Live at the US Open - Erin Hills - Final Thoughts

Erin Hills – final thoughts.  Congratulations again to Brooks Koepka!

It was a blast!  It is a beautiful course and hope to play it one day – next year if we can swing it.  Erin Hills offered volunteers half off to play in 2016 or 2018.  Cool!

It was also enormous.  To put it in perspective, Chambers Bay is 250 acres and next year’s Shinnecock is 240 acres.  Erin Hills is 640!  Granted there is a large area that is not part of play that I believe they are counting but take that away and it is still gigantic.  Erin Hills is the first course I have ever seen where they put the player, his caddy and bag in a cart to get from green to tee because it is so far.  During the first two rounds players going from 18 to 1 probably had a 200 yard walk.  We were very tired by Sunday evening.  I cannot even imagine how tired the players and caddies were.

It is hard to critique an event that went so well – except for the 18 green situation on Sunday previously discussed.  Every time I think about the week the first thing that comes to my mind is this:  it did not feel like a US Open.  And I cannot tell you why but here are a few reasons that might contribute.

The size of the course.  Everything was so spread out one did feel part of the entire course and what was going on was lost.  There was so much space between holes in some places you felt like it was a three-hole course.  If there were roars they were certainly not felt or heard around the course.  The excitement for a great shot or eagle was contained and did not radiate.  The thought – wow!  I can’t wait to find out what just happened and with whom – was a rare occurrence.

The shape of the course.  It was in perfect condition but Mother Nature did not cooperate in that it rained.  A lot.  So it was wet and receptive.  The prevailing winds that give Erin Hills its teeth were unfortunately on hiatus.  That combined with the widest fairways known to man contributed mightily to the 16 under winning score.

I wonder if the USGA isn’t caving to pressure in that players cannot stand Even par winning any tournament.  This, to my mind, was always the best part of the Open.  It tested everyone and we fans enjoyed watching pros have to work at par.  At least I always have.  Welcome to our world.   The pros need to stop being babies and man-up to what has always been the best week of golf the sport has to offer.

I am not attempting to take anything away from the brilliant round Brooks Koepka put together on Sunday or the play of Brian Harmon, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas.  But the fact that Jordan, Watson, Reed were not part of the picture on the weekend did not help.  Rickie Fowler set everyone afire on Thursday, faded on Saturday and tempted us for a few holes on Sunday.  But he couldn’t quite get there – again.  And don't you love Xander Schauffele.
And then the trunk slammers – DJ, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose – seriously?  Nos 1, 2, 3 and 11 in the world?  What on earth is that about?  DJ just had a baby (well, Paulina did) so he was tired.  Day has had a very emotional year and hasn’t played well since DJ went on a tear last year.  Rory and his ribs/back and being a newlywed perhaps.  What in the world is going on?  I don’t have time to research their collective play up until the Open but if memory serves it hasn’t been stellar except for DJ until the Masters.
All that said about the best golfers in the game today it goes to show how incredibly hard it is to stay on top.  Great play and great runs come and then go.  Unless you are….

Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.  The last 25 years have spoiled us with those two.  And it really isn’t because of the ‘rivalry’ because I am not sure I think there was one.  There were not many times they went head-to-head to win the biggies.  It was because they were bigger than life.  Golf life anyway.  Phil with his popularity, his go-for-broke play and ever-present smile made any tournament in which he played.  Tiger with his persona, that temper, that smile, 74 wins and 18 majors is likely someone we will never see again in the sport.

When Tiger and Phil played Opens as fans poured through the gates you could hear the same two questions over and over.  Where’s Tiger?  Where’s Phil?  What hole is Tiger on?  Did not hear either of those this year.   I know we will hear Where’s Phil again.  Not so sure about Where’s Tiger but I truly hope so.

We might have heard a few Where’s Jordans had he been in the mix.  Where’s DJ?  Where’s Rory? If they had been there.  But they weren’t.   We love the game.  We love to watch it.  But we love to watch our favorites.  We love to root for them.  It’s like that in all sports.  If Tom Brady isn’t playing it isn’t so exciting.  When Magic Johnson retired there was a void unlike any other.   We need our guys to be there even if they don’t win.

Phil.  His not playing was one of the strangest happenings in my mind.  I believe he did the right thing putting his daughter first.  But, why did the very small private school his kids have attended for years not realize the graduation was the first day of the US Open.  Graduation can be any day.  For some reason Phil did not seem overly troubled to miss the one tournament he’d give anything to win.  He never even bothered to go to Erin Hills to play it.  Not once.  He sent Bones.  Just odd.  But then so is the 25-year relationship between the two ending.  Not a clue.

Tiger.  Not much to be said about his sad story.  He brought so much to the game.  It’s hard to think about what he would have done in the nine years since Torrey Pines had he been a wiser man.   I would venture he thinks about it every day.  Maybe the golf gods will shine on him and give him a few more good years.  Unlikely at best but miracles do happen.

