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Main
Date: 21 Aug 2006 13:35:33
From: warren montgomery
Subject: Last day at Medinah
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No spoilers necessary by now. For anyone interested, here's what I saw. I
got there early, with enough time before my marshal job to watch a few
groups tee off. That would be the dew sweepers with no hope of even a high
finish. The most amusing was probably Olazabal, whose drive looked like one
of mine -- starting right and going further right over the trees and it
looked like into the corporate tents. It took some time to clear the crowd,
find the ball and get it placed and punch out.
My job yesterday was the side entrance to the putting green. I think they
opened this one after Tiger jumped the fences here as the shortest route
from the parking lot in order to avoid the crowd, but a bunch of players and
most of the media used it after that, so it was a busy spot. Of course the
ugly part was that this was also the first or second rope around the
clubhouse area that the people coming from the VIP parking lots with
clubhouse tickets were likely to see, and definitely not a spot you could
get into the clubhouse from, so we were constantly repeating instructions to
people to go around the putting green and go in the other side. Most were
nice enough about it but we hit a few who felt insulted because we wouldn't
let them in, including some Medinah members, who assumed they could go
anywhere (they couldn't). I did feel sorry for the members -- 3 courses and
all of them torn up for this. It will take months to tear down all the
temporary structures put up on them (including asphalt parking lots) and
regrow them. I'm sure Medinah got tons of money for this but if I were a
member I doubt I'd want to host another major championship. What good is a
membership to a waste area?
About 15 minutes after we started we knew someone popular was in the parking
lot, and a couple minutes later Mickleson's caddie appears through the crowd
followed by Phil. He has a very casual appearance and attitude every time I
saw him. He even traded geeting with my wife who was holding the ropes.
Michelsen set up to putt in front of us on the green and worked for quite a
long time -- when he wasn't talking to the other pros or his coach (a tall
guy in a straw hat that someone said was Dave Pelz -- could have been). Our
real job during that time was trying to clear the crowd enough to let in the
flood of media people carrying tripods and cameras while not letting any of
the folks with clubhouse tags sneak past (the cops would stop them at the
entrance to the locker room but they really didn't want them in there at
all). Things calmed down a bit when Phil ducked into the clubhouse on the
way to the range, but we got to see Mike Wier, Ian Poulter, Geoff Oglivy,
Sergio, and all the other leaders start to warm up.
Tiger arrived almost exactly an hour and a half before tee time. No need to
wonder who was in the parking lot then. I had a pretty good idea what to
expect next since I had seen it from the other players entrance on Friday,
so I warned the cop who was helping us at that point. Most of the folks in
our area dashed for the parking lot and the main entrance to the clubhouse
for the players, only to be surprised when Tiger came out through the
parking lot fence opposite us and straight across into the putting green.
We had no trouble clearing the others out of the way (of course it helped
that Tiger had 4 cops around him). The contrast between Tiger and Phil was
really striking. He is amazingly focussed, noticing everything going on but
not being distracted to talk to anyone or respond to the crowd. Tiger set
up to putt on the opposite side of the green, but there was still a good
view from our side, and now we had people 5 deep struggling to get a
glimpse. His putting routine was no less focussed than his dash into the
green. Oddly enough while Tiger started to putt, Steve must have gone back
to the car 2 or 3 times, first to fetch an extra red shirt and then some
towels. Without the bag nobody noticed him. I was glad I'd seen enough of
him and some of the other high profile caddies to recognize them without
having to make them show their badges.
While Tiger was out there Phil came out as well getting in some final putts
before his time 5 groups ahead of Tiger. They stayed well away from each
other on the green and again it was an interesting contrast of focus versus
casual warm up. Tiger went to the range before Phil teed off, and Phil
dragged a huge crowd with him down the first fairway when he did go. Sergio
and the other "stars" in the final groups also got their crowds, but it wa
nothing compared to the following of Woods and Donald. We saw a lot of
Purple (color for Northwestern, the local college where Luke Donald attended
and starred in college golf), so it wasn't entirely a Tiger crowd. We
thought that life would get very simple after Tiger was off, but not quite.
First, there was the backwash of hundreds of "clubhouse ticket" people
trying to get into our gate, and then a trickle of early finishers entering
the putting green to turn in their scores (the scoring trailer was in the
putting green fences), greet fans and leave. One player I came away with a
lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never paid that much attention to him
on TV, but he really put out for his fans wherever I saw him. He must have
signed 50 autographs and talked to a dozen fans on his way out, even though
it probably wasn't his best tournament. (I think he has a particular
following here being from nearby Madison Wisconsin)
At 2PM, the next shift came and we headed out to watch the finish. This was
the first time we had a chance to look at a leaderboard and saw immediately
this was going to be Tigers day -- nobody who was close enough to catch him
was moving up, and Tiger started with a birdie. The first problem we had of
course was food and rest, where we discovered that the Sunday crowd must
have exceeded what was planned for. The concession stands all had long
lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did the farms of
portajohns even though they were all overflowing. There wasn't a seat to be
had in a grandstand, or even a good place to stand or set a chair near a
green or tee. I suppose it was a picture perfect day with a good
leaderboard and what should I expect.
We set up first to watch around the 12th green, watched a couple of groups
and then found a spot on the right side of the 12th fairway near where the
tee shots landed where we could get to the rope and see both the tee and
green. We watched half a dozen groups come through and nearly go thit
twice -- once when JB Holmes launched a monster tee shot over the trees and
just over our heads to the edge of the rope about 10 yards in front of us
(needing a ruling to deal with a wire that run in the rough), and once by
Phil Mickelson whose errant tee shot hit the trees and dropped about 10
yards behind us. Both hacked out somewhere near the green but I don't think
either saved a par. Phil's shot was scary. From a distance where it looked
like most were taking mid to short irons, Phil pulled out a big wood of some
sort and took a big swing at it. The ball came out low and right but slice
back to the left edge of the green somehow at about the right distance. I
guess the guy knows how to get out of nasty rough.
