Day 4    Labor Day Monday     September 5, 2016      

Made extra sure to remember to bring my phone and felt like I'd have a great day as a result.  Unusual meeting time at 7am in preparation for weather contingency scheduling due to tropical storm Hermine.  Starting times were moved forward to an unheard of 6:45am, going off both #1 and #10 tees in three-somes.  Kudos to the PGA TOUR for this unusual plan but it was a complete success, although it resulted in a tape-delayed broadcast later in the day on NBC.  I got assigned to the leaders group of Paul Casey, Brian Harman, and Smylie Kaufman, going off at 9:01am. I thanked our co-chair David for having the confidence to assign me, along with Tony, to such great pairings all weekend.  I also chatted with Karen about her successful stint as first-tee announcer yesterday, completing her third year in this role, good for her.  Karen is a surprising individual I've learned.  She told me of her earlier completion of another bucket list charity event, rappelling down the side of a 14 story building and also of appearing on the Montel Williams show for another charity.  Amazing woman!
 Our crew again consisted of my buddy Tony as co-lead, along with 4 other mobile marshals including Scott and his wife Bridgette, plus ''The Dutchmen''.  Joost and ''Dooden'' were two gentlemen from Holland who had somehow landed an assignment as mobile marshals.  I chatted them up at the first tee but couldn't quite get the full story as to how they had arrived at this gig, but they were absolutely terrific rookies. I must apologize to "Dooden" as I really have no idea what his actual name was due to his heavy Dutch accent.  When I tried to impose the nickname "Dutch'' on him though, he politely refused, stating "no, call me Dooden''.
Today turned out to be a very atypical final day of the Championship, due the weather forecast. We're usually contending with massive galleries all day long, but at the first tee, we barely had 100 people in attendance at 9 o'clock.  Tony and I stayed back with Casey, Harman, and Kaufman while our crew worked primarily in forward positions a couple of hundred yards ahead on both sides of the fairway.  Tony and I commented it was unlike any other Monday at DBC, almost a casual walk in the park with many opportunities to chat and relax.  I guess we'd earned it after all the hard work we'd put in on Saturday and Sunday.  We experienced three distinct changes in the weather, however, due to the storm: chilly in the morning on the front 9, sunny and hot at the beginning of the back nine, then becoming seriously windy from the 13th hole on, with 30 mph gusts, almost bringing into question the possibility of halting play if golf balls started to move on the greens.  Luckily it never came to that.  As the round developed, it also became apparent that Paul Casey could end up in a playoff with Rory McIlroy.  Casey had started the round at -15 but dropped to -13 while Rory was charging two groups ahead of us.  Maureen, our marshal chief, was giving us a hole-by-hole update, as we all dread the prospect of a playoff, a real logistical challenge.  By the time we reached the 15th hole our gallery had grown to 500+ as we swept up any spectators, being the final group.  I had another fun encounter with NBC on-course commentator Roger Maltbie as we stood at the 16th green.  I could clearly hear his commentary as he spoke with Johnny Miller in the tower.  After he finished, I turned to him and spoke a word of agreement, which he acknowledged with a smile.  It was at that same instant when the grandstand marshal above us chose to bark "Sit!" at a spectator about to make an ill-timed move.
Roger and I both ducked, into a ''sitting'' position and we laughed out loud to each other, Roger commenting, "I thought he was yelling at me"!
 The excitement continued to build within our group as Casey had to finish birdie-birdie to tie Rory for a playoff but a par at #17 pretty much sealed the deal for McIlroy.  Casey had been given an unusual bit of encouragement after he'd hit his tee shot on 18. A gentleman at the ropes serenaded him with a hearty rendition of "God Save the Queen'' as he walked up the fairway!   Casey gave it one final effort on the 18th green when he attempted a 50-foot putt for eagle, but it was Rory's day, a great win.
As we exited the 18th green following the players, Tony thanked me as we both congratulated our superior crew, including encouraging the Dutchmen to return next year. We would later receive an email from David and Karen thanking us for our efforts.  It's an honor to work with all of these folks year after year and feel such a part of the Blue Crew family.




Subsequent to my US Open experience at Oakmont, I developed a proposal for walking marshals to be added to the Open scheduled for 2018 at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, NY.  The following is the email I sent to Mike Davis.