I am thrilled I have witnessed a great tournament.  Koepka is almost a household name.  The big boys will rebound for sure. Steve Stricker made the cut, played so very well and received thunderous cheers on every hole especially on Sunday.  That was very special.  The WI people say he is even a better, nicer guy than he is portrayed and that is saying a lot. 

Next year is Shinnecock on Long Island.  The Open is going back to the narrow fairways of an old, traditional course.  It will be a night and day experience.  We will skip next year and set our sights on returning to Pebble Beach in 2019.  Kind of a bummer but there are other places to go in June.

As always thanks to Jeff putting up with my passion and going with me.  He takes the pictures, reads the blogs for errors and omissions and has learned to enjoy it as much as I.  He’s been a trouper over these 10 years.  I can’t believe I started this journey in 2007.  I look forward to continuing in 2019.

Thanks to you for caring about my observations and thoughts and putting up with my occasional soapbox.  Until next time…keep your head still.

MK

The best for last...the USGA honored Arnold Palmer.  Each attendee on Sunday received this commemorative pin.  Very nice.

 

 

Live at the US Open - Erin Hills - June 18, 2017

 

The view Sunday of 18 green

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads and special love sent to Jeff and our boys David, Morgan, Trevor and Scott.  Hope all had special days.

Congratulations Brooks Koepka!  With the top of the field so closely bunched I thought surely this would be a shootout to the end.  Was I wrong!  Koepka put the hammer down on the back and cruised home.  He won playing the best golf.  Happy for him.

Tell you what, Matsuyama made a run and Brian Harman could not get things going.  Without Koepka’s birdie run on the back it would have been a white knuckler.

We were the early marshals at the 18^th grandstand.  Started at 11:30. When we arrived the first half of the enormous stand was ¾ full.  By 12:30 it was 90% full and we were giving out tickets to people leaving so they could return.  Mind you the first group didn’t get to 18 after 1.  There were two ladies in the front row who said they had been there since 6:30 – as in a.m.  Yikes!  If they stayed through the trophy presentation they were there for almost 12 hours.  Now those are golf fans!

Let me start by saying the USGA does a phenomenal job – all the way around.  The logistics are staggering.   Getting 40,000 people to and from the venue each day is just one huge task that must be next to perfect.  And as I said earlier this year they had it down to a science.  The giant pillows they had around for watching in the grass were a super idea.  I could go on and on and pretty much everything would be 5 stars.  You know what’s coming, don’t you?

The 18^th grandstand was a bit smaller than at Chambers Bay where it held 6,000 souls.  So easily 4,000+.  There were at least 10 of us to corral and keep happy these golf fans.  People are there for hours.  And hours in some cases.  They want/need to eat, stretch their legs and of course hit the potty.  In some cases, more than once during the marathon of the day.  And if 4,000 can sit down then another 2,000 want to sit with them too. Herein lies the rub.  People who have seats want to leave and keep their seats.  You have all been somewhere like this.   Seats are not purchased, there are no assigned seats as it is first come/first serve.  They give us red tickets to give to those leaving so they can come back in 30 minutes or less.  We write the time they go out on the ticket.  A stellar idea but how are we to know which seats they left because more and more people are trying to get into the stands for the first time.  Honestly it was a total cluster for two hours.

This is where the USGA fell down.  There were no guidelines, no rules, no official on site.  How to handle this was left up to the Area Captain who had no idea, the overall Grand Captain had no ideas and the USGA never arrived.  This left the Grandstand Leader who happened to be Jeff who also had no idea at first but he did get everyone together and put a plan in place.  Get the idea?

So as hundreds of ticket holders left and came back we two lines of people trying to get to a seat or get back to their seats.  While this is going on so by the way is the US Open not 30 yards from where we stand.  As soon as the players got to within 75 yards of the green of course all seating was stopped for approaches and putts.  Occasionally the fairway would be open and we had five minutes to get these people seated.  Sometimes 20 seconds.  At one time returning ticket holders were waiting 45 minutes to get back.  It was chaotic for a while.  To say there were some furious people is putting it mildly.  I couldn’t blame them but they blamed us. 

Long story over – by the time our shift was over we had things under control as best they could be.  We handed off a relatively calm venue to the 2^nd shift.  This leader was beside herself because at least four of her volunteers did not show up.  I heard that there were many who did not show on Sunday.  That is bad form.

I hope the USGA sends out a survey to volunteers.  I would like to tell them they might want to review the situation so they can give guidance to their volunteers next time.

Sunday was a gorgeous day…right about 70 with early breezy conditioners that sent many to the merchandise tent to purchase jackets.  I doubt there was a jacket left in the place by one o’clock.  I know I never took my jacket off even with running all over the place.  It was surprising the wind did not seem to bother the players at least not what I heard.  While we of course are unable to hear the TV talking heads American Express provides the little radios so you can listen to play-by-play on the course.  Different announcers.  It is so nice to be able to hear what’s going on when you can’t be roaming the course or watching the giant TVs.

I have more thoughts on the event and the course and going forward but will save those for my usual final thoughts which I will likely send out Wednesday since we fly home tomorrow.

Again, thrilled for Mr Koepka – Major Champion!

