Bit of a fiasco getting to the course this am as the shuttle bus driver missed the turn into Shinnecock, and took us on a 5 mile detour in the process of trying to turn around in the streets of Southampton. Lots of impatient passengers shouting at the driver with ''helpful'' comments in loud Long Islander accents, "You need a freakin' co-pilot"! Finally got to the course at 10am, went directly to the HQ to check-in and spoke with Geoff, today's 19th hole marshal Captain. I pointed out my designation as a forward marshal, next to my name on his clipboard, to which he responded, ''just be at the 1st tee in time for the 1:47 teetime of Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy''. No mention of needing a color-coded credential authorizing me to be inside the ropes. I would need to pull some strings to make that happen I guessed.
At breakfast I met some interesting folks from Louisiana, one of whom was serving as a 19th hole marshal also. He had volunteered at more than 15 US Opens, making a vacation of it every year. Said he was paying $400/night for his hotel room, (Southampton, NY prices)!
I went back to HQ and spoke with my new buddy Tom who confirmed I would indeed have to get a "walking" credential for the day, but could only do that by speaking to Andy, higher up the chain of command. Tom radio'd him and we arranged to meet at the first tee. It was a miracle that I ran into him there, recognizing him from yesterday, as the area was again packed with spectators and officials. Andy gave me the coveted walking credential, and explained the USGA forward marshal concept to me, staying half a hole ahead of the players to assist with finding stray shots in the fescue, and marshaling the crowd. Placing me forward like this was their way of reducing the number of people inside the ropes clustered around the players, (caddies, scorer, sign-bearer, rule official, police, photographers, and USGA personnel). I texted friends about my assignment and got an email from Dave at Dell who was curious about working the Open as he'd heard the traffic was awful. I provided some details to everyone on the fly, but I hope this gives are more detailed picture of things.
I worked the first tee, marshaling as each three-some of players come up, huge roars from the gallery surrounding the area, including Shinnecock members on the nearby clubhouse porch. I was eventually joined by Peter, who would be walking with me as our crew of 2 for the marquee group. This was the fellow I met yesterday at the fifth hole, the Area Captain and veteran of many US Opens at all levels of marshaling. He said he was sorry he had to stop me from walking further with TW yesterday without a credential.
When Phil, Jordan, and Rory arrived on the tee, the crowd went crazy, Phil being a golf-God to the NY fans going back to the 2002 Open at Bethpage. I felt a little sorry for Jordan and Rory as these two are often the featured player in a championship group, but not today. The USGA official made the first tee introductions and we were off.
Peter and I worked well together trying to stay ahead of the players, which was sometimes difficult in that we were walking through the deep fescue near the rope most of the time. It soon became apparent to me that staying so far ahead of the players was of limited value when it came to marshaling the crowd. Not one ball landed in the fescue, so there was no need for any searches in the tall stuff. I eventually worked back closer to the players, filling in any gap areas where the hole marshals were spread thin. Taking a knee not to block the patrons often elicited an appreciative comment from the gallery. These folks paid a lot to get an unblocked view of Phil! As usual, the crowd was in full voice, bellowing his name every 5 seconds, often resulting in a thumbs-up or smile from him. Rory and Jordan got their share of call-outs but nothing like Phil's Army. All three were out of contention by the end of the round, only Phil would be making it to the weekend, Jordan and Rory missing the cut. It was a fun round nonetheless, getting to interact with the crowd, who were largely respectful and in good spirits.
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