Tiger vs Phil 

People have occasionally asked me questions of a "Tiger vs Phil" nature, such as "who do I like better" or "what was it like to be marshaling for either one of those guys, what are they really like ?"  Volunteering as a walking marshal inside the ropes at PGA and USGA events, I have had the opportunity for some close encounters with both of these golf gods, having been assigned to Phil's group on eleven occasions and Tiger six times.  My answer is, Tiger by a mile.  This response often elicits a surprised or even shocked reaction.  They'll respond, "I was sure you were going to say Phil, he seems like such a nice guy". Tiger on the other hand is viewed by the casual golf fan as that guy who fell off the cliff of celebrity due to boorish behavior, a well deserved fall some often say. My perspective is different in that I have been able to observe them from pretty close proximity, not only for 18 holes of competitive championship golf, but afterwards as we marshals accompany them to the scoring trailer, interview area, and eventually to the autograph line.  There we get to stand patiently nearby while they sign everything in sight for as long as they can stand it, generally 20 minutes or so, (although the fans never feel its long enough).  

So why do I prefer to marshal Tiger over Phil?  Let's start with Phil.  Did you ever know a guy in high school who was one of those know-it-all types, and doesn't mind letting you know it, all the time?  When he was playing in the pro-am at the FedEx Cup at TPC Boston in Norton, MA a few years ago, he was partnered with four very high level business executives, as is the usual arrangement.  Unlike most other pro-am groups, where the chatter is mostly golf related, Phil is expounding on European currency rates of exchange, domestic tax policies, etc.  In other words, he's telling the experts their business versus the other way round.  

Phil is one of the few pro's out on tour who doesn't feel that marshals are even necessary, they just get in his way.  Every marshal who has ever been assigned to him has a "Phil story".  You'll be moving behind him along the ropes to quiet the crowd, who have closed in to get a really good view and he'll bark, "Quit moving, marshal!"  Phil has mastered the role of acting like a golf professional, emphasis on the word actor.  He's every fan's favorite because he hears every single shout-out from outside the ropes and acknowledges it with a thumbs-up.  He has excels at the art of giving the fans what they paid to see, a performance.  He realizes that bottom-line, that's what this is all about.  I've  heard fans exclaim, "I've actually seen Phil Mickelson in person, now I can die happy!"  To see Phil work the autograph area is to watch a true professional, signing hats, pin-flags, programs, shirts, people, you name it.  I personally witnessed an outstanding moment after the Deutsche Bank Championship when Phil signed for a fellow in a wheelchair who'd been been struggling to get to the rope line, so that Phil could sign a hat with two other Hall-of-Fame signatures on it, Arnie and Jack.  It was a heartfelt moment.  

Suffice to say, I don't dislike Phil, but he's not one of us, he's up on the Mount Rushmore of golf and interacts with use mere mortals because that's what he's paid to do.  Provide a performance. 

Tiger on the other hand, is a real person.  I know, when I say this to people I get that same surprised and even shocked response.  They'll ask, "Isn't he sort of a prick up close?" On the contrary, he's actually just like one of the guys.  When you're standing near him alongside the other players and caddies at the short par 4 fourth hole at TPC Boston, where we're waiting for the groups ahead to move on, he's right in the mix, laughing, kidding, smiling, not standing off to the side in isolation until its his turn to step up to the tee box.  This is the real Tiger, when he can just be who he wants to be, one of the guys.  Unfortunately, the moment he tee's off and begins to stride down the fairway, he is hit with a verbal onslaught from the fans that is hard to comprehend unless you have witnessed it up close.  People standing 3 and 4 deep outside the ropes are shouting his name incessantly every step of the way until he gets to his ball, then its our job as the marshals walking along with him to get them to settle down, so he, and whoever he's playing with, can get off a shot in some semblance of silence and calm.  He can't possibly acknowledge the fans the way Phil does, or he'd never be able to do anything else.  That's why the blinders are on and the game face is there for the cameras to capture.  Every time I've been assigned to Tiger's group, I'm amazed at his powers of concentration.  I always feel somewhat sorry for the other player(s) assigned to his group as they are going to have to contend with this circus for 18 holes.  

