US Open   Day 4    June 19, 2016   Sunday   Father's Day

Worked the system a bit today trying to get assigned as a walking marshal, as I realized I'd arrived too early yesterday and consequently got assigned at teeboxes and grandstands, rather than as a walker.  As it turned out, I had some extra time to take pictures and act as a spectator before my scheduled 11:15am assignment time.

                           Views of Oakmont, the bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the main gate area 

Checked in with the 19th hole captain at the 12th hole pavilion, who said she would do all she could  to get me assigned to a walking group, be patient and she would come up with something.  I waited until 12:30, no problem really, having a second breakfast, watching the Fox coverage on the multiple flat screens throughout the spacious volunteer accommodations.  I was eventually told there were no walking marshal assignments, which left me feeling a bit peeved as the 19th hole captain had suggested the possibility in the first place.  To top it off, I got placed in the worst assignment of the week, at the lengthy cartpath crosswalk between the 1st green and 9th teebox, just past the turnpike walkway overpass.  Worse yet, the 9th hole captain in charge of this area was in over his head, making a fairly simple task into a much more complex operation, involving 4 gate ropes, when 2 would have simplified matters.  Every one was on edge as he implied that the USGA was particularly concerned that this crosswalk not fill-up with spectators.   Anyway, I toughed it out for 3 hours, keeping a smile on my face as I went into full marshal/ambassador mode, answering lots of questions from passing spectators, trying to help out in any way I could.  Lots of folks wanted to stop in the crosswalk and have a splendid view of both the 1st green and 9th tee, however, we had to keep traffic moving and clear the 50 yard long winding cart path.  When my assigned shift ended at 4pm, I headed over to the 18th hole to check-in with the captain, Bob Stewart, a long-time Oakmont member, to see if he needed any help as the Championship reached its conclusion.  He was very appreciative of my offer, saying he was in need of marshals along the entire length of the par 5 18th hole, and as a matter of fact, also knew there weren't enough marshals along the 17th hole either.  I told him I'd get lunch and then assist for the final 4 hours of the tournament.  I needed a break by this point and after cashing in my volunteer food voucher at the 18th fairway concession stand, found a chair near the player practice area for a well deserved sit-down.  By 5pm I was ready to go again and headed to the 17th fairway just as Jordan Spieth was playing.  I walked in with him through 18, much as a walking marshal would, marshaling the immense gallery along the way for each shot.  I was amazed how few marshals were stationed along the right side of the 18th fairway to manage a gallery that was reaching 10 people deep.  There were only 3 marshals down on the 18th green, including the hole-captain, Bob, but the two grandstands had a full compliment of marshals, which was encouraging.  

Looking down 18 toward the clubhouse 

The 18th green at Oakmont

I walked back to 17 to accompany Jim Furyk, just in time for him to sink a birdie putt, and hear the thunderous roar for the hometown favorite.  I continued up 18 with him as he finished in a tie for second place, where he received a standing ovation from his Pittsburgh faithful.  At this point, Bob asked me to remain at the 18th green for the rest of the day as half of the field had yet to finish; the huge gallery was becoming overwhelming in the congested area next to the clubhouse. It was a tremendous experience standing greenside in front of the two grandstands, cameras everywhere, the blimp hovering overhead, the excitement building for the conclusion of the Open.  It was just as thrilling as my experiences at the finishing hole at Congressional and again at Merion, only here I was at the 18th green at Oakmont for a much longer period, 2 hours.  I do remember taking note of Dustin Johnson standing quite awhile on the nearby 12th teebox, speaking somewhat intently with a USGA official, but thought nothing of it until the events of the day came to a head at the end of play.  

When there were only 5 pairings left, an unfortunate situation developed as a USGA security official materialized, herding us marshals off to one side of the green, saying we were to form a ''human wall'' so as to prevent the crowd from overwhelming the green at the conclusion of play.  He mentioned that a rope was about to be deployed which we were going to use for crowd control purposes, although this never materialized.  This action was handled poorly by this official, in a way which deeply upset several marshals who had been assigned to 18 all week.  A couple of days after the Open, I felt compelled to write an email to Mike Davis at the USGA expressing my concerns, which I will include in its entirety at the end of this blog.