Live at the US Open - Erin Hills (aka LRCC) - June 17, 2017



Beautiful morning at Lake Ripley

Saturday.   It was a great day for golf.  No doubt about it.  Warm, sunny day with no wind.   The course is wide open and greens are in excellent condition.   Talking about Lake Ripley Country Club where we played this morning.  On our second non-working day, we choose to eschew the Open and play ourselves.  Fun choice.

We met Kjell at the local hangout – Lake Ripley Inn.  Talked golf while partaking adult beverages.  I know – shocker!  Kjell belongs to LRCC and invited us to play.  Our hosts, Jackie and Julie, rounded up some clubs and off we went.  LRCC was founded in 1915 when there used to be train service from Chicago to Cambridge, WI.  This little town was quite the place in the summer with a resort and nightclub.  The town, Cambridge, is 25 miles south of Madison which is the state capitol and the home of the Wisconsin Badgers.  There are many year-round residents as well as tons of weekenders.

We did not find Lake Ripley but accident.  Our daughters own a cabin here that they purchased when living in northern Illinois.  Though they live in California now they cannot bear to part with their little piece of heaven.  We spent five nights there and then moved to Jackie and Julie’s for the remainder of the trip.  We are very lucky.

I play a reasonable amount of golf and I’m a decent golfer.  Playing with other clubs is usually a challenge.  Playing with ones that are a little past their prime is a bit of a challenge.  When I uncovered the driver I had to go to the pro shop and ask for a demo.  Score!  A brand new Ping to try.  That was a stellar decision.  Not asking for a demo wedge was not a stellar decision.  I found out how much I love my 56 degree.  Borrowed a 54 degree at the turn and finally figured out how to hit it on 18.  Baby those wedges in your bag my friends.

Anyway, a super fun day.  Thanks Kjell (pronounced Shell).  You have a game next time we’re in town.  Unless it is between October and April when there’s all this white stuff on the ground.

Kjell and his daughter Christine and yes he does resemble Ian Poulter

 

So, how about the golf up in Erin Hills this afternoon?  These guys put on a show.  Congratulations to Justin Thomas on a spectacular 63.  Bet he wishes he had sunk the eagle putt on 15 so a) he would be tied for the lead and b) Johnny Miller would not have been less that congratulatory about tying his Open record.  I like Miller because he usually tells it like it is.  And if you did not hear or read his comments he said Thomas’ 63 paled in comparison to his at Oakmont.  I do not think a 63 at any Open is anything to sneeze at but I do believe Miller has a bit of a point.  I’ve been to Oakmont which has hosted multiple Opens including last year’s.  As sensational as Erin Hills is I agree it isn’t Oakmont especially since it has rained to soften the greens and there has been no wind to give the players fits.  I wonder if the USGA will return here or ever go to another course with fairways that are 50 to 75 yards wide.   Anyway, big kudos to Thomas for his accomplishment.

And how about Brian Harmon’s 67?  Fowler, Koepka, Fleetwood (love this guy!) and Kim with 68.  Reed with an early 65.  These guys tore it up on Saturday to create what should be an Open Sunday for the ages.  Let’s hope anyway.  Sometimes it is nice for one player to go very low and leave the rest in the dust.  Then there are no ‘if onlys.’  But I vote for a bunch of rounds in the sixties and a back and forth all day long.  Likely it will be won or lost on 18 which still hasn’t played up to expectations in my opinion.  It can be 690 yards long though the USGA hasn’t gone there this week.  It is supposed to play into the wind and that hasn’t happened either.  One thing that will change Sunday is the high will be 71 in the late afternoon.  Maybe a breeze will accompany the lower temperature.

No matter what it will be fun to watch.  We will be at our station on the 18^th Grandstand.  Lucky us!  Enjoy the day!

Night

LIve at the US Open - Erin Hills - Thursday June 15, 2017

Looking at the 9th Green

Thursday!  The 117^th US Open begins!  It was a glorious June day.  Fluffy white clouds, a light breeze and mid-80s.  And we did not work a shift so we were able to be where we wanted and enjoy the day.  Which we did.

There were many players who also enjoyed the day – Fowler and Casey come to mind.  And those who did not.  DJ, Rory and Jason are on the outside looking in.  Then there is Xander Schauffele.   I admit I had never heard of him but I do love his name.   Tommy Fleetwood?  He’s not related to Mick but looks like he could be in a rock band.  There are two amateurs under par.  Welcome to the US Open where there is almost always a crazy leaderboard the first day.

Many of the boys tamed Erin Hills today.  The course which needs the winds to show its teeth was treated unkindly by Mother Nature.  I believe the USGA started out with a relatively benign setup as well.  I have not seen a single minute of TV coverage so I do not know how long 18 played today but we watched easily 10 groups go through and there was not a single lay up.  This hole is 670 yards!  Martin Kaymer airmailed the green!  I need to find out how long it played.  In its defense it was playing downwind but it is hard to describe it as wind. Is there word – downslightbreeze?