We moved on to a spot between 14 and 16 and watched a lot of the same groups
play through there. I didn't even need to wonder who was WAY left of the
fairway on his drive -- but again he hit a monster left-handed slice to a
perfect layup position right in front of us and stuck a wedge close -- of
course he missed the putt. During this time was one of those moments I wish
I had a camera. The 12th and 15th hole share a tee and it's set up so that
the 12th tee is in the way of a drive on 15. Wouldn't you know it but as
Mickelsen set up on 15, Tiger appears to go off 12. Tiger waited for Phil
and Ian Poulter to go, then Tiger and Luke went down 14. Two people going
different directions.
Trying to stay ahead of the "Tiger wave" (it's actually like a storm
surge -- a giant mass of people washes into the area around tiger displacing
everything in their path, then washes out after they move on), we moved to
17 and watched a few folks play it. As luck would have it of course the
last one we saw was Mickelsen, who just barely got his ball over the water
and onto the fringe actually very close to the flag -- and missed. There
was another "wish I had a camera" moment, as Phil walked the bridge on 17
and Tiger was coming off the 14th tee in the background.
Just some final thoughts.
I'm more convinced than ever that Tiger wins tournaments because he doesn't
make mistakes and can stay focussed on not making mistakes for 4 days.
There are plenty of people out there who can play him head to head for a day
or two and come out on top, but sooner or later most players have a really
bad hole or a bad stretch -- Tiger just doesn't go there. He moves up every
day. He won at Medinah basically by outplaying everyone on the back 9.
Most players couldn't get through those holes without more than one bogey
and even getting a couple of birdies didn't move them ahead. Saturday after
the front 9 there were something like 8 players, many of them big names
ahead of him. Tiger kept moving ahead all day, and everyone else backed up
to the point where at the start of Sunday, He had separated himself from all
but about 4 people on the leaderboard.
These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than on TV.
They ate up the course because the greens were soft enough and slow enough
to let them hit and stick irons and make putts. The huge length didn't
really effect them that much. 475 yards is still just a drive and a short
iron for these guys. What struck me most was the contact and the shot
shape. Almost every shot was a smooth swing and a soft "thunk", not a
vicious slash and bash we put on the ball. A lot of the irons I saw, even
the wedges, looked more like punch shots to me -- lower ball flight that
hangs in the air a long time and then drops and bites quickly. Not the way
I hit irons (high), but probably gives them a lot more control in the wind.
I don't recall noticing this at other tournaments I have attended (nothing
that subtle is very clear on TV), so I'm a bit curious as to whether there
has been some kind of change in ball flight either due to technique, clubs,
or balls that makes it look like this. Even the "slow" greens were rock
hard and lightning fast by my standards. I watched them on the putting
green just breathing the ball down slopes and into the cup and nobody rolled
anything way past. I wish I could putt like that.
Final rounds are fun, but if your goal is to see a lot of your favorite
players without the crowds the practice days are even more fun, and you get
to take pictures. They are also a lot cheaper if you buy the tickets. The
only folks I know who were at all disappointed on the practice days are the
folks on Wednesday who were looking for Tiger (he didn't play, and showed up
at the course only very late in the day).
Working at a tournament is a lot of fun, even if it is some work. These
days many tournaments have internet signups for volunteering. A lot of the
folks we worked with were repeat volunteers from other tournaments, but they
always take some new folks. It's the only big time sport I can think of
where so much of what is needed to put it on is done by ordinary folks, and
one reason why the PGA can raise so much money for charity (not having to
pay people to do the jobs the volunteers do). The deal is mostly similar --
buy your uniform and work 3 or 4 shifts during the week and you get into the
tournament all week.
--
Warren Montgomery (wamontgomery@att.net)
http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
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Date: 21 Aug 2006 23:14:50
From: Rick Umali
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
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"warren montgomery" <wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
> These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than
> on TV. . . . . What struck me most was the
> contact and the shot shape. Almost every shot was a smooth swing and
> a soft "thunk", not a vicious slash and bash we put on the ball.
Amen to this part of your post.
I've watched Tiger, Vijay, Daly, Pavin, O'Meara and plenty of others at the
Deustche Bank (Greater Boston). The compact aggressiveness of a
professional's swing is much different live than on television, even in
high definition. The contact sound is like a small thundercrack, and when
its struck well, the ball flight is awesome to behold.
--
Rick (www.snipurl.com/rickumali) Umali
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Date: 22 Aug 2006 13:51:50
From: Ben Ho
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
Thanks Warren. Living in Australia I'm not likely to ever get over to see a
Major but you gave a great insight into how some of the worlds best players
handle themselves behind the scenes. Something you're unlikely to read in a
magazine article, felt like I was standing with you.
"warren montgomery" <wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote in message
news:JtGdnYUCFsloYXTZnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@comcast.com...
> No spoilers necessary by now. For anyone interested, here's what I saw.
> I got there early, with enough time before my marshal job to watch a few
> groups tee off. That would be the dew sweepers with no hope of even a
> high finish. The most amusing was probably Olazabal, whose drive looked
> like one of mine -- starting right and going further right over the trees
> and it looked like into the corporate tents. It took some time to clear
> the crowd, find the ball and get it placed and punch out.
>
> My job yesterday was the side entrance to the putting green. I think they
> opened this one after Tiger jumped the fences here as the shortest route
> from the parking lot in order to avoid the crowd, but a bunch of players
> and most of the media used it after that, so it was a busy spot. Of
> course the ugly part was that this was also the first or second rope
> around the clubhouse area that the people coming from the VIP parking lots
> with clubhouse tickets were likely to see, and definitely not a spot you
> could get into the clubhouse from, so we were constantly repeating
> instructions to people to go around the putting green and go in the other
> side. Most were nice enough about it but we hit a few who felt insulted
> because we wouldn't let them in, including some Medinah members, who
> assumed they could go anywhere (they couldn't). I did feel sorry for the
> members -- 3 courses and all of them torn up for this. It will take
> months to tear down all the temporary structures put up on them (including
> asphalt parking lots) and regrow them. I'm sure Medinah got tons of money
> for this but if I were a member I doubt I'd want to host another major
> championship. What good is a membership to a waste area?
