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!