November 26, 2016

Mr. Mike Davis

Executive Director

United States Golf Association

Dear Mr Davis,

I am writing to you to propose the creation of a new "walking marshals" committee for the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.  Having served as a marshal at three prior US Opens, (2011, 2013, and 2016), in a variety of assignments, most recently as a 19th hole marshal, I have a broad depth of experience at the US Open level.  Additionally, I have served as a "mobile marshal" for the past eight years at the Deutsche Bank Championship.  I believe there is an unmet marshaling need at the US Open, which could be filled by having a crew of 2 to 4 marshals accompanying the most popular players throughout their entire round.  At Deutsche Bank, we have had great success using this model, which adds immeasurably to the marshals present at each tee, crosswalk, green, and grandstand.  By that I mean there are gaps along almost every fairway where no marshals are positioned.  By accompanying the high profile players, we provide a constant marshaling presence throughout the entire round.  This is noticed by the spectators at TPC Boston, who are boisterous New Englanders, but are quite respectful of the players at the DBC. We rarely have any instances of fan misbehavior necessitating security intervention.  

I am proposing a separate committee, not part of the 19th hole group, which would consist of 20-25 marshals. In other words, crews of at least 2 marshals and up to 4+. We have found at the DBC that there are approximately 5-6 player pairings per day who draw the largest galleries and require our presence.  A walking marshal requires additional skills above those generally required at holes, greens, and grandstands.  I know of at least 5 DBC marshals who have volunteered at multiple PGA venues, who would bring their highly developed skills to Shinnecock.  Additional walking marshals could be secured from our mobile marshals crew at DBC by announcing the need through in-house email.  I am volunteering to organize this committee, and serve as chairman throughout the 2018 US Open.

It has been my experience at every US Open that the marshal volunteers I came in contact with were all wonderful people, friendly, and enthusiastic, but fairly inexperienced, having never marshaled before, thus providing a limited degree of effectiveness.  In light of recent crowd related issues at the Ryder Cup, I feel multiple crews of walking marshals would provide an added dimension to the overall experience for both players and spectators.  

Best regards,

Wyn Morton

Dear Wyn,

Thank you for your very thoughtful note and concept.   I have asked our U.S. Open team to respond back to you.   

Thanks so much for your marvelous commitment to the U.S. Open and to the game.   We simply could not do it without people like you.   

Kind regards,

Mike 

PS    Looking forward to coming up to your area w/ the U.S. Open in 2022!

Mike DavisExecutive Director/CEO

United States Golf Association
77 Liberty Corner Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931


In early 2017, I later received a nice phone call from Hank Thompson at USGA who said my proposal was being given serious thought and had generated much discussion. He also thanked me for my continued interest in volunteering and supporting the US Open Championship.       

Day 3  Sunday  September 4, 2016

Unfortunately forgot to bring my phone with me to TPC Boston, I blame it on only being half-awake as I got in my car at 5:30am and took off.  Oh well, it was like a throwback to the days not so long ago when cell phones were completely prohibited from any PGA TOUR event, and were even confiscated at times.  I guess the only real down side to today was that I wouldn't be able to text everyone to let them know who I was assigned to so they could watch for me on the NBC broadcast.  I was assigned along with Tony, Brian, and Mike to the number one pairing of the afternoon, Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia, teeing off at 12:25.  Went for breakfast and was joined by Diane, a lovely person who has marshaled forever at both at the Travelers and DBC.  She had sustained a shoulder injury last year and we discussed her lengthy course of rehab, everything is okay now.  Being employed in the rehab business myself, it was an opportunity to get to know one of my fellow marshals from another perspective, since we all lead real lives outside of the DBC bubble.  Tony joined us and we talked of our experience yesterday, handling the enormous gallery with only 3 marshals,  Diane complimented us on our marshaling skills, saying "we're really good!" I spent the next 3 hours doing a variety of things to pass the time including hanging out at the range, shopping at the merchandise tent, checking out all the vendor tents, reading the DBC section of the Boston Globe, and ending up having lunch at the 19th Hole concession stand, not my usual spot but the grapevine had alerted us to a wider assortment of dining options for our meal scrips.  Sat with Jack and Jimmy, who had just finished their morning round with Jason Day in record time, under 4 hours.

Made my way to the first tee where a gallery of 500 or so had gathered in absolutely beautiful conditions, sunny, 76 degrees, slight breeze but no humidity.  Had a terrific round with Spieth and Garcia, lots of positive comments and shouts of encouragement coming from the ever-growing gallery.  A few Ryder Cup-style chants again.  Became puzzled by this year's latest shout-out, "Hurambe", which none of us marshals knew the meaning of in relation to a PGA event.  We eventually found out that Barstool sports was running some kind of contest in which the objective was to have your shout-out captured during the tv broadcast.   I had more than a few interactions with perplexed spectators who, like me, couldn't see the connection between Jordan Spieth and the unfortunate demise of a gorilla.  By this time of day, lots of adult beverages had been consumed, resulting in all manner of shouts, all of them loud, some pretty dumb, a few being the kind of thing you hear at a Boston sporting event nowadays, "Free Brady" and the worst one of the day, "Goodell sits down when he pees!"