>
> About 15 minutes after we started we knew someone popular was in the
> parking lot, and a couple minutes later Mickleson's caddie appears through
> the crowd followed by Phil. He has a very casual appearance and attitude
> every time I saw him. He even traded geeting with my wife who was holding
> the ropes. Michelsen set up to putt in front of us on the green and worked
> for quite a long time -- when he wasn't talking to the other pros or his
> coach (a tall guy in a straw hat that someone said was Dave Pelz -- could
> have been). Our real job during that time was trying to clear the crowd
> enough to let in the flood of media people carrying tripods and cameras
> while not letting any of the folks with clubhouse tags sneak past (the
> cops would stop them at the entrance to the locker room but they really
> didn't want them in there at all). Things calmed down a bit when Phil
> ducked into the clubhouse on the way to the range, but we got to see Mike
> Wier, Ian Poulter, Geoff Oglivy, Sergio, and all the other leaders start
> to warm up.
>
> Tiger arrived almost exactly an hour and a half before tee time. No need
> to wonder who was in the parking lot then. I had a pretty good idea what
> to expect next since I had seen it from the other players entrance on
> Friday, so I warned the cop who was helping us at that point. Most of the
> folks in our area dashed for the parking lot and the main entrance to the
> clubhouse for the players, only to be surprised when Tiger came out
> through the parking lot fence opposite us and straight across into the
> putting green. We had no trouble clearing the others out of the way (of
> course it helped that Tiger had 4 cops around him). The contrast between
> Tiger and Phil was really striking. He is amazingly focussed, noticing
> everything going on but not being distracted to talk to anyone or respond
> to the crowd. Tiger set up to putt on the opposite side of the green, but
> there was still a good view from our side, and now we had people 5 deep
> struggling to get a glimpse. His putting routine was no less focussed
> than his dash into the green. Oddly enough while Tiger started to putt,
> Steve must have gone back to the car 2 or 3 times, first to fetch an extra
> red shirt and then some towels. Without the bag nobody noticed him. I
> was glad I'd seen enough of him and some of the other high profile caddies
> to recognize them without having to make them show their badges.
>
> While Tiger was out there Phil came out as well getting in some final
> putts before his time 5 groups ahead of Tiger. They stayed well away from
> each other on the green and again it was an interesting contrast of focus
> versus casual warm up. Tiger went to the range before Phil teed off, and
> Phil dragged a huge crowd with him down the first fairway when he did go.
> Sergio and the other "stars" in the final groups also got their crowds,
> but it wa nothing compared to the following of Woods and Donald. We saw a
> lot of Purple (color for Northwestern, the local college where Luke Donald
> attended and starred in college golf), so it wasn't entirely a Tiger
> crowd. We thought that life would get very simple after Tiger was off,
> but not quite. First, there was the backwash of hundreds of "clubhouse
> ticket" people trying to get into our gate, and then a trickle of early
> finishers entering the putting green to turn in their scores (the scoring
> trailer was in the putting green fences), greet fans and leave. One
> player I came away with a lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never
> paid that much attention to him on TV, but he really put out for his fans
> wherever I saw him. He must have signed 50 autographs and talked to a
> dozen fans on his way out, even though it probably wasn't his best
> tournament. (I think he has a particular following here being from nearby
> Madison Wisconsin)
>
> At 2PM, the next shift came and we headed out to watch the finish. This
> was the first time we had a chance to look at a leaderboard and saw
> immediately this was going to be Tigers day -- nobody who was close enough
> to catch him was moving up, and Tiger started with a birdie. The first
> problem we had of course was food and rest, where we discovered that the
> Sunday crowd must have exceeded what was planned for. The concession
> stands all had long lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did
> the farms of portajohns even though they were all overflowing. There
> wasn't a seat to be had in a grandstand, or even a good place to stand or
> set a chair near a green or tee. I suppose it was a picture perfect day
> with a good leaderboard and what should I expect.
>
> We set up first to watch around the 12th green, watched a couple of groups
> and then found a spot on the right side of the 12th fairway near where the
> tee shots landed where we could get to the rope and see both the tee and
> green. We watched half a dozen groups come through and nearly go thit
> twice -- once when JB Holmes launched a monster tee shot over the trees
> and just over our heads to the edge of the rope about 10 yards in front of
> us (needing a ruling to deal with a wire that run in the rough), and once
> by Phil Mickelson whose errant tee shot hit the trees and dropped about 10
> yards behind us. Both hacked out somewhere near the green but I don't
> think either saved a par. Phil's shot was scary. From a distance where
> it looked like most were taking mid to short irons, Phil pulled out a big
> wood of some sort and took a big swing at it. The ball came out low and
> right but slice back to the left edge of the green somehow at about the
> right distance. I guess the guy knows how to get out of nasty rough.
>
> We moved on to a spot between 14 and 16 and watched a lot of the same
> groups play through there. I didn't even need to wonder who was WAY left
> of the fairway on his drive -- but again he hit a monster left-handed
> slice to a perfect layup position right in front of us and stuck a wedge
> close -- of course he missed the putt. During this time was one of those
> moments I wish I had a camera. The 12th and 15th hole share a tee and
> it's set up so that the 12th tee is in the way of a drive on 15. Wouldn't
> you know it but as Mickelsen set up on 15, Tiger appears to go off 12.
> Tiger waited for Phil and Ian Poulter to go, then Tiger and Luke went down
> 14. Two people going different directions.
>
> Trying to stay ahead of the "Tiger wave" (it's actually like a storm
> surge -- a giant mass of people washes into the area around tiger
> displacing everything in their path, then washes out after they move on),
> we moved to 17 and watched a few folks play it. As luck would have it of
> course the last one we saw was Mickelsen, who just barely got his ball
> over the water and onto the fringe actually very close to the flag -- and
> missed. There was another "wish I had a camera" moment, as Phil walked
> the bridge on 17 and Tiger was coming off the 14th tee in the background.
>
> Just some final thoughts.
>
> I'm more convinced than ever that Tiger wins tournaments because he
> doesn't make mistakes and can stay focussed on not making mistakes for 4
> days. There are plenty of people out there who can play him head to head
> for a day or two and come out on top, but sooner or later most players
> have a really bad hole or a bad stretch -- Tiger just doesn't go there.
> He moves up every day. He won at Medinah basically by outplaying everyone
> on the back 9. Most players couldn't get through those holes without more
> than one bogey and even getting a couple of birdies didn't move them
> ahead. Saturday after the front 9 there were something like 8 players,
> many of them big names ahead of him. Tiger kept moving ahead all day, and
> everyone else backed up to the point where at the start of Sunday, He had
> separated himself from all but about 4 people on the leaderboard.