Dustin Johnson after his victory

Despite this situation, I and the 20 or so marshals who had been gathered to this area just off the green made the best of the situation, witnessing DJ finally win his first major, made all the more significant in light of his near-miss last year at Chamber's Bay, as well as on several other occasions.  We had no details as to the brewing controversy related to Dustin's penalty/non-penalty at the 5th green, although rumors were being circulated in the crowd, coming from those equipped with headsets.   Nonetheless, we had a great view of the trophy award ceremony, being presented by Jack Nicklaus, in whose honor the award was renamed.  Also present were many USGA officials, Oakmont members in their formal blazers, Fox Sports host Joe Buck, and DJ's lovely wife Paulina, who was a distinct favorite of the crowd.  I stayed throughout the entire ceremony, as well as afterward to take pictures, call my wife Mary and our daughter Jill, and soak in the whole atmosphere of this terrific experience.  As Bob Stewart had told me earlier, "Oakmont is a very special place."

The awards ceremony on the 18th green

Oakmont's iconic clubhouse

Moonrise over Oakmont

(Below is the email exchange between myself and Mike Davis at the USGA.  I was extremely pleased to receive such a quick personal response from him, just 2 days after what must have been an avalanche of emails related to the Dustin Johnson ruling.) 

-----Original Message-----

From: Wyn Morton

Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 05:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
To: Comments@USGA.org
Cc: Mike Davis
Subject: 18th hole controversy sparked by arrogant USGA official

Dear Mike Davis,

I would like to bring to your attention an unfortunate situation which occurred at the 18th green yesterday as the final round of the US Open concluded.  I was serving as a 19th hole volunteer, assigned to the 18th green, working closely with the hole captain Robert Stewart.  At approximately 6:30pm, or when the last 5 pairings were finishing their rounds, I and all of the marshals on the green were approached by a USGA official who herded us away from our assigned positions, over to the area adjacent to the 12th tee.  Several other volunteer marshals were also clustered in this area already, off-duty, and eagerly watching the conclusion of the championship.  The USGA official, whose name I do not know, (a middle-aged man with a bristle mustache), commanded that we were all to serve as a 'human wall' to cordon off an alleyway to enable the dignitaries and media an unobstructed access to the green for the trophy ceremony.  This was happening when there was still an hour of golf to be played.  In so doing, this USGA official stripped the 18th green of every marshal except the hole captain and one other marshal. At no time did this official consult with the hole captain Mr. Stewart to explain his actions.  When this fact was pointed out to the official, he arrogantly responded that we have ''plenty of cops and security here to take care of things''. Not only do police and security not serve as marshals, but this moment was when we were needed most, as the excitement and crowd noise built at the conclusion of the tournament.  He also stated that we needed to assist the media, who had paid ''100 million for the right to broadcast the championship''.  We were all astonished and incredulous!  Every marshal attempted to politely advocate for us to return to our positions to resume marshaling, to which the official threatened to have us removed, especially since we were not issued orange 18th hole inside the ropes credentials.  We had all been inside the ropes at the 18th green all day!  The astonishing lack of respect for the dedicated services provided by the volunteers, who'd earned the right to remain at their 18th hole positions needs to be addressed by you. I respectfully request that this official be removed from his position as soon as possible. A response from you regarding this matter is also required.  This was my third US Open as a volunteer marshal; I speak for all of the volunteers in stating that we are integral to the success of the championship.  We do not deserve to be treated in the above manner.

Sincerely,

Wyn Morton 

Dear Wyn,

Thank you for your note. This is the first I've heard of this incident and I will check in with our Championship Director Charlie Howe to see if he has more information. Either I will respond or he will. I am sorry that you had a negative experience.

