with Rory. This is what I observed.

Sunday we again walked with Tiger. Mark Leishman was his playing partner. I have always like him and he seems to be a very nice man. Happy. Polite. Said please and thank you. During the week there were Advance Teams for Tiger, Phil, Rory, Phil, Brooks and maybe DJ. By Sunday there were only two – Tiger and Woodland and Rose. I was very surprised a team wasn’t sent out with Brooks Sunday. Based on his performance I wonder if the USGA wasn’t wishing one had been.

Tiger got off to that terrible start. Never expected that. Then again while most of us were worrying about him potentially shooting 80 he does that incredible 180 and plays like the Tiger of old. Just like that! The crowds that were following him went progressively crazier with each birdie. You figured it had to end with some horrid shot to ruin the moment. For whatever reason he kept it going and capped it with the birdie at 18. I felt for Mark Leishman. He was the invisible man all day.

When he sunk the final putt and waived his hat his emotions were written all over on his face. More than one person I saw were choking up as well. I wonder if in his heart of hearts he wondered if this might be his last Open at Pebble. Next one is in 2027. Can he possibly still be competitive in eight years? Only time will tell.

We have watched Tiger at multiple Opens. We observed his impact on golf and on his peers. We have watched how the fans react to him. I know I have mentioned this before. This year seemed different.

Thursday the crowds were crazed with Tiger, Justin and Jordan. Expected. We walked with Rory on Friday and, in comparison, it felt like we were watching three Mid-Am champions (not to put down their accomplishments). There was little energy – anywhere. And probably less than half of Thursday’s crowd was with us. This is most likely because the real crowd had been there Friday morning. For Tiger.

As we were arriving to walk with Rory people were streaming out. This is at noon. The only reason I can think of is that Tiger was almost finished. Rather than take the long walk 16-18 they left at 15. Or he may have been finished – we didn’t look.

The point being there is no one like Tiger Woods. In golf certainly. And perhaps in all of sport. “Where is Tiger?” or something to that effect was heard over and over and over. One can tell most of these folks are not golfers or real golf fans. I say that because the latter already know where he is when they arrive. So many people want a look at him, a glance as he walks by. It hit home to us because as we walked by fans as Tiger was hitting they would be praying he would hit it near them so they could see him better. We talked to fans who got so excited because they had waited for hours for the chance to see him up close and personal. And for most, he just walked by. In most cases the fans were 20 deep as you likely saw if you watched.

I have been a sports nut all my life and been to many events. I do not think any athlete in Tiger’s era comes close to the adulation and interest he creates – good, bad or otherwise. Maybe Michael Jordan but he retired (the first time) in 1998 and Tiger had barely started.

What I know for sure is Tiger creates this frenzy wherever he plays. Think of the Fedex Cup, the Masters both of which he won. On Sunday he wasn’t even close to the lead but the fans were there en masse. Many of them left when he finished. The rest caught up with the leaders. You might have noticed that the last two groups did not have a huge galleries until Tiger finished.

What I also know for sure is that we have been so lucky to have had the opportunity multiple times to walk inside the ropes with players. Rory, Bubba, Jordan, Rose, Leishman, Tiger. We see every shot, most putts and are within a few yards from them around the greens. I don’t know what we did to have been so blessed. Just know we realize what a special opportunity we had. I love sharing with you.

Thanks as always to Jeff for putting up with my passion and taking most of the pictures.

Next year the US Open is off to Winged Foot outside NYC. We do not have plans to go. We are thinking about Torrey Pines in 2021. If we go you will be the first to know. Thank you for following me all these years. Be well and keep you head still!

Last pictures…and oh my! Our bus driver today was a hoot! He played music which was a first and, lo and behold, the entire bus was singing Sweet Caroline among others. A good way to start and end the day since we had his bus going back to the car.