>
> These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than on
> TV. They ate up the course because the greens were soft enough and slow
> enough to let them hit and stick irons and make putts. The huge length
> didn't really effect them that much. 475 yards is still just a drive and
> a short iron for these guys. What struck me most was the contact and the
> shot shape. Almost every shot was a smooth swing and a soft "thunk", not
> a vicious slash and bash we put on the ball. A lot of the irons I saw,
> even the wedges, looked more like punch shots to me -- lower ball flight
> that hangs in the air a long time and then drops and bites quickly. Not
> the way I hit irons (high), but probably gives them a lot more control in
> the wind. I don't recall noticing this at other tournaments I have
> attended (nothing that subtle is very clear on TV), so I'm a bit curious
> as to whether there has been some kind of change in ball flight either due
> to technique, clubs, or balls that makes it look like this. Even the
> "slow" greens were rock hard and lightning fast by my standards. I
> watched them on the putting green just breathing the ball down slopes and
> into the cup and nobody rolled anything way past. I wish I could putt
> like that.
>
> Final rounds are fun, but if your goal is to see a lot of your favorite
> players without the crowds the practice days are even more fun, and you
> get to take pictures. They are also a lot cheaper if you buy the tickets.
> The only folks I know who were at all disappointed on the practice days
> are the folks on Wednesday who were looking for Tiger (he didn't play, and
> showed up at the course only very late in the day).
>
> Working at a tournament is a lot of fun, even if it is some work. These
> days many tournaments have internet signups for volunteering. A lot of
> the folks we worked with were repeat volunteers from other tournaments,
> but they always take some new folks. It's the only big time sport I can
> think of where so much of what is needed to put it on is done by ordinary
> folks, and one reason why the PGA can raise so much money for charity (not
> having to pay people to do the jobs the volunteers do). The deal is
> mostly similar -- buy your uniform and work 3 or 4 shifts during the week
> and you get into the tournament all week.
>
> --
> Warren Montgomery (wamontgomery@att.net)
> http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
>
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| |
Date: 21 Aug 2006 18:09:04
From: multi
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:35:33 -0500, "warren montgomery"
<wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
>For anyone interested, here's what I saw.
I must have read 50 articles from various online newspapers and
magazines about the PGA. 49 of them were somewhat accurate
paraphrases of the press conferences. Yours was by far the best.
Thanks.
|
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Date: 22 Aug 2006 00:56:51
From: Howard Brazee
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:35:33 -0500, "warren montgomery"
<wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
> I'm sure Medinah got tons of money for this but if I were a
>member I doubt I'd want to host another major championship. What good is a
>membership to a waste area?
I don't think they do it for the money, they do it for the bragging
rights.
|
| |
Date: 21 Aug 2006 15:05:00
From: dugjustdug
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
> warren montgomery missive snipped
Great report, Warren. Loved your comment about "focus" v. "casual"
showing itself even on the practice green. Glad you got to experience
it.
-dug
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Date: 21 Aug 2006 11:37:29
From: Looking for 80
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
warren montgomery wrote: (deleted)
Thanks for the excellent report. It's not as good as being there, but
it was great fun to read. I will do my best next year to make it to
either the US Open or PGA. It sounds like a blast.
Thanks.
|
| |
Date: 22 Aug 2006 20:21:14
From: Cesar Neri
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
Slight amendment to your post when you said "Tiger wins tournaments because
he doesn't make mistakes". Last time I checked he's human based on the fact
that when I followed him in the last round of the PGA last Sunday, I did
seem him to to the porta-potty. :)
But seriously, he *does* make mistakes but what sets him apart is that he
typically does *not* compound a mistake with yet another mistake. Cases in
point last Sunday. That par 5 where he drove it to the right rough, had to
pitch out but then hit this 250-yard 5-wood to the middle fo the green and
made par. That dogleg left par 4, can't remember the hole number, when he
hit his tee shot to the right rough but recovered by hitting an 8 iron to
within 10 feet of the flag and made his birdie. Not like Lefty at the US
Open 72nd hole where he compounded a mistake, bad drive, with yet another
mistake, trying ot hit it over the trees, that cost him the tournament.
"warren montgomery" <wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote in message
news:JtGdnYUCFsloYXTZnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@comcast.com...
> No spoilers necessary by now. For anyone interested, here's what I saw.
> I got there early, with enough time before my marshal job to watch a few
> groups tee off. That would be the dew sweepers with no hope of even a
> high finish. The most amusing was probably Olazabal, whose drive looked
> like one of mine -- starting right and going further right over the trees
> and it looked like into the corporate tents. It took some time to clear
> the crowd, find the ball and get it placed and punch out.
>
> My job yesterday was the side entrance to the putting green. I think they
> opened this one after Tiger jumped the fences here as the shortest route
> from the parking lot in order to avoid the crowd, but a bunch of players
> and most of the media used it after that, so it was a busy spot. Of
> course the ugly part was that this was also the first or second rope
> around the clubhouse area that the people coming from the VIP parking lots
> with clubhouse tickets were likely to see, and definitely not a spot you
> could get into the clubhouse from, so we were constantly repeating
> instructions to people to go around the putting green and go in the other
> side. Most were nice enough about it but we hit a few who felt insulted
> because we wouldn't let them in, including some Medinah members, who
> assumed they could go anywhere (they couldn't). I did feel sorry for the
> members -- 3 courses and all of them torn up for this. It will take
> months to tear down all the temporary structures put up on them (including
> asphalt parking lots) and regrow them. I'm sure Medinah got tons of money
> for this but if I were a member I doubt I'd want to host another major
> championship. What good is a membership to a waste area?
>
> About 15 minutes after we started we knew someone popular was in the
> parking lot, and a couple minutes later Mickleson's caddie appears through
> the crowd followed by Phil. He has a very casual appearance and attitude
> every time I saw him. He even traded geeting with my wife who was holding
> the ropes. Michelsen set up to putt in front of us on the green and worked
> for quite a long time -- when he wasn't talking to the other pros or his
> coach (a tall guy in a straw hat that someone said was Dave Pelz -- could
> have been). Our real job during that time was trying to clear the crowd
> enough to let in the flood of media people carrying tripods and cameras
> while not letting any of the folks with clubhouse tags sneak past (the
> cops would stop them at the entrance to the locker room but they really
> didn't want them in there at all). Things calmed down a bit when Phil
> ducked into the clubhouse on the way to the range, but we got to see Mike
> Wier, Ian Poulter, Geoff Oglivy, Sergio, and all the other leaders start
> to warm up.