Both Spieth and Garcia played excellent golf, making it easy for us in that there was only one instance of a ball landing outside of the ropes.  Spieth overshot the 7th green, the gallery now numbering over a thousand, standing 5 deep around the green but making an alley for Jordan to play a tremendously delicate chip shot.  Great stuff!  We got several thank you's from hole captains as we made our way through 18 holes, keeping the river of people jockeying for position from getting out of hand and distracting the players. From hole 15 on, the cart-paths were completely jammed with spectators, forcing us to walk the player's routes tee to green, something we try to avoid if possible.  Tony commented that he was going places he'd never been and taking routes he'd never taken in all his days at DBC.  Lot's of "hold please" commands from us without getting bossy.  Tony and I definitely did a lot of work and he thanked me for a job well done as we exited 18.  I enjoyed every minute of it.    

Day 2  Saturday  September 3, 2016  

Assigned to the premier group of players, (Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, & Patrick Reed) with my buddy Tony, along with our mutual friend Jimmy, a great marshal with a very dry sense of humor who has tendency to have a witty quip ready for any occurrence as the day unfolds.  Nothing phases him.  Since our group wasn't teeing off until 1:40 pm, David asked if I could help with a morning group, initially assigning me to walk with Rory McIlroy, then later switching me to Jordan Spieth.  Great, this would give me an extra hour for breakfast, sitting at my usual spot on the porch of the volunteer pavilion, chatting with my fellow marshals.  As things worked out, Dave came by with a change of plans due to one of our marshals being delayed, and asked if I could switch back to walking 9 holes with McIlroy.  No problem, but no leisurely breakfast, had to be on the first tee in half an hour.  We had a 4-man crew, Rick, Geno, and another Rick (a rookie).  Just a word about two of these guys, to give you an idea of how deep the marshaling thing runs in all of us.  Rick told me this was his 34th tournament, combining The Travelers and Deutsche Bank!  Geno has marshaled at a mere 20 or so combined! And here I am at my 11th, I felt like a rookie by comparison.   This was my first time working with Geno, great guy, outgoing personality, completely positive outlook which is instantly perceptible on meeting him.  The gallery fed off his vibe and did anything he asked of them, ( "Please hold your positions").

I had a great time walking the front nine with Rory, Tony Finau, and Jim Herman, being positioned about 100-200 yards ahead of the players, not my usual position but enjoying the different perspective it offered.  As I'm usually the lead marshal I tend to position beside the players, but in this instance I was happy to help out where I was needed most.  We were marshaling a decent sized gallery of 200-300 spectators for early on a Saturday morning in very pleasant conditions, temp in the low 70's with hazy sunshine.  Our round went very smoothly, only one instance of crowd control when Rory hit outside the ropes to the right off the 7th fairway, having to control the gallery and create an alley for him to get back to the fairway.  He thanked us when he got back to the rope we were holding for him and his caddie as they ducked under.

My commitment for 9 holes ended quickly so I headed to the volunteer village to rest up for my primary assignment in the afternoon.  Had lunch with Tony, my co-lead for the assignment with Day, DJ, and Reed.  Talked about his relatively recent experiences running road races, having given up smoking only 3 years ago and recently completing a half-marathon.  Myself being on the far side of long-distance racing, (three Boston Marathons 20+ years ago), I gave him the benefit of my limited wisdom for setting his sights on Boston.  He has his doubts, but I'm confident he'll be able to run Boston, the difficult issue being obtaining a bib number.

Made my way to the 1st tee for our 1:40 tee-off and was met with the largest gallery of the day by far, 1,000 spectators gathered and ready to go.  Tony, Jimmy, and I were a relatively small number of marshals for this size group, but the recent down-sizing of the mobile marshals crew was in play.  Additionally, we were to find out that our committee co-chairs had made a decision to send us out with the premier golfers, rather than reserving this assignment for themselves.  It represented a definite shift in how our assignments were being issued, and also signified a tremendous level of confidence in our ability to handle the largest gallery.   Tony and Jimmy are the best marshals, knowing exactly where to position at each hole based on an ever-changing dynamic of gallery size and player position.   The gallery grew to Tiger-like proportions of over 3,000 moving en-masse tee to green, jockeying for position. Even when Jason Day hit his drive deeply into the woods to the right off the 5th fairway, a situation where there was only 1 hole marshal stationed, we were able to marshal a huge crowd of not only thousands of spectators but also photographers, tv crews, 4 Norton police officers, and even Roger Maltbie, providing running commentary for NBC. Unfortunately for Day, he subsequently hit an atrocious 2nd shot, again into the woods, where we had to repeat the same set-up so he could escape his predicament.  He kept his cool and thanked us on his way back to the fairway.  Day again hit beyond the ropes on the very next hole, but rallied for birdie, and subsequently held on to make the cut after having shot an 8 on the fifth hole. Impressive!