Most important, please know that we genuinely appreciate your time and effort this past week at the U.S. Open. Simply put, we could not do it without volunteers like you.

Kind regards,
Mike Davis

   

   

US Open   Day 3   June 18, 2016   Saturday

Arrived at Oakmont at 9:15am, checked in with Buck, 19th hole Co-captain, who didn't have any walking marshal assignments for me, so I went for breakfast which was being well catered at the East Course volunteer pavilion.  As I was sitting on the porch, I ran into Joe, the marshal I'd met at Merion, who was still at it, volunteering at his 20th-something Open with his brother, bringing his wife along this time.  Incredible!

Buck eventually assigned me to marshal at the 6th teebox, along with a very interesting gentleman named Dave who turned out to be the senior reporter for the Madison, WI CBS-TV affiliate.  He'd covered many sporting events in his career, including Olympics, Super Bowls, and US Opens.  A down to earth fellow without any pretense, very willing to talk about his experiences and his views on broadcast media, especially the Fox coverage of the Open.  I found out that my suspicions about various golf broadcasters were accurate, and that the current crew working for Fox were pretty nice guys.  I spent 4 hours at this tee, inside the ropes marshaling a fairly sparse gallery, working the orange paddles to signal so that the crowd in the greenside grandstand had some idea of the approaching ball flights.  The second round finally concluded at 2pm on Saturday so I returned to the pavilion to await my next assignment, grabbing a nice lunch from the concession stand in the process.

After 30 minutes, I was assigned to the 8th green grandstand, which turned out to be one of the best assignments of the week, primarily because of the marshals already posted there and how welcoming they were for my assistance.  The captain, Dave, nearly hugged me when I arrived, he was so appreciative to receive help in managing a busy grandstand holding about 400 people.  We now had 3 marshals to manage this spot, at virtual capacity throughout the remainder of the day, from 3pm until play was called on account of darkness at 8:45pm.  (A 12-hour shift for me total, but I'm not complaining).   Dave and I hit it off immediately and established a great system for managing this grandstand, including implementing the USGA re-entry pass system once the we were technically ''closed''.  Had countless funny interactions with the spectators trying to gain entry, all kinds of offers to allow just a few more folks to squeeze in.  The 8th hole at Oakmont was one of the most difficult holes on the course, a 265 yard par-3, on which we saw less than 5 birdies all afternoon. We witnessed lots of anguished putting attempts for par on this very difficult slick green, stimping out at 15.  Once the horn sounded signaling stoppage of play for the day, we received countless thanks and high-fives from patrons as they exited, thanking us for our volunteer service.

 

US Open  Day 2    June 17, 2016  Friday

A thunder storm overnight only added to the saturation of Oakmont, but the day dawned bright and sunny and the course began to dry out, although it would take two full days to do so.  I checked in with the 19th hole co-captain, Karen, and soon got assigned to the 10th tee, a great assignment with lots of activity and challenges.  The hole captain, Peggy, was a real ''professional'' volunteer, having done so at prior US Opens and also a Ryder Cup.  I was quickly informed that they were referring to this location as a ''four ring circus''.  The tenth tee was located right at the clubhouse where thousands were gathering behind the ropes and in the grandstands.  Additionally, it was located right beside the 12th tee, as well as the 18th green.  If that wasn't enough, we had a crosswalk to manage just feet from the front edge of the 10th tee.  (Hence 4-ring circus).  We were having to marshal situations where there were players on both teeboxes as well as on the 18th green, all playing in a split-second of sequenced choreography.  Then, when there was a relatively quiet moment, we would open the crosswalk to the couple of hundred fans waiting patiently to cross.  There were about 10 marshals involved in this area, all being expertly organized by Peggy.  She would rotate use through various positions every 30 minutes or so.  I even ended up operating the orange paddles at the tee to signal to the marshals at the landing area, which direction each players ball flight was taking.  On a par 4 hole, the marshals need to be aware of any balls landing outside the ropes, but can't see the flight of the ball itself. Thank goodness I had another marshal helping me in spotting ball flights as these old eyes lost 1 or 2 balls after they were blasted 300 yards off the tee!  I stayed at 10 for about 3 hours, until the end of the morning shift, then went back to the west volunteer pavilion for lunch and to see where else I might be needed.  I met with Karen again, who was trying really hard to have me assigned as a walking marshal, if not today, then probably tomorrow.  Very nice lady, even took my cell number to call me once the pairings for Saturday became available later on. I ended up going over to the 6th green grandstand, on the East course, a very long walk from the 12th hole volunteer pavilion, but I was learning my way around, using shortcuts and avoiding the most heavily used paths which had become quagmires after the rains.  The USGA and Oakmont staff are to be commended for how well they managed these saturated areas, laying down tons of wood chips, rather than the straw which had been used at Congressional and Merion. Worked well and didn't end up smelling like a barnyard!