The consensus among most of us marshals is we'd much prefer to be assigned to Tiger than to Phil.  It took me three years of volunteering at the Deutsche Bank Championship before I'd risen high enough in the ranks to get assigned to his group.  You know you've earned you stripes then.  But know this, a Tiger pairing is like none other.  The majority of the spectators on the grounds that day are there to see him in person. They'll walk along with him, a crowd of several thousand, just to position themselves along the ropes for that one brief moment when he walks past within 10 feet, or best of all, happens to hit one outside the ropes enabling you to scramble to the ball and wait for him and his caddie to arrive, as well as our group of 6 to 8 marshals to form an alley so he can hit back into play.  This is the hardest marshaling job in existence but one which I love above all else.  Being inside the ropes with Tiger is like no other experience in golf.  

Tiger vs Phil?…I'll take Tiger.

Wyn Morton Rick, I've written an updated Tiger vs. Phil piece for my blog diaryofapgamarshal.blogspot.com 
Let me know what you think.

DIARYOFAPGAMARSHAL.BLOGSPOT.COM

Diary of a PGA marshal

Diary of a PGA marshal

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  Rick Reilly i think you make some good points. Phil considers himself an expert on all things, all the time. But his brain is fascinating and he actually does do his research. And Tiger is much more human, I'm told, around the caddies and his buddies. He's just awful with press and fans.

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Road Trip to St. Andrews      October 2019

(What follows isn't an account of marshaling a major tournament, but it was just as exciting to be with my entire family for more than a week in Scotland, including a chance to play golf at St. Andrews.)

Jill, Brian, Mary, Lauren, and me

About two years ago in 2017, my son Brian and his wife Lauren, proposed a family trip to Scotland.  Both of them have traveled a surprising amount for a couple barely 30 years old, but for us it would be a huge trip.  We couldn't get it scheduled for 2018 but everything lined up for October 2019, a trip that might even include playing the Old Course in St. Andrews, if we got lucky.  The amazing Lauren made all the arrangements, beginning with multiple email exchanges with the staff at the Old Course, who were extremely gracious and encouraging in their communications.  Unlike most other courses, in order to play the Old Course, you have 3 options: One is to book a very expensive trip through a travel broker who will guarantee a teetime.  This is the only way to make your arrangements in advance, but you're paying thousands for the package, which would include at least 3 other days of golf.  Sounds great but above our budget.  Secondly, you can take a real gamble and just show up at the starter's window the day you are hoping to play, and get in line as early as 3am, put your name on the list and then wait, maybe all day, maybe hopelessly. It's no way to budget an entire day on your vacation. The third way is to use what is called the "ballot system", submitting your request for a teetime via email to standrews.com, 48 hours ahead, and hopefully getting a spot.

Now its not as grim a prospect as it may sound for planning to play golf in St. Andrews.  The above only applies to getting onto the Old Course.  We were able to make a teetime for the Jubilee Course, one of six other courses (Jubilee, Castle, New Course, Eden, Strathtyrum, & Balgove), all part of the St. Andrews Links complex, "The Home of Golf" as their brochure proclaims.  Since we were scheduling our trip for the tail-end of the golf season, the gentleman from St. Andrews wrote that he was cautiously optimistic we would be successful using the ballot system.

This wasn't just a golfing vacation, the five us had an outstanding time touring the west coast of Scotland including the Oban whisky distillery, the Harry Potter train in Glencoe, Ben Nevis-the highest peak in the UK, Fort William and the spectacular Highlands, the town of St. Andrews, and finally the marvelous city of Edinburgh.  We ended up spending one night in St. Andrews, at The Saint, a lovely four-room hotel, a 10 minute walk from the Old Course.  That evening walking down cobblestone streets, with the R&A clubhouse coming into view, was like walking in a dream.

R & A    St. Andrews

The Saint Hotel

Our day started out by driving directly to the new Links Clubhouse which has wonderful views of the courses from the restaurant.  We had lunch and I must admit to being a bit nervous over my chicken bacon mayo sandwich.  We'd parked our bags in the locker room down below, it's just what you'd expect in terms of world class accommodations and feel.  I could just imagine the pros suiting up there as they prepare to play in The Open.  Our day of golf at the Jubilee Course was spectacular although it got off to a rainy start but the weather cleared by the 4th hole. Mary, Jill, and Lauren formed our gallery as we tee'd off, then they went for a walk around the lovely town.  I par'd the first hole and told Brian that made my entire trip to Scotland.  I was on fire, shooting 42 on the front 9 but hitting only 3 fairways and 2 GIR.  Brian shot 45.  We'd decided on match play and I was up by 3 on the 11th hole.  Brian then said the fateful words, "you haven't hit into a pot bunker all day!" Which I promptly did. My game immediately tanked while he proceeded to make a total of 9 pars, shooting 42 on the back, and won the match 2 + 1. Our gallery re-appeared on the 17th hole, the sun was shining, and we were in golf Heaven!  We ended the day with a pint at the famous Dunvegan pub hard by the R&A clubhouse.    

