This is the second installment highlighting the initial event attended by author Doug Hill during his Around the World in 80 Sporting Events. Doug was accompanied by his father and big golf fan, Jerry Hill, on the trip to Pinehurst No. 2 and the U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship. You’re able to read Part 1 here.
Some sights around Pinehurst during the U.S. Open. Clockwise from upper left, the clubhouse from out front of the club, a lamp banner noting the 124th U.S. Open, the Pinehurst Resort sign, a view up the towering Carolina pines, a magnolia in bloom, and the manual leaderboard found in Fan Central.
As referenced within Part 1, we realized a different strategy would be needed to optimize our time at the course during Thursday’s first round. We knew the temperatures were due to climb throughout the week so arriving early and enjoying the relative coolness of the morning made sense. We (or at least I) understood that asking my nearly octogenerian father to hoof it around a crowded course all day in 90-degree-plus heat would be a recipe for disaster, so identifying a grandstand to set up shop also made sense. And, no matter the heartiness of the two of us, staying on sight until the final threesome holed out (around 8 p.m. as near as I could calculate) was also out of the question.
Early Arrivers … Everywhere!
Turns out my father and I did not have an original idea. Following our 70-minute commute from the High Point, NC, area that featured minimal traffic, once we made our way to the parking lot entrance, we were rather rudely awakened. After parking our vehicle, I looked back at the entrance and took in the scene, it t was akin to the final moments of “Field of Dreams” when the cars’ headlights twinkled for miles heading to Ray’s cornfield in Iowa. The number of cars in the Red Lot at 6:50 a.m. was absolutely bananas! And then I remembered there was also a Blue Lot as well as the myriad VIP Lots scattered throughout the Pinehurst resort.
Oaf!
The Long Walk In
Even though we were ready for it – and it was a good bit cooler than our Wednesday mid-morning arrival – the walk from the bus depot to the main gate was still a fur piece. The difference on this day was knowing that we were about to see over 150 of the best golfers in the world compete. I’m not sure how to explain it, but there was a different vibe walking in with the masses on Thursday morning than there was on Wednesday.
I think the volunteers helped with that vibe as well. Everyone was quick with a smile. a warm hello, and the offer to click a photo if you wished.
Once we made it through the main gate, we walked up Fan Central to the big screen that was showing some of the early tee times. As my dad settled into an Adirondack chair to take a break, we were able to see Tiger Woods tee off at No. 10 and our plan at that moment was still to settle in at the 18th hold grandstand and wait for golfers to come to us.
chair in Fan Central.
Shortly after watching Tiger split the fairway with his drive on the tenth and upon further consultation with our course map, I decided rather than going to 18 and sitting for close to two hours waiting for golf to get to us, we should take a flyer on the grandstand at the 13th green as the first groups would be there sooner.
Lucky No. 13
Clockwise from left, ur view on the 13th green (the 14th fairway is to the left). Russell Henley prepares to putt as Patrick Cantlay and Matt Kuchar look on. Tiger Woods lines up his putt.
Beside looking into the rising sun, the 13th grandstand was everything we’d hoped for. There weren’t too many steps to climb, we had seats on the aisle, and golfers were arriving about the same time we did.
In all, we saw seven threesomes play the 13th green including Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Lucas Glover, Russell Henley, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Justin Lower (a fella my dad noted during his pre-Open podcast appearance), Cameron Smith, Tiger Woods, and Will Zalatoris. Sadly, there were no roar-inducing shots while there, but we did hear a few emanating from the par-5 10th hole where birdies were a bit more plentiful.
What our vantage point did provide was an up-close look at the vaunted Donald Ross-designed greens that are described as inverted saucers or cereal bowls. Of the 21 players we saw hit approaches, we must have seen eight that hit the green but rolled to back near the grandstand. Holding the green was tough on Thursday, what it might look like on Sunday was hard to imagine.
We were also able to witness the phenomenon that is still Tiger Woods. His group was the fifth off the 10th tee and about a half hour before his arrival, the grandstand began to fill, the viewing areas along the fairways began to swell, and a certain buzz began. It’s as though everyone was angling for one final competitive glimpse of the game’s dominant force through the early part of this century.
Break Time
After seeing Aberg, Finau, and Johnson play the 13th, we realized it was time to get out of the sun so we headed first for bathroom breaks, water bottle refills, a bit of time in the shade, and, ultimately, a trip across the Pinehurst campus to the the USGA’s newly opened Golf Experience and World Golf Hall of Fame.
Like just about everything at Pinehurst, it was a bit of a hike to get there (including leaving the venue, which offered our first exposure to the facial recognition software to allow for a speedy return). We took breaks along the way to see what is ordinarily “The Cradle” – Pinehurst’s short course – but was being used during the U.S. Open as the driving range, checked out the clubhouse from a distance, and lingered in shaded areas on occasion.