I spent the next two hours having a very pleasant time on the grandstand at the par three 6th hole, chatting with a fellow marshal who was volunteering at her 10th US Open!  Originally from the Netherlands, she and her husband make an annual vacation of volunteering every year, choosing a different assignment each time, so this was her first time marshaling.  I had a few tips for her and she did quite well, managing this grandstand of about 200 seats.  It became fairly crowded but we never had to close it, which meant we had a constant flow of fans entering and exiting.  All very friendly and having a wonderful afternoon in the beautiful western Pennsylvania weather, especially after yesterday's debacle.  We were still getting caught up with Thursday's first day of play, which finally ended around 3pm on Friday.  After my shift ended, I spent some $ at the 50,000 sq ft merchandise tent, unbelievably huge, I can't imagine having to spend 4 days helping customers decide which hat to pick from the 100 or so on display!   

US Open   June 2016     Oakmont Country Club     Oakmont, PA

Just a few comments leading up to the fantastic 116th US Open at Oakmont.  Like all volunteers, I'd anxiously opened my acceptance letter a year ago, informing me of my assignment at the Open.  When I applied in early 2015, I'd indicated my preferences were as either a hole marshal or grandstand marshal.  I was chagrined to read that I'd been assigned to the merchandise tent!  The letter indicated that every effort had been made to assign all volunteers to one of their preferences, but that unfortunately, no changes could be made.  I thought, what have I got to lose by calling the phone number listed for Oakmont.   I spoke with a very polite receptionist who patiently listened to my concern that the Open was not utilizing experienced volunteers effectively.  She transferred me to the USGA official who is onsite for the entire year leading up to the Championship.  I explained my reason for calling, including citing a few examples of the lack of marshals with experience I'd encountered at Congressional and Merion.  He agreed that the grandstand at Merion's 17th hole turned out to be a circus.  I was astonished when he asked if I wanted to be a marshal instead of working the merchandise tent.  As we spoke further, he told me of a new committee, (the ''19th hole'' committee) which had been developed by the USGA to serve as a sort of marshal's bullpen, to fill-in the gaps throughout the course where additional help was needed.  Since I had prior experience in every kind of marshaling, he thought I'd be perfect for the assignment.  I jumped at the chance.  I commend the USGA for responding to the feedback it must have received following the previous Opens and developing the 19th hole concept.  (It needs a better name, however)!

Since I live on Cape Cod, I was facing an 11-hour ride to Pittsburgh, which I was tackling on my own, as my buddy Jim, who'd been with me at Congressional and Merion, was recovering from major surgery.  I'm so thankful to my wonderful sister Meredith and her husband Tony for putting me up in Connecticut overnight to break-up the trip.  I also want to mention a terrific 1-hour lunch stop in Easton, PA to get together with an old fraternity brother, Rory Morgan, who I hadn't seen in over 30 years.  What a great time we had getting reacquainted.


