Took little over an 90 minutes for my commute from airbnb to Shinnecock, about 45 miles altogether, like going to work by now. At HQ I ran into Tom and thanked him for his help getting me set-up for yesterday's assignment. He said he was glad I was able to find Andy amongst the throng of people and get my credential. I also spoke with Andy who said we'd need extra marshals throughout the course due to the expected jump in overall attendance as yesterday's rain had given way to great summer weather for today. No mention of serving as a forward marshal. I hung around HQ for awhile, pondering my options, when Brad arrived, the top guy in charge for all marshals. A Shinnecock member, very personable and outgoing. He approached me about going out again today as a forward marshal for Phil's pairing with Beef Johnston at 11:30. He then said something curious, "you're a friend of Mike Davis?" I said I don't really know Mike, but we had exchanged emails a few times over my walking marshal proposal. Brad said he had gotten word from Mike to be sure I got assigned as a forward marshal. I was a bit astonished. Brad gave me a credential for the day and added he'd have a headset for me but would need to bring it out to me at the 1st tee.
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| Phil about to tee off on first hole |
The atmosphere was electric there in anticipation of Phil and Beef's arrival. It was only 11am but already some patrons were enjoying adult beverages and having a great time. To add to the festivities, it was Phil's birthday, with a line of fans wearing party hats and stretching out a sign reading Happy Birthday Phil. He would be serenaded two to three times every hole by the crowd singing to him, must have been over 40 times by the end of the round.
Turns out I was the only forward marshal for this pairing so I was free to vary my position relative to the players, depending on the need along the ropes. Fans were once again surprisingly respectful, shouting out "Hey Phil'' every few seconds, and getting a response, which pleased the crow no end. I heard over and over people saying, "He gave me a thumbs-up" or "Now I can die happy, I got Phil Mickelson to look at me"! Beef got his share of comments, generally full-throated shouts of "Where's the beef? or Want some cheese with that, Beef?'' When I'd heard that one for the 20th time, I turned to the young guy standing at the rope who said it and I good-naturedly said, "Like that's the first time he's heard that one today". His buddies immediately started razing him about how the marshal really called him out, all in good fun.
As everyone knows by now, the sun, wind, and heat baked the greens, causing putts to barely hold onto the linoleum-like surfaces, and sending scores upwards. Phil's meltdown on the 13th green, when he struck a still-moving ball and ended up scoring a 10, was a culmination of exasperating play. I unfortunately did not witness this directly as it was the only time I was in forward marshal mode and had already moved on to the 14th tee. This was a challenge since it is right beside the clubhouse, necessitating use of the elevated walkway set-up over the crowd. I only heard about it further on down the 14th hole when a fellow marshal asked me what happened to Phil on 13? I was in shock and immediately thought he'd get DQ'd. Surprisingly, his demeanor did not change outwardly throughout the rest of the round, always acknowledging the crowd with each rendition of Happy Birthday to You, culminating at the 18th green when the entire grandstand broke into song as he approached his ball lying a few feet off the green, about 30 feet from the pin. Phil displayed a classic flop shot that went 20 feet in the air and landed 2 feet from the hole. The crowd went wild.
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