>
> Tiger arrived almost exactly an hour and a half before tee time. No need
> to wonder who was in the parking lot then. I had a pretty good idea what
> to expect next since I had seen it from the other players entrance on
> Friday, so I warned the cop who was helping us at that point. Most of the
> folks in our area dashed for the parking lot and the main entrance to the
> clubhouse for the players, only to be surprised when Tiger came out
> through the parking lot fence opposite us and straight across into the
> putting green. We had no trouble clearing the others out of the way (of
> course it helped that Tiger had 4 cops around him). The contrast between
> Tiger and Phil was really striking. He is amazingly focussed, noticing
> everything going on but not being distracted to talk to anyone or respond
> to the crowd. Tiger set up to putt on the opposite side of the green, but
> there was still a good view from our side, and now we had people 5 deep
> struggling to get a glimpse. His putting routine was no less focussed
> than his dash into the green. Oddly enough while Tiger started to putt,
> Steve must have gone back to the car 2 or 3 times, first to fetch an extra
> red shirt and then some towels. Without the bag nobody noticed him. I
> was glad I'd seen enough of him and some of the other high profile caddies
> to recognize them without having to make them show their badges.
>
> While Tiger was out there Phil came out as well getting in some final
> putts before his time 5 groups ahead of Tiger. They stayed well away from
> each other on the green and again it was an interesting contrast of focus
> versus casual warm up. Tiger went to the range before Phil teed off, and
> Phil dragged a huge crowd with him down the first fairway when he did go.
> Sergio and the other "stars" in the final groups also got their crowds,
> but it wa nothing compared to the following of Woods and Donald. We saw a
> lot of Purple (color for Northwestern, the local college where Luke Donald
> attended and starred in college golf), so it wasn't entirely a Tiger
> crowd. We thought that life would get very simple after Tiger was off,
> but not quite. First, there was the backwash of hundreds of "clubhouse
> ticket" people trying to get into our gate, and then a trickle of early
> finishers entering the putting green to turn in their scores (the scoring
> trailer was in the putting green fences), greet fans and leave. One
> player I came away with a lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never
> paid that much attention to him on TV, but he really put out for his fans
> wherever I saw him. He must have signed 50 autographs and talked to a
> dozen fans on his way out, even though it probably wasn't his best
> tournament. (I think he has a particular following here being from nearby
> Madison Wisconsin)
>
> At 2PM, the next shift came and we headed out to watch the finish. This
> was the first time we had a chance to look at a leaderboard and saw
> immediately this was going to be Tigers day -- nobody who was close enough
> to catch him was moving up, and Tiger started with a birdie. The first
> problem we had of course was food and rest, where we discovered that the
> Sunday crowd must have exceeded what was planned for. The concession
> stands all had long lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did
> the farms of portajohns even though they were all overflowing. There
> wasn't a seat to be had in a grandstand, or even a good place to stand or
> set a chair near a green or tee. I suppose it was a picture perfect day
> with a good leaderboard and what should I expect.
>
> We set up first to watch around the 12th green, watched a couple of groups
> and then found a spot on the right side of the 12th fairway near where the
> tee shots landed where we could get to the rope and see both the tee and
> green. We watched half a dozen groups come through and nearly go thit
> twice -- once when JB Holmes launched a monster tee shot over the trees
> and just over our heads to the edge of the rope about 10 yards in front of
> us (needing a ruling to deal with a wire that run in the rough), and once
> by Phil Mickelson whose errant tee shot hit the trees and dropped about 10
> yards behind us. Both hacked out somewhere near the green but I don't
> think either saved a par. Phil's shot was scary. From a distance where
> it looked like most were taking mid to short irons, Phil pulled out a big
> wood of some sort and took a big swing at it. The ball came out low and
> right but slice back to the left edge of the green somehow at about the
> right distance. I guess the guy knows how to get out of nasty rough.
>
> We moved on to a spot between 14 and 16 and watched a lot of the same
> groups play through there. I didn't even need to wonder who was WAY left
> of the fairway on his drive -- but again he hit a monster left-handed
> slice to a perfect layup position right in front of us and stuck a wedge
> close -- of course he missed the putt. During this time was one of those
> moments I wish I had a camera. The 12th and 15th hole share a tee and
> it's set up so that the 12th tee is in the way of a drive on 15. Wouldn't
> you know it but as Mickelsen set up on 15, Tiger appears to go off 12.
> Tiger waited for Phil and Ian Poulter to go, then Tiger and Luke went down
> 14. Two people going different directions.
>
> Trying to stay ahead of the "Tiger wave" (it's actually like a storm
> surge -- a giant mass of people washes into the area around tiger
> displacing everything in their path, then washes out after they move on),
> we moved to 17 and watched a few folks play it. As luck would have it of
> course the last one we saw was Mickelsen, who just barely got his ball
> over the water and onto the fringe actually very close to the flag -- and
> missed. There was another "wish I had a camera" moment, as Phil walked
> the bridge on 17 and Tiger was coming off the 14th tee in the background.
>
> Just some final thoughts.
>
> I'm more convinced than ever that Tiger wins tournaments because he
> doesn't make mistakes and can stay focussed on not making mistakes for 4
> days. There are plenty of people out there who can play him head to head
> for a day or two and come out on top, but sooner or later most players
> have a really bad hole or a bad stretch -- Tiger just doesn't go there.
> He moves up every day. He won at Medinah basically by outplaying everyone
> on the back 9. Most players couldn't get through those holes without more
> than one bogey and even getting a couple of birdies didn't move them
> ahead. Saturday after the front 9 there were something like 8 players,
> many of them big names ahead of him. Tiger kept moving ahead all day, and
> everyone else backed up to the point where at the start of Sunday, He had
> separated himself from all but about 4 people on the leaderboard.