The funniest thing that happened was on 18 when Jordan’s second shot was heading for the bunker and hit something hard and bounced a bit backwards and landed in perfect position maybe 25 yards from the pin.  He comes up and looks in the trap and got a tiny bit rattled – where’s my ball?  Someone pointed behind him and his reaction was funny to watch.  Shaking his head with a bit of embarrassment at his good fortune he just smiled.  Unfortunately, he was not able to make the birdie he was served on a silver platter by chipping 4’ above the hole and putting it 3’ past.  He could not get anything going.  But then he has a ton of company.

We saw a good portion of the early field go through 9 including Rickie who went off rather early.  Many hit the green.  Quite a few went long but not a single one hit the green in the correct place.  The most popular landing saw at least 10 balls and every single player mis-read the putt on the high side.  Now I don’t feel so badly about having green-reading dyslexia.

As always Thursday brings a huge crowd.  The choke points were hard to get through which by Sunday will be next to impossible.  9 green and 18 green are close together and that’s where people want to be.  18 has the same huge grandstand (with chairs!) we had at Chambers Bay.  The par 3 9^th has a chair-grandstand which is very large by par 3 standards.  So yes, thousands of people milling around the same area nearest the entrance means…oh boy for the weekend.

Phil.  Missing for the first time since 1994.  A generation ago.  Hope he enjoyed his daughter’s special day as he should.  It is interesting on several levels.  Phil to this day has never been to Erin Hills.  I find it odd for the man who wants this title more than any other and whose Open prep is second to none.  Did he not want to play here?  It is truly a monumental walk and at 46 maybe a bit too much.  He did not like what he heard about it?  Who knows whether the graduation could have been scheduled differently but the sun is surely setting quickly on his chances to win the Open.  I do not think it was right for him to wait until the last second to withdraw.  Poor Roberto was kept on pins and needles but came in with an even par round.  Good for him.  Happy # 47 tomorrow Phil!  The crowds miss you.

The weather tomorrow looks almost the same as today so I am anxious to see if the players can continue to tame Erin Hills or if the USGA will find a way to toughen it up.  Even though some of the game’s stars struggled mightily yesterday all those 5, 6 and 7 under par rounds could not have made them happy.  They may be retreating a little from the idea that par should win our national championship but they certainly do not want a 15 under par winner.  Can’t wait to find out.

Night…

Live at the US Open - Erin Hills - Wednesday June 15, 2017

Ta Da!

Wednesday evening.  Congrats to Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky – River Johnson born Monday.  Good thing – DJ did not want to miss two majors this year.

Another very hot, muggy day.  I’m remembering why I don’t live east of the Rockies…weather.  I rarely sweat.  I usually don’t even glow.  Today I was sweating.  And we hadn’t even gotten out to our hole out in BFE – aka 16 green.  And we got a ride 2/3 of the way.  The only way to get farther away from the entrance would to have been on 16 tee. 

There was a stage 4 weather alert about 3 which evacuated the course so we walked back to the entrance.  A stage 3 alert means you make everyone leave the grandstand but marshals stay in place.  Doesn’t sound quite fair to me.  Stage 4 everyone is off the course but volunteers ‘shelter in place.’  What place is that exactly?  We walked all the way back and ‘sheltered in place’ at the volunteer HQ until it started raining with lightning again.  We got on the bus and left.  We lived to tell the tale so it is all good.  But thunder and lightning are scary things on or near a golf course.

We saw many of the top players today.  I was surprised so many were out on the course.  Guess they were bored or they were really trying to figure out Erin Hills.  Rory and Sergio came by which is interesting because they supposedly are not the best of buds.  There was an amateur with them whose name I did not get.  This was the highlight day of his golfing career bar none.

I have not seen a minute of the talking heads on the golf channel or player interviews regarding Erin Hills.  What little I have read online they players are all over the place on the course, the fescue and life in general.  I watched a couple of players hit their tee shots into the fescue (16 is a par 3).  I’m not sure if it was intentional but that is beside the point.  Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth both got their balls out easily and well from unhappy stances to boot.  Of course, they were using wedges that went 10 feet at most.  How that will play from the fairway remains to be seen.

Knee high fescue not so thick at 16

Jordan showed up all by himself and spent at least 10 minutes on the green putting and chipping from all directions.  Expecting a pin placement in the back of a long, narrow green sloping back to front he practiced putting from the back fringe to a pin that would be 15-20 feet away.  He stood with his back to the pin, putted the ball about 12” to his left so the ball made a 90 degree turn and wandered slowly toward the pin.  Imagination and touch.

Question?  Where was Bubba all week?  Where was Adam Scott?  Never saw them.  Never heard they were around.  The one time I saw that Bubba was scheduled to play he bailed.  Guess they and a lot of others were on a different schedule. 

There were no deodorant girls today but one of the amateurs had a posse with him.  Nine of them all dressed alike in fun shirts and straw hats.  Those guys were having a blast coming up 18 taking pictures and mugging for one another.   Ah youth…

Tomorrow the fun begins in earnest.  The smiles and playfulness of the past few days will be replaced with steely concentration and hope that this will be the one.  Or the one that cements the Hall of Fame years down the road.