Brian & I at the Jubilee Course

The Dunvegan Pub

Earlier in the day Brian had received an email from St. Andrews, unfortunately stating that we had not been selected for the ballot to play on the Old Course the next day.  He resubmitted our request for the following day, with fingers crossed. We headed to our next stop, Edinburgh, looking forward to exploring this ancient yet cosmopolitan city.  During our walking tour, Brian received the email notification that we'd scored an 11am teetime on the Old Course for Friday.  He and I would be making a road trip back north while the ladies spent the day in Edinburgh.

It was about an hour ride back to St. Andrews but traffic was quite manageable and we arrived at 9:30, plenty of time for breakfast at the Links Clubhouse.  I felt that anticipatory excitement I always have right before marshaling at a big event, like a US Open, where the atmosphere of the place is nearly overwhelming.  Not really nervousness but we were about to play the Old Course!  Isn't that every golfers dream?   To say Brian was wound up tight would be an understatement, he could barely choke down half a scone.  The walk over toward the starters shack, where we would meet our caddies, with the R&A clubhouse right there at the first tee was unreal.

The lady clerk was so gracious, taking our 130 Scottish pounds green fee (about $160), and handing us a very nice valuables pouch complete with an amazingly detailed yardage book, tees, pencils, divot tool, and scorecard.  We were then approached by our two caddies, who between them had nearly 30 years of caddying experience.  I got John, whose personality was perfect for me, quiet, calm, not too chatty, yet personable.  Brian's guy, Steve was just right for him as well, right from central casting with a thick Scottish brogue.  He instantly bonded with Brian to become his playing partner/coach, which was just what he needed to get over the first tee jitters.  The starter, Richard, approached us as we made our way over to the first tee, greeting us much like you see them do at the start of the Open Championship.  He made our presence there seem extra special, despite the fact he'd probably done the same routine 10 thousand times.  He even took our picture.  We were then introduced to our two other playing partners, both former members of the course, so they didn't need caddies to show them the way.  These guys were hilarious, self-deprecating, with brogues so thick I could understand maybe one word in three, not the best golfers by any stretch, which was somehow quite reassuring and certainly less intimidating.  Brian proved to be the best golfer in our foursome by far although he had a rough start, hitting his drive into the Swilcan Burn.  I was really calm on the tee, it helped that there were very few spectators as it was drizzling and maybe 50 degrees. John told me where to aim, ("at that gorse bush off in the distance") and I was able to do exactly that. As we walked off the first tee Steve said "now you can all breathe again!"  I found having a caddy to be such a wonderful added dimension to this whole experience, not just as a guide to point out where in the world I should be aiming on this alien golf layout, but also to set an expectation for me on each shot which I then tried my best to fulfill.  The greens weren't too scary as I felt used to the speeds having played Jubilee, but having John read the subtle breaks and provide aiming points was terrific.  I played bogey golf through the first 12 holes but the rain only intensified and despite John's best effort to keep things dry, the final 6 holes were a mess.  Brian was one up on our match at the turn, then went on to win decisively at 5 up, with a total for the day of 5 pars and a birdie, including par on 17, the famous Road Hole.  As the day went on, we found ourselves saying over and over to each other, what a wonderful experience this was despite the conditions.  Steve took the traditional picture of us on the Swilcan bridge, on our way to finishing on 18, which Brian almost par'd.  He later said he had such a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, having conquered the Old Course.

7/17/19   U.S.Open volunteer notification

Always great to get the official notification from USGA, getting selected from thousands of applicants to volunteer at the 2020 Open.  My son Brian has also been selected, can't wait for him the share the experience!   


           Dear Wyn,  

           Congratulations! You have been assigned to volunteer on the 19th Hole Marshals committee
            for the 2020 U.S. Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY. 