>
> These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than on
> TV. They ate up the course because the greens were soft enough and slow
> enough to let them hit and stick irons and make putts. The huge length
> didn't really effect them that much. 475 yards is still just a drive and
> a short iron for these guys. What struck me most was the contact and the
> shot shape. Almost every shot was a smooth swing and a soft "thunk", not
> a vicious slash and bash we put on the ball. A lot of the irons I saw,
> even the wedges, looked more like punch shots to me -- lower ball flight
> that hangs in the air a long time and then drops and bites quickly. Not
> the way I hit irons (high), but probably gives them a lot more control in
> the wind. I don't recall noticing this at other tournaments I have
> attended (nothing that subtle is very clear on TV), so I'm a bit curious
> as to whether there has been some kind of change in ball flight either due
> to technique, clubs, or balls that makes it look like this. Even the
> "slow" greens were rock hard and lightning fast by my standards. I
> watched them on the putting green just breathing the ball down slopes and
> into the cup and nobody rolled anything way past. I wish I could putt
> like that.
>
> Final rounds are fun, but if your goal is to see a lot of your favorite
> players without the crowds the practice days are even more fun, and you
> get to take pictures. They are also a lot cheaper if you buy the tickets.
> The only folks I know who were at all disappointed on the practice days
> are the folks on Wednesday who were looking for Tiger (he didn't play, and
> showed up at the course only very late in the day).
>
> Working at a tournament is a lot of fun, even if it is some work. These
> days many tournaments have internet signups for volunteering. A lot of
> the folks we worked with were repeat volunteers from other tournaments,
> but they always take some new folks. It's the only big time sport I can
> think of where so much of what is needed to put it on is done by ordinary
> folks, and one reason why the PGA can raise so much money for charity (not
> having to pay people to do the jobs the volunteers do). The deal is
> mostly similar -- buy your uniform and work 3 or 4 shifts during the week
> and you get into the tournament all week.
>
> --
> Warren Montgomery (wamontgomery@att.net)
> http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
>
|
| | |
Date: 23 Aug 2006 20:09:31
From: warren montgomery
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
> But seriously, he *does* make mistakes but what sets him apart is that he
> typically does *not* compound a mistake with yet another mistake. Cases in
> point last Sunday. That par 5 where he drove it to the right rough, had to
> pitch out but then hit this 250-yard 5-wood to the middle fo the green and
> made par. That dogleg left par 4, can't remember the hole number, when he
> hit his tee shot to the right rough but recovered by hitting an 8 iron to
> within 10 feet of the flag and made his birdie. Not like Lefty at the US
> Open 72nd hole where he compounded a mistake, bad drive, with yet another
> mistake, trying ot hit it over the trees, that cost him the tournament.
>
Yes, this is what I really meant. Everyone is going to make a few less than
perfecft shots. Tiger always comes up with a great recovery. One statistic
I haven't seen is on how many bogeys, doubles, and others various folks
make. I'll bet that Tiger outpaces everyone on those kinds of statistics.
When he hits it into a "trash can", he figures out how to save par, not a
double.
--
Warren Montgomery (wamontgomery@att.net)
http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
|
| |
Date: 22 Aug 2006 12:02:32
From: oconnell@slr.orl.lmco.com
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
warren montgomery wrote:
[snip]
> About 15 minutes after we started we knew someone popular was in the parking
> lot, and a couple minutes later Mickleson's caddie appears through the crowd
> followed by Phil. He has a very casual appearance and attitude every time I
> saw him.
[snip]
But don't you sense a "superficialness" to this? I don't mean it as
a
critical comment, more as he is attempting to achieve the same thing
as Tiger, just with a different style. You can see Tiger openly trying
to
ignore everything and everyone, so he can stay focused. Phil seems
to try to ignore everyone by building a veneer of casual distraction
so that folks don't interrupt what is really going on in his head.
[snip]
> The contrast between Tiger and Phil was
> really striking. He is amazingly focussed, noticing everything going on but
> not being distracted to talk to anyone or respond to the crowd.
[snip]
> One player I came away with a
> lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never paid that much attention to him
> on TV, but he really put out for his fans wherever I saw him. He must have
> signed 50 autographs and talked to a dozen fans on his way out, even though
> it probably wasn't his best tournament. (I think he has a particular
> following here being from nearby Madison Wisconsin)
He's one of the pros that decided to make a balance between family
and
pro golf and I suspect it has cost his game a bit. None the less I
think
he also understands the need to balance his own needs with that of
TOUR golf and tries to give back a bit.
[snip]
> The concession stands all had long
> lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did the farms of
> portajohns even though they were all overflowing.
[snip]
Grammer mistake or do you mean this literally? No pumper trucks?
[snip]
> Trying to stay ahead of the "Tiger wave" (it's actually like a storm
> surge -- a giant mass of people washes into the area around tiger displacing
> everything in their path, then washes out after they move on),
It is weird. I've sat "through the wave" several times. You can
feel it coming merely through the sound first, then you'll get the
folks running ahead to get a "good spot". Finally the mass passes
through. Just as quickly it's all over and you can easily be standing
virtually alone watching some no name pass through (especially on
a Friday when they are in no particular order).
> [snip]
> I'm more convinced than ever that Tiger wins tournaments because he doesn't
> make mistakes and can stay focussed on not making mistakes for 4 days.
[snip]
Annika will puke, but I suspect it is true that there are golfers
with better
natural talent, but just can't get their head in the right place to use
it.
His focus and discipline are amazing.
>
> These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than on TV.
I agree. Follow a guy that is having a bad day some time.
Especially some
poor schmuck not making the cut. Then realize that as "bad" as he's
playing, he's still probably gonna score a 76 on a TOUR quality course.
Some folks may be able to shoot 76, but not on our worst days.
[snip]
> Final rounds are fun, but if your goal is to see a lot of your favorite
> players without the crowds the practice days are even more fun, and you get
> to take pictures.
Also, if you actually want to keep track of the tournament, as
oppose to
a particular player, it can be hard. It's easy not to know that
someone on
the course is tearing it up.
[snip]
> It's the only big time sport I can think of
> where so much of what is needed to put it on is done by ordinary folks, and
> one reason why the PGA can raise so much money for charity (not having to
> pay people to do the jobs the volunteers do).