It will also be the first Open since 1994 that neither Tiger or Phil will compete.  Knowing me I will have something to say about them before the week is up.  They both will be sorely missed by many.  But, in their places we have an amazing group of young men that dazzle and surprise us over and over.  And what is special about these guys is so many of them are just nice, happy, polite and easy to root for.  They have not created the drama we watched for so many years in the late 90s through most of the 2000s.

We do not know if Tiger’s tale is complete and we hope not.  Phil will be keep us entertained for a lot of years to come.  But I am loving these new and semi-new players.  Good luck to each and every one tomorrow.

Night

The 9th Green - check out those traps!

 

Sergio - ok not green all the time :)

LIve at the US Open - Erin Hills - Tuesday June 13, 2017

It’s Tuesday.  Very early morning brought more thunder, lightning and rain.  They suspended play before it started, closed the parking lots and we waited.  Lucky for us we did not have an early shift or we would have spent a few hours waiting in the car!  Actually, it turned out to be a pretty day and low 80s.  This made us happy.

I have decided if we are Grandstand Marshals again I am going to say we are available Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday.  There really isn’t much going on when players are coming through at irregular intervals.  We had four marshals keeping track of maybe 30 or 40 people at most at any one time.  A raucous day it was not.  I am convinced that the weather scared a lot of people away as it was not nearly as busy today as it was yesterday.  That’s unusual.  But for those players who did come through we had a stellar view right down onto the 6^th green which is a rather straightforward par 3.

It’s quite interesting to watch the players practice around the greens.  Every putt, every chip is pretty darn great.  But like us when they take the game from the practice tee or green to the course things just do not work out quite as planned.  If it did each one of them would be par or better – which most of them are not.  So obviously that means they are just like us.  Right?

When you watch play on 6 green note that the green has a pretty severe slope from front to back.  Yesterday the flag was in the middle and there were a few shots close.  Rahm hit it to 5’ and got the birdie.  Once they get to the green they drop putter heads or tees in other places and practice putting and chipping.  When the pin is in the front of this green guaranteed they will try to be short rather than long.  There’s pretty severe upslope but trying to get there from way down in the back would not be a happy thing.  And conversely if the pin is way down in the back putting down that slope would be scary.

We have not had the opportunity to walk a lot of the course because we are in one place the entire time.  Tomorrow we are on 16 green which is as far out as humanly possible.  I bet we see a whole lot of the 2^nd nine on our trek out there.  We are considering taking an overnight bag.  Thursday our first day not working we plan to really see the course.

For those of us familiar with Chambers Bay it is arguably very similar.  Erin Hills does not, however, consider itself a links course.  We are trying to decide how the two compare.  The first thing is the fairways here are up to 75 yards wide on some holes.  That’s huge!  This begs the question – will this be a bombers’ paradise even though it is very long?  It appears you REALLY must miss your drive to miss many of the fairways.  But, if you do you could be in fescue hell.  I’m told some fairways are fairway/2’ fescue with nothing in between.  But then again, I read some fairways have 10 more feet of a second cut.  Will just have to wait and see.

I have been told the sand traps on some holes are death.  I did see 9 and 18 green and they do look unwelcoming to say the least.  I’m anxious to see more of them and how players deal with them when play begins.

The greens look and are said to be in magnificent condition.  I keep going back to weather but rain does in fact affect the way the course plays.  Locals say it has been a wet spring but the course was dry – until yesterday.  Tomorrow looks like it could be somewhat wet.  Thursday should be the best day of the week.  Friday/Saturday who knows?  Sunday afternoon looks good.  But what will the moisture do to the fairways?  Stop balls dead?  Or not.  Will the players shoot darts at soft greens?  Or not.  All remains to be seen.

Wish tomorrow was Thursday.

Did see Sergio all decked out in – green!  Who could have imagined?  I have the feeling we might see him in some shade of green every week until at least early next April.  Can’t blame him.  Jordan came through and crushed my hopes of getting his autograph on my Chambers Bay 18^th hole flag.  He said he was only signing autographs when he was finished.  I get it.  But dang!  Dustin Johnson looks like he just swaggered out of a saloon in the old west to have a gunfight with the bad guy.  Steve Stricker is a perfect guy and he’s taller than you think.  And I’ve seen him many times and never realized how tall he is. 
 
In years past there have always been some seriously random outfits – on both women and men – and just crazy stuff that you expect to see when 40,000 people are wandering around.  Today was a true head-scratcher.  I see this young woman walking toward me applying – ready?  Deodorant.  I am not kidding.  My first thought was why on earth are you applying your deodorant while walking around the US Open?  My second thought was what possessed you to bring your deodorant to the US Open in the first place?  The saying that it takes all kinds is truer than true.

Looking forward to having more to tell you about the course tomorrow.  It is a beauty to behold.  I’m not sure the camera will do it justice when Fox broadcasts but they will try.  I hear they are doing some cool stuff including drones everywhere.