Jason Day hitting from beyond the cart path on 9 to get back in play

                                                                        Patrick Reed 

We had only one instance of near chaos, on the long cart-path connecting the 7th green to the 8th tee.  The players are always transported by golf cart while we try to keep the cart-path partially clear to avoid having the gallery interfere with the traffic flow.  Unfortunately, our master plan got clogged by 2 additional carts transporting beer from the 7th green concession stand, bringing several thousand spectators to a complete halt while we got it all sorted out.  Closest I ever saw Tony to losing it!
I had a brief encounter with Roger Maltbie on the 13th hole after Day seemingly hit his drive wide right again but I lost sight of it.  Maltbie was standing near me about 50 yards forward of the teebox and I asked him, "Did Day hit it outside of the ropes?" He looked at me and replied good-naturedly, "I don't know, I can't see that far!"  We both chuckled. He is a beloved character at DBC, always addressed by someone in the crowd with a hearty Boston-accented "Rogaah!!"

At 18, DJ unfortunately lost his approach shot to the green, having to backtrack to the drop area, resulting in a little extra work for us as well, but worse for him, a double bogey.  We finished up our round at 6:15pm, another long day at DBC.  Our crew was able to score some left-over Bertucci's pizza and Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the tent, where we sat with Karen and Maureen, all pretty exhausted but happy from the events of the day.  Now all plans are focused on the tropical storm due to arrive here on Monday, the forecast still developing but sounding serious.    
          

The 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship   Pro-Am   Thursday September 1, 2106

If you've been reading this far into the blog you know my drill for arriving at TPC Boston at the crack of dawn for the DBC Pro-Am. This was my eight DBC and my 11th professional tournament.   What never changes is my excitement at renewing old friendships with people I only see once a year, although I've now become Facebook friends with several as well.  I don't need coffee, breakfast, or much of anything else to arrive wide awake and psyched for another mobile marshal experience.  Of course, that quickly changes when I can dig into the Dunkin Donuts catered spread at the volunteer pavilion!
It was a rainy Thursday so we all met inside the MGA museum building rather than outside on the patio, our traditional spot.  There were only about 20 of us marshals in attendance for the meeting as a decision has been made to reduce our overall numbers.  It was great to see our committee chairs again, David and Karen, and to chat-up fellow marshals Tony, Jack, & Jim.  I was assigned to Sergio Garcia, who I'd never marshaled before,  Working with me was Steve, a newbie who was a hole marshal at 18 last year.  It was going to be a low key day due to the weather, but a great opportunity to work with Steve and give him pointers throughout the day.  As I walked to the first tee, I had that feeling that comes over me at every tournament at some point...how lucky I am to have another opportunity to be inside the ropes!  I met up with the 1st hole captain, a fellow I've established a relationship with over the years, always checking in with him to see what he needs from us walking marshals.  We both acknowledged that there would be very light galleries today, but things would definitely heat up later in the week.  When there are close to 400-500 people standing around the first tee box waiting for the big names in golf to tee off, it can get pretty difficult with so few hole marshals there.  We're frequently seen as the cavalry arriving with reinforcements.
Sergio turned out to be one of the most gracious pro's I've seen in all my years marshaling.  He was available for every autograph, posing for countless pictures, and answering questions from the four amateurs assigned to his group, including the former mayor of NYC Michael Bloomberg.  Sergio repeatedly thanked us whenever we helped him or his caddie as we escorted them through 18 holes.  The fairly thin gallery never amounted to more than a couple hundred people but were always very respectful.  We heard a few chants of "USA, USA"  in anticipation of the Ryder Cup coming up in a month, Sergio being one of the recently announced members of the European team. He took it well.  In lots of ways Sergio seems like a normal guy.  I'm always impressed when able to observe a world-famous pro acting in a way we can all identify with. Sergio answers the call of nature during a break in play, like we all do, at a discreet distance of course!
My time was productively spent giving Steve the benefit of my experience in the nuances of marshaling, including positioning at each tee and green, avoiding walking on the green or teebox surfaces, and helping out the amateurs by locating stray shots in the shrubbery or rough.  Steve was nice enough to hold his umbrella over us at times, which was much appreciated.   Thankfully the rain never affected play, avoiding a player evacuation.  I told Steve how this would work if it came to that, including noting the position of the evac vans strategically placed at every hole. We finished up after 18 holes with Sergio signing autographs for about 15 minutes, then we headed back to the volunteer pavilion for lunch.  I chatted with my buddy Tony about an hour, comparing notes about how our rounds went.  Since this was his 13th year as a mobile marshal, he has a more in-depth view of how the mobile marshals committee came into being and the process by which it is being operated.  He has made some suggestions and recommendations in recent years with the powers that be, which got us off on one of those "if I was in charge'' discussions, as to what changes we might implement.   His comments would later turn out to be quite prophetic.