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.
Victor Hovland
He's gonna be a goodie!
Tiger ignoring having his picture taken with Tom and me
Brain-fade on which hole this is
Chez - congrats to him!
Brooks
A view of 17 and 18 from the 6th
The last day...
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