Night…

 

Live at the US Open - Erin Hills - Monday June 12, 2017

So, this is the Midwest after all.  A steaming 85 degrees.  There was a breeze on the practice range and the humidity did not even register awful.  That said, it was HOT!  And not a tree in sight.  Thank heavens the USGA got over themselves and now provide “hydration stations” so people can fill their water bottles that they of course buy.  Used to be it was $4.00 a pop for a bottle of water.  Guess they heard what happened at Whistling Straits when they ran out of water.  C’mon man!

The good news is we zipped up in less than an hour, the volunteers’ parking lot is less than 15 minutes from the course and, unlike other years, we were dropped close to the front gate.  All the cool stuff is right when you walk in so we dropped $$ at the merchandise tent, sent our purchases out UPS and got our pictures with the trophy.  We accomplished all we needed to do in less than an hour.

Yesterday we received emails that we had been ‘promoted’ to Lead Marshals.  How sweet is that?  It means you get to be cool and have the radios and headsets.  And you can tell people when they can go home.  It also means that you are the LAST ones to leave.  By the time we left the practice range there were zero players on the range and 3 volunteers sitting in the stands.  And a guy who had an hour conference call.  Seriously.

Truth be told the practice range is relatively boring.  Just so you know it is possible to hit shot after shot after shot that is/are (can’t decide) perfectly straight.  And they go so far you cannot see them come down. I hate these guys.  A lot of the guys we saw had just finished their practice round and here they in this heat pounding balls for 60 to 90 minutes.  Many of the players that were scheduled 18 played only 9.  For example, Jordan Spieth played the front this morning.  Tomorrow afternoon he is playing the back.  18 holes for practice is a killer unless you go out at 7 when it is cooler.
My co-marshal Richard is local.  Played here several times.  The course is said to measure 7600+ yards.  He told me his step meter over the 18 holes measured 10.5 miles.  My Fitbit today measured 11K steps and we basically didn’t go out on the course.  We walked a little past 9 green and back which is pretty much as close as you can get to the front.  Tomorrow we are at 6 green which means we will walk the 1^st nine. Wednesday when we are on 16 green we will walk the 2^nd nine.  Typically, we walk the whole course the first day we can.  Thinking that is not happening here.

And then there is the weather.  We were on storm watch from about 3 pm on.  They give us little cards to tell us what to say to the people in the stands if they are required leave due to impending thunder and lightning.  Really?  People get out now!  Therein lies the problem…there is no shelter.  Leave the grandstand and pray.  I was thinking – whatever.  That was until we were driving home when a storm hit.  OMG!  We PNW people know about rain and lots of it.  But this rain was ridiculous.  When Jeff pulls off the road because of the rain it must be really bad.  And then it hailed.  Then there is the lightning.  If a storm like this hits during the afternoon this week there will be thousands of people that are drenched beyond description.  We are taking towels and a change of clothes to leave in the car so if this happens again we will not have to sit in soaking wet clothes for the hour drive back.

Oh by the way, we volunteered for this.

 

Live at the US Open - Erin Hills Preview - Sunday June 11, 2017

I'm back!  It is June 11, 2017 at the US Open in Erin Hills, WI.  After a year's hiatus and watching Oakmont on TV we are once again blessed to be at the US Open.

After two years I had to refigure out how to maneuver around in the blog.  So thought I would play with it and send out a quick preview.

It is beautiful here in Wisconsin.  We are so lucky that our daughters own a cabin at Lake Ripley and we get to stay for free!  Happy that!  We are about 50  miles away from Erin Hills which is great.  The good news is that as Grandstand Marshals this year our earliest on-site is 10 am on Sunday.  No leaving the warm bed at 5 am.

The weather man is all over the map this week - sun, rain, thunderstorms, clouds.  Right now Thursday is the best day and Saturday looking rather wet.  But all will be well.

Not having seen the course yet I do not know anything about it other than it looks a lot like Chambers Bay.  No trees on the course itself, rolling hills, high grasses for errant shots.  It is a whopping 7800 yards with four par 5s over 600 yards.  I'm not sure if that favors the long hitters Johnson and McIlroy or the shorter hitters who routinely play longer irons into par 5s.  Perhaps the rolling fairways will provide some incredibly long drives.    Then again if it rains it could play even longer. 

Steve Stricker said he played Erin Hills from the tips about five years ago when "he was younger" and he hit a utility club or fairway wood into four of the nine holes he played.  And speaking of Stricker - how cool that he qualified.  A Wisconsin native he lives in Madison.  It would have been wrong on every level had he not been able to participate in his home state.  Best of luck to Steve!

The usual suspects are the favorites.  The only real surprise in a list I saw is Alex Noren from Sweden.  He's been playing very well in Europe and here.  Ranked 8th in the world.

But before we write off everyone else remember that Orville Moody and Andy North won Opens.  Andy North won two!  And it was the only PGA tournament Orville Moody won.  And speaking of Andy North he owns two homes here at Lake Ripley - right next door to some good friends who actually bought their home from him.

Can't wait for tomorrow...the practice days are the most fun.  Monday and Tuesday they are loose and having a great time.  We will get lots of pictures and maybe an autograph.

Stay tuned...

Live at the US Open - Chambers Bay - June 24, 2015 Final Thoughts

The 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay is over.  There are those who would say “mercifully over.”