The Travelers Championship    June 23, 2019       Sunday

I knew Brian had been fully bitten by the marshaling bug when he and Chris met at our 7am mobile marshals meeting and discussed all the specifics of the previous day's events, including the varying number of marshals hole-by hole and the challenges of the course layout from a gallery movement perspective.  I had requested as early an assignment as possible for today so that we could finish in a reasonable time to then make the three hour drive home.  As a result, we were assigned to Bubba Watson and Sam Burns for a 9:15am tee off, perfect.  I was designated as lead marshal for a 3-man crew, with Brian of course, and a third fellow, Ray.  Thank you David for advocating for me to get this assignment.  Our morning marshals meeting was extended a bit for Maureen to verbally acknowledge the selection of one to the hole marshal captains as Volunteer of the Year, evidently the first time a marshal had been so selected.  We eventually joined Mary and Lauren at the first tee grandstand to watch Koepka and the early pairings tee off until it was our time to go.  I noticed a familiar face down at the starter's tent, Marty Hackel (Mr. Style of Golf Digest) so I went down there to renew an old acquaintance.  He's a well known character at TPC Boston, and I learned he's a native New Englander, living in New Canaan, having attended Tabor Academy, and playing various courses near me on Cape Cod.  As our teetime neared, our third marshal arrived, Ray, who was a pretty unique fellow, a very loquacious chap, who we eventually pegged as a doppelgänger for Joe Pesci in hyperactive mannerisms, speaking style, and even accent.  A real nice guy but talked way too much!  Thank goodness he was an experienced MM and didn't need any coaching from me.  He did a great job marshaling, especially staying ahead of the players as a fore-marshal for any wayward shots.

Neither Bubba Watson or Sam Burns was in contention but both didn't give up in their efforts today, especially Bubba who at times is known for checking out under similar circumstances. He is such a crowd favorite here at the Travelers as a previous three-time winner and received applause at nearly every green as he walked up.  His wife Angie and her guests were walking along with him so I fetched some water bottles for them at the fourth hole.  They were very appreciative, always good to take care of anyone associated with the PGA TOUR.  I also got some waters for Mary and Lauren, walking along with us again today. We all had a thoroughly enjoyable midday round on this sunny summer day, a bit hotter and humid than yesterday.  Now that we knew the course a bit better, our marshaling duties seemed easier in that we knew where the crowds would tend to gather so that we could position ourselves accordingly.  As usual, we had to be mindful of limiting gallery movement when there was a name player alongside a lesser known player.  The fans were very respectful and responded well to our directions to limit moving about, especially on the cart paths.  There was a rather sizable gallery all along the way, with lots of shoutouts of "We love you, Bubba".  I had a typical marshal event happen when Burns hit outside of the ropes with his drive.  When we arrived on the scene, a woman was standing there holding the gallery rope, which had been repositioned by the hole marshal to make room for Burns to get back into play.  She looked nervous having been given this responsibility, especially when Burns was standing nearby making his shot.  Afterwards I thanked her and gave her one of my marker tees, which I identified as the "PGA TOUR Golden Tee Award" for her contribution for being such a big help.   She was thrilled!

As we finished up at the 18th hole, the crowd was in full voice supporting Bubba, their favorite.  The stadium was rocking as he acknowledged the crowd, including posing for a few pictures with some fans as he exited the green.  Brian, Ray, and I followed him up to the scoring area adjacent to the clubhouse and our job was completed. We met up with Mary and Lauren, who'd been watching the action there at 18.  It was a good ending to our two day adventure at the Travelers.  Lauren's pedometer registered 10 miles for the weekend, which she characterized as a billygoat walk due the hilly terrain.  We wound things up with a quick lunch at the concession stand, seated in the shade for a well deserved rest, then we were on our way home.  Definitely a different experience than previous tournaments, glad we made the trip.
  

The Travelers Championship     June 22, 2019                         Saturday

It was a long time in the planning, but it finally arrived.  I was going to marshal at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT.  My friends at the Dell/Deutsche Bank Championship had been inviting me for years to come down to marshal and since there would be no FedEx Cup event at TPC Boston this year, now was the time.  I had enticed my son Brian to accompany me as well, after he'd gotten exposed to the inside-the-rope experience at last year's Dell.  In addition, my wife Mary and Brian's wife Lauren would be accompanying us so there was an added dimension to the experience.  It would almost be like having our own personal gallery walking along with us. Our Dell mobile marshal co-chair David had been in communication with me over the winter, stating the need for experienced mobile marshals at the Travelers, which implied our level of experience over so many FedEx Cup Championships was highly valued. Brian and I committed to the mobile marshal committee, but on a limited schedule, working the two weekend days only, not the entire 4 day + Pro-Am tournament.