[snip]
The contrast to other sports is hard to miss. They play
predominately
upon privately funded facilities. Tickets for a DAY cost around
$10-$40
and weekly passes can be under $100. Loads of money collected for
local charities.
|
| | |
Date: 22 Aug 2006 15:01:33
From: Bobby Knight
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
On 22 Aug 2006 12:02:32 -0700, "oconnell@slr.orl.lmco.com"
<oconnell@slr.orl.lmco.com > wrote:
>warren montgomery wrote:
<clip >
>> The concession stands all had long
>> lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did the farms of
>> portajohns even though they were all overflowing.
>[snip]
>
> Grammer mistake or do you mean this literally? No pumper trucks?
>
>
>[snip]
Probably a grammar mistake :-)
___,
\o
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Date: 22 Aug 2006 10:20:30
From: Jim Garnett
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
Great report Warren - and the other days too!
In article <JtGdnYUCFsloYXTZnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@comcast.com >, "warren
montgomery" <wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
>First, there was the backwash of hundreds of "clubhouse ticket" people
>trying to get into our gate, and then a trickle of early finishers
>entering
>the putting green to turn in their scores (the scoring trailer was in the
>putting green fences), greet fans and leave. One player I came away with
>a
>lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never paid that much attention to
>him
>on TV, but he really put out for his fans wherever I saw him. He must
>have
>signed 50 autographs and talked to a dozen fans on his way out, even
>though
>it probably wasn't his best tournament. (I think he has a particular
>following here being from nearby Madison Wisconsin)
At the Canadian Open last year, Jerry Kelly was without a doubt one of
the nicest players there that week. Great guy.
~j.
--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: Spam blocker in place. E-mail address has been modified.
To reply personally, simply remove the first "j".
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
| |
Date: 21 Aug 2006 23:35:52
From: The World Wide Wade
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
Thanks for the time you spent on that report. This is Usenet at
its best.
|
| |
Date: 25 Aug 2006 12:18:41
From: \R&B\
Subject: Re: Last day at Medinah
|
Warren,
Sorry we were unable to hook up while I was up there at Medinah. I would
have loved to have met you, but I just didn't have enough free time. Funny
thing is, as we were riding the course on Wednesday to make notes for our
broadcast, I thought there was a pretty fair chance I might have seen you
marshalling one of the holes, as we saw pretty much all the volunteers out
there. But I had no way of knowing which one, if any, was you. So I just
flipped the bird to all of them. (Just kidding.)
Maybe next time.
Randy
"warren montgomery" <wamontgomery@worldnet.att.net > wrote in message
news:JtGdnYUCFsloYXTZnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@comcast.com...
> No spoilers necessary by now. For anyone interested, here's what I saw.
> I got there early, with enough time before my marshal job to watch a few
> groups tee off. That would be the dew sweepers with no hope of even a
> high finish. The most amusing was probably Olazabal, whose drive looked
> like one of mine -- starting right and going further right over the trees
> and it looked like into the corporate tents. It took some time to clear
> the crowd, find the ball and get it placed and punch out.
>
> My job yesterday was the side entrance to the putting green. I think they
> opened this one after Tiger jumped the fences here as the shortest route
> from the parking lot in order to avoid the crowd, but a bunch of players
> and most of the media used it after that, so it was a busy spot. Of
> course the ugly part was that this was also the first or second rope
> around the clubhouse area that the people coming from the VIP parking lots
> with clubhouse tickets were likely to see, and definitely not a spot you
> could get into the clubhouse from, so we were constantly repeating
> instructions to people to go around the putting green and go in the other
> side. Most were nice enough about it but we hit a few who felt insulted
> because we wouldn't let them in, including some Medinah members, who
> assumed they could go anywhere (they couldn't). I did feel sorry for the
> members -- 3 courses and all of them torn up for this. It will take
> months to tear down all the temporary structures put up on them (including
> asphalt parking lots) and regrow them. I'm sure Medinah got tons of money
> for this but if I were a member I doubt I'd want to host another major
> championship. What good is a membership to a waste area?
>
> About 15 minutes after we started we knew someone popular was in the
> parking lot, and a couple minutes later Mickleson's caddie appears through
> the crowd followed by Phil. He has a very casual appearance and attitude
> every time I saw him. He even traded geeting with my wife who was holding
> the ropes. Michelsen set up to putt in front of us on the green and worked
> for quite a long time -- when he wasn't talking to the other pros or his
> coach (a tall guy in a straw hat that someone said was Dave Pelz -- could
> have been). Our real job during that time was trying to clear the crowd
> enough to let in the flood of media people carrying tripods and cameras
> while not letting any of the folks with clubhouse tags sneak past (the
> cops would stop them at the entrance to the locker room but they really
> didn't want them in there at all). Things calmed down a bit when Phil
> ducked into the clubhouse on the way to the range, but we got to see Mike
> Wier, Ian Poulter, Geoff Oglivy, Sergio, and all the other leaders start
> to warm up.
>
> Tiger arrived almost exactly an hour and a half before tee time. No need
> to wonder who was in the parking lot then. I had a pretty good idea what
> to expect next since I had seen it from the other players entrance on
> Friday, so I warned the cop who was helping us at that point. Most of the
> folks in our area dashed for the parking lot and the main entrance to the
> clubhouse for the players, only to be surprised when Tiger came out
> through the parking lot fence opposite us and straight across into the
> putting green. We had no trouble clearing the others out of the way (of
> course it helped that Tiger had 4 cops around him). The contrast between
> Tiger and Phil was really striking. He is amazingly focussed, noticing
> everything going on but not being distracted to talk to anyone or respond
> to the crowd. Tiger set up to putt on the opposite side of the green, but
> there was still a good view from our side, and now we had people 5 deep
> struggling to get a glimpse. His putting routine was no less focussed
> than his dash into the green. Oddly enough while Tiger started to putt,
> Steve must have gone back to the car 2 or 3 times, first to fetch an extra
> red shirt and then some towels. Without the bag nobody noticed him. I
> was glad I'd seen enough of him and some of the other high profile caddies
> to recognize them without having to make them show their badges.
>
> While Tiger was out there Phil came out as well getting in some final
> putts before his time 5 groups ahead of Tiger. They stayed well away from
> each other on the green and again it was an interesting contrast of focus
> versus casual warm up. Tiger went to the range before Phil teed off, and
> Phil dragged a huge crowd with him down the first fairway when he did go.