It had everything the USGA could have possibly hoped for.  It had outstanding weather, an amazing human interest story and high drama on Sunday afternoon up to the very last putt.

It had a few things the USGA could have done without.  There was controversy over the greens and limited spectator access to so much of the course.  The FOX coverage was adequate at best.  I would imagine the USGA thought it should have been better.  There were numerous complaints and whining over the greens and their condition.  There was Gary Player.

It is true that this Open was not a great place to view the competition.  There were five holes that had no grandstand including three in a row – 2, 3 and 4.  On the ground viewing was more than problematic.  The sand berms you saw were off limits to spectator in most cases.  The reason was undoubtedly to save a lot of the course from damage but also for safety.  I personally saw several people slide or fall off berms that were roped off.  Many of the fairways were extremely wide and so if there was a place to stand many times it was far away from the action.  The 18^th hole grandstand was huge (6000 people), had real seats instead of benches but it was set quite a ways back from the green.  In some locations in the stand if you got yourself a seat in the lower rows you had a tough time seeing the green.  The course layout itself dictates where grandstands can be placed and where fans can stand or sit to view. One last thought on this…the corporate hospitality areas were also set way back from the course and in a few cases you could see almost nothing.  I realize that they all have TVs every five feet so the guests can watch the play while they drink and eat but if I was paying the USGA those huge dollars I would want a much better seat in the house. If the Open comes back again I believe this should/will be rectified in some manner.  Fans pay a lot of money to see the competition.  Many did not get their money’s worth.  Unfortunate.

One thing we saw and heard more at this Open than in any other (or in any other tournament I can think of) is player complaints about the greens and almost everything else they could think of.  The whining and negative attitudes were unacceptable in my opinion.  Many of them behaved like spoiled little boys instead of grown men who are working.  The vast majority of us would trade our jobs for the drudgery of working outside in usually good or great weather, getting everything we wear for free, getting every club for free, flying private jets everywhere and having the opportunity to win huge amounts of money.  And that doesn’t count the endorsement money.  Certainly not all but many players behaved like prima donnas because the greens were not perfectly manicured by white-gloved hands with tweezers.  They should try playing the munis that most people play.  People who love the game put up with five to six hour rounds on courses that barely have grass on the fairways or sand in the traps. 

I know these guys understand that the conditions were the same for all.  One day you get the morning and one day the afternoon.  Most of the time it evens out.  If you liked the afternoon conditions then by all means play better and play your way up the scoreboard to the leader board.  It’s pretty much that simple.   As we were leaving Sunday early afternoon we were stopped at the 18^th tee crossing for Ernie Els’ twosome.  We could not see his drive or where it landed.  As he reached the crossing he slammed his drive hard into the ground twice.  Obviously he wasn’t happy with his shot.  This young man behind me went berserk.  He yelled at the top of his lungs to Ernie that (and I paraphrase) if you are going to behave like a spoiled child and you are unhappy that you are here competing for our National Championship then by all means stay home and let other players and would-be qualifiers have the chance.  Ernie turned around to look at who yelled with an amazed look on his face.  The guy had the cajones to yell again that it was he who said it and he meant it.

And then there is Gary Player.  I cannot begin to understand what possessed him to go off on Chambers Bay and everything about it.  As an amateur with hardly a single digit handicap I have played CB and found it to be an amazing, challenging course.    I played with a friend, a scratch golfer who has played the best courses around the country and Europe, who thinks Chambers Bay is one of the all-time best courses he’s played.   One cannot help but wonder if Gary has a bit of sour grapes because he did not win the contract to design Chambers Bay.  Gary Player’s diatribe was as uncalled for as it was stunning.  He should have known better.

As far as the final outcome of the Open goes I think Dustin Johnson should be proud of how he played.  I cannot imagine his disappointment and shock that could not two putt from 13’.  It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.  I personally am disappointed that he chose to blow off the trophy ceremony.  It was rude and unbecoming.  Golfers pride themselves on honesty, integrity and responsibility.  He was right to talk about how his family is his number one priority as it should be.  But I think it was a slap the fans, to Louie O who probably would have loved to leave as well and in particular to Jordan.  Jordan who did what he had to do – birdie the 18^th hole.

 The sad news is that we will not be going to Oakmont next year.  We have done seven Opens and we think it is time to expand the horizons to other tournaments.  Perhaps the PGA or the Players.  And if so Live at the ? will be back with a vengeance.  We do hope to go back to the Open in two or three years and definitely for Pebble Beach in 2019.  So never fear – I shall return!

Now stepping off the soapbox…

We all know that the game of professional golf has changed dramatically in the past 19 years because of one Tiger Woods.  Love him or hate him he has done more to change the game than anyone since Arnold Palmer.  We have followed Tiger and marveled at his accomplishments and his play.  We had a front row seat (literally at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach) watching the most amazing golf in history.  When I think about Tiger today I am sad.  Such greatness should not be reduced to the ordinary or the embarrassing.  I wonder if the man will be able to right his ship – repair his body and in particular his mind – to again compete at the highest level.  And yes, win at the highest level.  I do hope so.  I would bet money that his colleagues wish the same.