I won't delve into the details, but the pre-tournament communication with the Travelers was a bit disorganized at best.  The usual drill is to get periodic emails from the volunteer coordinator as well as the mobile marshals chair,  informing you of important details such as the uniform pick-up procedure, volunteer credential, parking details, guest passes, shift schedule, etc. Suffice to say that each of these details changed repeatedly as the date got closer, requiring phone calls to the Travelers office to clarify specifics.  It's partially due our being long-distance out-of-state volunteers, and partially due to Travelers policy of not sending anything by mail. It ultimately necessitated us to show up in street clothes, then change into the Travelers official shirt and hat in the parking lot.  At this stage in my marshaling career, you'd like to have things run as tightly as you've come to expect at TPC Boston, but not so much here evidently.  Oh well, it all worked out in the end, and the essensce of being a marshal is responding to the situation right then and there, and dealing with it in a way that supports the overall objective of contributing to a first class event for one and all.


We arrived at TPC River Highlands on a glorious sunny day, the second day of summer, perfect conditions especially since the course had been drenched in rain recently and was basically a quagmire. A nice feature was having parking immediately adjacent to the course, a short walk to the volunteer villa and mobile marshal morning assembly area.  No shuttle bus required.  I immediately met up with familiar faces, Karen, our Dell mobile marshals co-chair, and Diane, both of whom have been marshaling for over 30 years and have seen it all!  They walked Brian and me through the registration process in the villa to get all of our stuff and then proceed to the MM meeting for our player assignment.  Ran into Maureen, the chair of gallery control for Travelers for a quick hug.  David was also there and we chatted a bit before our meeting got started, primarily about the changes we were all experiencing this year with the FedEx schedule reshuffling resulting in the Northern Trust taking over for our traditional spot in the FedEx playoffs, at Liberty National in Jersey City.  We regretted not being able to get together on Labor Day at TPC Boston.  Evidently, the pre-championship communication with Northern Trust has been even worse than what I've experienced leading up to the Travelers.   Glad I didn't commit to volunteering for the Northern Trust tournament from the sounds of it.  Some familiar faces from Boston were here at Travelers, including Chris and Jim "The Mayor", and I got a chance to chat with them, both great guys. Renewing old acquaintances and comparing war stories is always a special part of marshaling.  Our 7am meeting got started at 7:40, with 30 marshals present.  Greg, our chairman, commented that there were too many marshals for the number of high caliber players remaining after the cut.  (Phil & Jordan hadn't made it, two fan favorites). That left Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day as the most prominent players in need of "Roving Marshal" support, (at least that's what our credentials called us).  Brian and I were assigned to Keegan Bradley and Ryan Moore in the second to last pairing of the day, teeing off at 1:45pm, with Kim as our lead marshal, a very nice lady who has marshaled at both Travelers and Boston for years.  She also happens to be the Mayor's wife, God bless her!

After a nice breakfast at the volunteer villa, courtesy of Dunkin Donuts, we arranged for our guest passes for Mary and Lauren to be carted over to the willcall ticket barn, somewhere way over in guest parking.  A big thank you to Taylor Whiting, volunteer services coordinator, for doing that for us.  We then decided to walk about the course a bit since we had lots of hours to kill, heading over to the practice range first, which was huge, with great spectator viewing from the elevated grandstand.  After awhile, we walked to the clubhouse, brand new this year and a duplicate of the layout at TPC Boston.  We were not allowed to tour the inside but that was to be expected on tournament day.  The adjacent Fan Zone was a mudpit from the previous week of rain and thousands of spectators churning the grass into a mess, but the grounds keepers had done well installing rubber mat walkways to minimize the chaos.  Brian and I headed to the 18th hole, scene of many spectacular finishes to check it out. A vast bowl shaped hillside surrounding the green with grandstands and corporate pavilions on top created quite the stadium for golf.  It was empty now but we'd get a taste of it later on.

                            The crowd at the 18th at TPC River Highlands 

By then, Mary and Lauren had arrived so we met at the 1st tee area which was a sea of humanity by this time.  Justin Thomas walked by us on his way to the tee and I walked up to check things out.  I ended up standing a few feet away from the standard bearer and scorer for his pairing, when Justin came over and introduced himself to them, and to me, shaking my hand and saying, "Hi, I'm Justin, thanks for helping out today."  I then realized there were no roving marshals in sight and that he had been omitted from having any assigned to him.  I considered contacting Greg to offer to switch our assignment but this would have created a domino effect, leaving Kim by herself or having to hustle to get other marshals to help her out.  Brian and I couldn't cover his pairing for however many holes and then also walk 18 with Bradley and Moore.  If this had been happening at TPC Boston I would have had a headset and made the decision to coordinate the situation somehow with David, but I was a rookie here.  We later heard at our am meeting on Sunday that this had been a regrettable scheduling oversight. 