US Open    Day 1    Oakmont   June 15, 2016

I arrived at Oakmont at 9:30 am and was immediately struck by the look of the place...there was hardly a tree in sight.  You could see the grand old Tudor style clubhouse clearly on the other side of the course; it looked a mile away.  I was also struck by how hilly the course appeared, perched on an old cornfield from which was carved this magnificent golf course in 1903. Then there was the Pennsylvania Turnpike, running right through the middle of the course, but hidden as it ran through a deep walled canyon.  I would later meet an Oakmont member who commented on how much the course had been changed over the last 30 years, with thousands of trees removed.  At first he was against that change, but now feels like Oakmont is a fantastic work of art.  That was my initial impression as well.

The forecast was not good for this first day of competition, intermittent thunder storms predicted throughout the day. I'd been on the property for less than a half hour when the hazardous weather warning was posted on the scoreboard, the suspension of play horn sounded, and the first clap of thunder arrived.  I staked out a perfect spot on the covered porch of the volunteer pavilion and waited out this first of what would be three weather delays throughout the day.  As always happens, every volunteer out on the course made a dash for the nearest cover, as we are directed to do by the USGA.  The pavilion quickly became standing room only, and the seats at my table were immediately taken by my two new best friends, a nice Southern gentleman to my right, and a fellow from Genoa, Italy to my left.  We all got to know each other pretty well as we waited out this 80 minute weather delay.  Its sort of amazing how quickly a friendship between complete strangers can develop at these events.  All volunteers instantly have at least one thing in common, their absolute love of golf, which compels them to give their time and effort to enable this huge production called a US Open to succeed.
After the rain let-up I made my way across the pedestrian footbridge to the 12th hole volunteer pavilion to check-in.  The Oakmont layout is so huge that two volunteer pavilions were created, one each for the east and west course areas.  I met the 19th hole co-captain, Buck, who asked me if I'd be willing to serve as a walking marshal at some point in the tournament.  I told him that was my primary assignment at DBC for the past several years and I'd be glad to.  He explained that the USGA used only 2-man walking crews assigned to the top 4 "vanity pairings", which is far fewer than is utilized at Deutsche Bank.  Evidently their rationale is that there are already enough marshals at every hole, so that only a few extra walking marshals are required.  Unfortunately, he had no such assignment for me at that time. We soon had the 2nd rain delay of the day so I waited in the pavilion with hundreds of other volunteers for this to pass until I was finally assigned to the player practice area at 2:30 pm.  So I headed to the practice area, immediately adjacent to the clubhouse, where the captain greeted me with thanks for the extra help.  My job there was to wait for the arrival of each pro and caddie and place the appropriate name tag on the small placard beside the spot which they select to practice from.  The tricky part can be when a relatively unknown player arrives on the scene and no one knows their name in order to select the correct name card.  We sometimes had to quietly ask the caddie, "who is that?" This generally happened when one of the amateurs or foreign players arrived on the scene, but the caddies always took it well.  We also had to pick up any left over golf balls and tees when they moved on to the chipping or putting areas.  A great moment occurred while I was there when eight Pittsburgh Penguin players walked onto the practice area to rub elbows with the golf pros.  They got a standing ovation from the fans in the grandstand, as well as drawing a small crowd of players, Keegan Bradley being one who posed for a selfie with them. After about 2 hours,  the third suspension of play occurred, players, caddies, and assorted USGA personnel making a dash to the nearby clubhouse.  I followed along, seeking the nearest protective shelter according to USGA protocol, ending up inside the clubhouse locker room area.  A few security officials took note of my 19th hole credential which evidently allowed access.  I spent the next hour waiting out the pouring rain while seated on a locker room bench amongst the players, caddies, PGA dignitaries, wags,  Fox media personalities including Joe Buck, Brad Faxon, Paul Azinger, and various USGA officials.  It was great getting an earful of various player interchanges regarding the hellacious weather we'd been experiencing all day.  Around 5pm the rain let up and the sun came out, so I turned to a USGA official to ask if play would be resumed.  He said there would be no more golf until tomorrow as the course was basically flooded.  We would be playing catch up well into Sunday for these day long weather delays.