> Sergio and the other "stars" in the final groups also got their crowds,
> but it wa nothing compared to the following of Woods and Donald. We saw a
> lot of Purple (color for Northwestern, the local college where Luke Donald
> attended and starred in college golf), so it wasn't entirely a Tiger
> crowd. We thought that life would get very simple after Tiger was off,
> but not quite. First, there was the backwash of hundreds of "clubhouse
> ticket" people trying to get into our gate, and then a trickle of early
> finishers entering the putting green to turn in their scores (the scoring
> trailer was in the putting green fences), greet fans and leave. One
> player I came away with a lot of respect for was Jerry Kelly. I never
> paid that much attention to him on TV, but he really put out for his fans
> wherever I saw him. He must have signed 50 autographs and talked to a
> dozen fans on his way out, even though it probably wasn't his best
> tournament. (I think he has a particular following here being from nearby
> Madison Wisconsin)
>
> At 2PM, the next shift came and we headed out to watch the finish. This
> was the first time we had a chance to look at a leaderboard and saw
> immediately this was going to be Tigers day -- nobody who was close enough
> to catch him was moving up, and Tiger started with a birdie. The first
> problem we had of course was food and rest, where we discovered that the
> Sunday crowd must have exceeded what was planned for. The concession
> stands all had long lines, when they weren't running out of things, as did
> the farms of portajohns even though they were all overflowing. There
> wasn't a seat to be had in a grandstand, or even a good place to stand or
> set a chair near a green or tee. I suppose it was a picture perfect day
> with a good leaderboard and what should I expect.
>
> We set up first to watch around the 12th green, watched a couple of groups
> and then found a spot on the right side of the 12th fairway near where the
> tee shots landed where we could get to the rope and see both the tee and
> green. We watched half a dozen groups come through and nearly go thit
> twice -- once when JB Holmes launched a monster tee shot over the trees
> and just over our heads to the edge of the rope about 10 yards in front of
> us (needing a ruling to deal with a wire that run in the rough), and once
> by Phil Mickelson whose errant tee shot hit the trees and dropped about 10
> yards behind us. Both hacked out somewhere near the green but I don't
> think either saved a par. Phil's shot was scary. From a distance where
> it looked like most were taking mid to short irons, Phil pulled out a big
> wood of some sort and took a big swing at it. The ball came out low and
> right but slice back to the left edge of the green somehow at about the
> right distance. I guess the guy knows how to get out of nasty rough.
>
> We moved on to a spot between 14 and 16 and watched a lot of the same
> groups play through there. I didn't even need to wonder who was WAY left
> of the fairway on his drive -- but again he hit a monster left-handed
> slice to a perfect layup position right in front of us and stuck a wedge
> close -- of course he missed the putt. During this time was one of those
> moments I wish I had a camera. The 12th and 15th hole share a tee and
> it's set up so that the 12th tee is in the way of a drive on 15. Wouldn't
> you know it but as Mickelsen set up on 15, Tiger appears to go off 12.
> Tiger waited for Phil and Ian Poulter to go, then Tiger and Luke went down
> 14. Two people going different directions.
>
> Trying to stay ahead of the "Tiger wave" (it's actually like a storm
> surge -- a giant mass of people washes into the area around tiger
> displacing everything in their path, then washes out after they move on),
> we moved to 17 and watched a few folks play it. As luck would have it of
> course the last one we saw was Mickelsen, who just barely got his ball
> over the water and onto the fringe actually very close to the flag -- and
> missed. There was another "wish I had a camera" moment, as Phil walked
> the bridge on 17 and Tiger was coming off the 14th tee in the background.
>
> Just some final thoughts.
>
> I'm more convinced than ever that Tiger wins tournaments because he
> doesn't make mistakes and can stay focussed on not making mistakes for 4
> days. There are plenty of people out there who can play him head to head
> for a day or two and come out on top, but sooner or later most players
> have a really bad hole or a bad stretch -- Tiger just doesn't go there.
> He moves up every day. He won at Medinah basically by outplaying everyone
> on the back 9. Most players couldn't get through those holes without more
> than one bogey and even getting a couple of birdies didn't move them
> ahead. Saturday after the front 9 there were something like 8 players,
> many of them big names ahead of him. Tiger kept moving ahead all day, and
> everyone else backed up to the point where at the start of Sunday, He had
> separated himself from all but about 4 people on the leaderboard.
>
> These guys are REALLY good. It's even more impressive in person than on
> TV. They ate up the course because the greens were soft enough and slow
> enough to let them hit and stick irons and make putts. The huge length
> didn't really effect them that much. 475 yards is still just a drive and
> a short iron for these guys. What struck me most was the contact and the
> shot shape. Almost every shot was a smooth swing and a soft "thunk", not
> a vicious slash and bash we put on the ball. A lot of the irons I saw,
> even the wedges, looked more like punch shots to me -- lower ball flight
> that hangs in the air a long time and then drops and bites quickly. Not
> the way I hit irons (high), but probably gives them a lot more control in
> the wind. I don't recall noticing this at other tournaments I have
> attended (nothing that subtle is very clear on TV), so I'm a bit curious
> as to whether there has been some kind of change in ball flight either due
> to technique, clubs, or balls that makes it look like this. Even the
> "slow" greens were rock hard and lightning fast by my standards. I
> watched them on the putting green just breathing the ball down slopes and
> into the cup and nobody rolled anything way past. I wish I could putt
> like that.
>
> Final rounds are fun, but if your goal is to see a lot of your favorite
> players without the crowds the practice days are even more fun, and you
> get to take pictures. They are also a lot cheaper if you buy the tickets.
> The only folks I know who were at all disappointed on the practice days
> are the folks on Wednesday who were looking for Tiger (he didn't play, and
> showed up at the course only very late in the day).
>
> Working at a tournament is a lot of fun, even if it is some work. These
> days many tournaments have internet signups for volunteering. A lot of
> the folks we worked with were repeat volunteers from other tournaments,
> but they always take some new folks. It's the only big time sport I can
> think of where so much of what is needed to put it on is done by ordinary
> folks, and one reason why the PGA can raise so much money for charity (not
> having to pay people to do the jobs the volunteers do). The deal is
> mostly similar -- buy your uniform and work 3 or 4 shifts during the week
> and you get into the tournament all week.
>
> --
> Warren Montgomery (wamontgomery@att.net)
> http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
>
|
|
