US Open

Day 3       June 18, 2011

I figured out what was different about a US Open versus the Deutsche Bank Championship and it wasn't anything more complicated than realizing everything was bigger.  Everything about it was on a grander scale, the number of players in the field, the Congressional course itself, the stadium atmosphere at the combination 10th & 18th greens beneath the stately clubhouse, the high-roller crowds, the grandstands at every hole, the thousands of volunteers, even the mansions in the surrounding Bethesda neighborhood where people were paying $80 to park on someone's front lawn.  The atmosphere had a sense of grandeur to it.  DBC is a big deal, as the field of 100 vying for the FedEx Cup testifies, but this was an even bigger deal.

Jim and I got to Congressional later than expected on account of traffic, so we begged a cart from our  buddy at the cart barn, allowing me to drive Jim over to his new assignment at the main admission gate.  The course was packed with spectators on the cart paths, seemingly double from yesterday.  A bit tough making it through so we got off the path and improvised a new route, seeing parts of the course no volunteer had ever seen before.

Once I dropped Jim off, I returned the cart by a still different route, getting to know the Congressional course fairly well by this point.  Had to pass a little time before my afternoon shift at the 1st tee grandstand so I used my lunch voucher and sat at the player practice chipping / putting area next door.  Great venue, getting to sit in a comfy Adirondack chair in the shade, up close to where the players were warming up.   Overheard some British caddies nearby talking about their plans for the Open Championship next month at Royal St. George's, including what pubs they would be hanging out in, pretty earthy bunch it sounded like.  So fortunate to be assigned to this area of the course where I could be immersed in all the  action, rather than way out on a distant grandstand.  

When my shift started, it was a bit awkward as there was a 2 hour overlap with the prior shift, somehow caused by some players not finishing Friday's round until this morning.  Basically we had 6 marshals trying not to get in each other's way where 3 marshals was the ideal number.  The 1st tee grandstand was even more packed today, if that could even be possible, being at the center of all the action.  Once fans got a seat, they didn't leave for hours on end, resulting in a huge line at our entry stairway.  I turned down multiple cash offers for seats, there were just none to be had.  After each player pairing exited the teeing area, we would see if any fans made for the exit stairway. If no one moved, we would tell those waiting to hang tight, maybe next time.  Everyone was terrific though, the crowd mood was great, we received lots of thank you's from patrons complimenting us on the job we were doing keeping the grandstand in quiet order, so close to the players and USGA officials literally less than 20 feet away.  It helped that we had a uniformed police officer on the grandstand with us, keeping things in order. Nice guy, talkative, said he'd heard the paid attendance for this Saturday was 47,000!  That didn't include the 500 cops/FBI/ATF personnel, as well as all the USGA staff, volunteers, etc.  Was glad the cop was with us when a medical emergency occurred on the clubhouse pathway immediately beneath us, briefly halting play on the 1st tee as EMT's rendered assistance to a fainting patron.

The atmosphere at our location kept building throughout the afternoon until the final pairing of Mickelson and Yang.  From my position on the grandstand, I was on-camera for the TV coverage a few times, this I knew from texts I was receiving from my wife Mary and sister-in-law Marge watching back home.  At first, only the lower half of me was visible up on the grandstand, but they said they immediately ID'd me by my distinctive hairy legs.  Some claim to fame!