I do not think Jordan Spieth is the next Tiger Woods.  I am not at all certain there will be anyone even remotely like Tiger every again.  But that does not mean Jordan cannot take the reins, arguably already has (at least for a US golfer) and take the game to a place we do not yet see.  I hope he does and it will be another great ride for those of us who love the game.

I cannot wait for the Open when Jordan steps to the tee and is introduced as the winner of the 2015 Masters and the 2015 US Open.  Can he possibly make it three in a row?  We shall see.

Thanks as always to Jeff for going along with me on my crazy US Open journeys.  He takes the pictures, edits my posts and smiles.  And thank you all for taking time to read my thoughts and enjoying them.  I so appreciate all your emails and comments and I am so glad you have been along for the ride.

Until next time -   wherever it may be…keep you head down.

 

 

 

Live at the US Open - Chambers Bay - Sunday June 21, 2015 Part II

Congratulations to Jordan Spieth.  What an amazing performance!  Just when we thought he had it in the bag he hits a shot on 17 that made our blood pressure go up.  Doubtless his did as well.  But he played 18 to perfection and made the required 4’ putt to go ahead and ultimately win our National Championship.  My guess is there are going to be multiple major wins in his future.  Good heavens – he has multiple major wins in his past!  Hard to remember he is 21.

With the most recent outstanding golf rivalry for all intents and purposes on its deathbed we now have a new one.  Jordan and Rory.  Two handsome, nice, well-mannered young men will go at it for years to come.  I cannot wait.  And let’s hope that Jason Day and Rickie Fowler soon make it into the conversation as well.  Golf is in a good place and I think in good hands.

Sunday morning at the Open is a quiet time.  Those at the bottom of the leader board come through with arguably a lot of half-hearted play. (I wonder why we think that all who make the cut are “on the leader board.”  There is nothing leading about 10, 12, 15 over when the real leaders are at 4 under.  Just sayin…)  Spectators arrived in bits and pieces.  Phil was out early and there was a pretty good crowd that followed him anyway.  I watched him walk up the hill to our tee and he was moving slowly.  Did not have the usual spring in his step which is understandable I guess.   The highest finisher we saw before our shift ended was Sergio Garcia.  By the time we left the course it was packed everywhere.  The crowd was so ready for a showdown and they were not disappointed.

I think Sunday mid-day was the most beautiful of the week.  It was picture-perfect and as I gazed out on the Sound once last time this week I was reminded how lucky I am to live in such a gorgeous area of our country.  There is no doubt in my mind that Chambers Bay is right there with Pebble Beach for incredible scenery with views from almost every hole.  Surprising as it may be we have had almost no rain since March. Because of that Chambers Bay was brown in many areas that normally would have been green.

Sunday afternoon’s competition in my opinion was the best I have seen in my seven Opens.  Or tied with Torrey and Tiger.  It was close at Oakmont with Cabrera and Tiger.  Tiger late on Sunday at Torrey was the one for the ages.  Bethpage was just survival.  Pebble was great on Saturday afternoon but things went south on Sunday for Dustin, Tiger and Phil.  Congressional was a runaway.  Olympic never caught the magic perhaps because Webb Simpson was such an unknown.  While Sunday started slow it heated up like crazy.

Sunday at Chambers Bay.  Rory got it to -2 and the crowd was loving it.  Adam Scott lit it up with 64. (I think he would do anything to keep Stevie around)  Sneds was on fire for awhile.  Cameron Smith finished T4 and he is only 21 too.  Louie Oosthuizen – what an amazing turnaround to be leader in the clubhouse and almost get to a playoff.  He shot a 67 with three early bogies.  29 on the back?  Why were players complaining?   Branden Grace.  He played with style (and grace) and a single errant shot took him out of it with three to go. (and what an errant shot that was!  Oh my.)

Jason Day.  We all watched the way he struggled Saturday and Sunday yet he perservered and finished.  He never complained.  He just did it.  I am in awe of him.  I can think of numerous players who really could use a lesson from Jason about never quitting, never giving up, never complaining and always being the best you can be in the most difficult circumstances.   If golf ever decides to give an award for courage and honor it should be the Jason Day Award.

Dustin was awesome on the front while Jordan appeared nervous.  Then it was a 180 degree switch on the back.  Jordan calmed down and got into control and Dustin lost the mojo.  On the back – Dustin had 3 bogies and a birdie.  But Jordan had three birdies and a double.  Bottom line is this…Jordan had to birdie to beat Oosthuizen and he did.  Dustin had to birdie to tie Jordan and he did not.  The better man on Sunday won.  69 vs 70.  They played the same course, the same greens and in my opinion the discussion should end there.  It was edge of your seat, biting your fingernails golf and it was exciting as hell. 

Congratulations to Jordan Spieth.  He is the winner of the two most prestigious championships in US golf and perhaps all of golf.   We are in awe of this young man and his talents.

 Chambers Bay was everything a US Open should be.   Cannot wait for 2016 at Oakmont.