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.
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.
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