Our payoff was close to an hour spent in air conditioned comfort and the ability to check out the freshly minted Hall of Fame.
Clockwise, from upper left, the Ben Hogan image greets visitors upon arrival on the second floor, where the Hall of Fame is housed; Hall of Famers Fred Couples and Payne Stewart have their lockers/exhibits side-by-side in the Hall; the DNA of a golf swing is a fascinating sculpture by Mario Chiodo looking at the evolution of African-American golfers beginning with John Shippen and ending with Tiger Woods; it’s fitting that Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus have their lockers next to one another in the Hall; all of the major golf trophies are on display, including the U.S. Open trophy, Solheim Cup, Masters Tournament trophy, and the Ryder Cup; the current induction class is featured near the main entrance of the Hall.
Additionally, we happened to be in the Hall at the same time as a Hall of Fame member, Mark O’Meara. I turned a corner and there was this fella looking at an exhibit saying, “yep, that’s my high school letter.” It took a moment or two to place him and then it all clicked. We lingered in his vicinity long enough to hear him mention how much he liked the new facility and take photos of his exhibit and then pose for a photo next to his exhibit for a staff member.
As we left the area, my dad approached O’Meara and said, “Thanks for all the great memories you provided golf fans” to which he received a “You’re welcome and thank you in reply.”
Way cool!
Yes we Have No Bananas Today
After our cool – and cooling – break at the Hall of Fame, we made our way back into the furnace of early afternoon Carolina heat and humidity and across the club to see what was going on at the practice range (people hitting golf balls, surprise!), the practice putting green (people putting [and applying sunblock], surprise!), and find something for lunch.
The weather being what it was, neither of us were feeling too hungry, but my dad said a banana sounded good.
As my queuing line approached the window, I saw just two bananas left and then I saw one banana and then I saw that final banana get plucked from the basket it rested in and given to the person in front of me one line over.
Yes, that concession was now out of bananas my friendly cashier notified me. I grabbed a hot dog and gave my dad the bad news.
We decided to head down the hill to Fan Central and make our way over to the No. 12 tee/No. 11 green area where another grandstand would afford us a place to see some of the afternoon groups teeing off from No. 10.
On the way to our spot for viewing, I checked out another concession stand and saw a bevy of bananas in their basket. The line was long (and in the sun), so I left dad in a shaded area and procurred a pair of $2 bananas for us.
We enjoyed them thoroughly!
Clouds, Glorious Clouds … and a Breeze!
At left is the view of the 11th green, next is the view from the 12th tee, Bryson DeChambeau heading down the 12th fairway following his tee shot, and Tyrell Hatton waiting on the 11th green.
We watched the final morning threesome tee off from the shade behind No. 12 and then made our way to the 11th green grandstand where there was basically volunteers and three other members of the gallery relaxing in advance of the afternoon play.
Clouds began to build overhead which provided relief from the heat and then a breeze kicked up which felt, dare I say it, mildly refreshing. We had about a half hour wait until the first of the afternoon groups arrived at the 11th.
We were there, primarily, to see two groups: the first included one of my dad’s current favorite players, Tommy Fleetwood, and the most-curmudgeonly player on tour, Tyrell Hatton, both from England. The other group included one of the marquee afternoon trios: Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, and Viktor Hovland.
Nothing notable occurred from those groups aside from Hovland needing to take an unplayable lie from the native area following an errant second shot. He finished with a double-bogey six and it pretty well set the tone for his first nine, finishing with a 5-over-par 40 on his way to missing the cut.
But when you include DeChambeau with the Finau, Cantlay, Henley, and Burns, who we saw during the morning, we were able to see five of the top 10 finishers in person, including the eventual champion.
And that Made for a Fun Father’s Day
Unbeknownst to me at the time, when I was atop the grandstand at No. 18 earlier in the day, I captured the greenside bunker where eventual champion, Bryson DeChambeau, hit is stiff to save par and secure the his second championship.
After we returned to my dad’s place on Friday, I had a function to attend in Louisville, KY, on Saturday night, but was back in time to spend the latter part of Father’s Day with him watching the tournament’s homestretch: DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy going back and forth, with Cantlay lurking.
As my dad noted at one point, “I’ve usually not seen the course in person first and then watched on television. This is pretty neat to watch the action having just been in these places.”
Indeed we were!
The USGA moved the 13th tee up to entice the players to try to drive the green – all three leaders did and all three birdied.
And that spot DeChambeau’s drive came to a rest on No. 18 (nearly flush with the massive grandstand in the left native area)? Yeah, that was right near a big lavatory area and once we’d finished our business Thursday morning, we sidled up to that shady spot and saw a group move through the 18th from just behind the ropes in, basically, the same spot DeChambeau flipped his second shot into the greenside bunker before completing his remarkable up-and-down to claim the win.