Mary and Lauren wanted to see some more players so we headed back to the range and saw more players, including many lesser known chaps who needed some identifying info from me or Brian, ("Who is Scott Brown? Where is he from? Has he won anything?") That type of thing.  Mary knows a bit about golf or she wouldn't be here, but us marshals pretty much know everyone after awhile.  Always amazing watching these guys warm-up, hitting shots I could only dream of.   It was time for lunch so we scored something at the concession stand, very nice set-up they had here, virtually no line.  We then found a shady picnic table where we found our buddy Chris.  He'd already finished his round as lead marshal for the Brooks Koepka pairing, sharing his experience learning the golf course as it was his first time seeing also.  Very hilly and a tough layout, especially the finishing holes 15 through 18. Koepka drew a fairly sizable gallery so it was a good assignment.  He said he would have liked to have had us along as there were no familiar faces on his crew. The discussion then digressed to other subjects including his having his son and daughter both in college and how silly the tuition sticker prices had gotten.  Brian and Lauren graduated in 2012 and they're already amazed how much tuition costs continue to rise since then.  We eventually said goodbye to Chris who was now off to work the 13th hole as a marshal just to help out.  At the first tee we met up with our lead marshal Kim who knew we were experienced but new to the TPC River Highlands lay out, so her instruction mainly consisted of identifying the best places for us to marshal from as we walked along with Keegan and Ryan.  Kim initially didn't make the connection that we were father and son until she got to chatting with the two ladies constantly walking along with us, who explained the whole relationship.  We then got to know her better as well as you can while we were taking care of marshaling business.   Keegan Bradley was having a very good day, eventually finishing second.  Being a New Englander, from Vermont originally, he got a huge amount of crowd support.  It was interesting marshaling for him as his lengthy pre-shot routine is pretty unique, with starts, stops, resets, club spins, lining up putts with his distinct left eye dominant head tilt.  As a marshal, you don't want to be too early in signaling the gallery for quiet, standing with your arms raised for 5 minutes.  

We found the hilly terrain challenging at times, on what proved to be a rather difficult walking course, especially for spectators.  The hills provide frequent stadium-like viewpoints, as well as grandstands and pavilions, which promote a much more stationary gallery.  Lots of people sitting on hillsides forced us to take a knee while marshaling so we wouldn't be blocking anyone's view. 

 The sizable crowd and perfect summer weather reminded me of a U.S. Open rather than a FedEx cup look.   However, this crowd was pretty tame and quite respectful, no heckling or idiotic shout-outs.  I heard ''Bababoie'' only once all weekend.  There were times when our 3-person roving marshal crew wasn't really needed as the set-up at Travelers has a great disparity of marshals hole-to-hole.   Sometimes we'd count up to 10 marshals surrounding a green, other places 1 or 2 or even none at one spot.  By late afternoon, a few of the holes with lots of marshals weren't doing too much marshaling, mostly spectating or standing in bunches talking.  Brian commented later that this drove him nuts!  He's become pretty serious about this, living up to the high standard of marshals we've cultivated at Boston.  One of our specialties is handling the gallery when balls land outside the ropes.  Today, we'd often arrive at the scene where the hole marshal on site had only begun the process of getting the crowd into position to allow Bradley or Moore to make the shot back into play, but needed a whole lot more help: little things like placing a tee to mark the rope post-hole so that it could be replaced quickly or making sure the crowd isn't standing so close as to cast moving shadows on the ball.  

When we got to the closing holes 15 through 18 we saw the real teeth of this golf course, an incredibly challenging layout, compounded by a change in the weather with wind, a bit of rain, but thankfully dodging a lightning cell to the south.  We could feel the electricity from the gallery as both players took extra time over their shots to negotiate the water hazard adjacent to 15, 16, &17.  You could feel them taking a breather once we got to the 18th hole, hitting up to the huge stadium green.  It was a great day, different than the FedEx cup we've gotten to know so well at TPC Boston, but worth the trip to Connecticut.  Looking forward to Sunday.      

             

April 16, 2019

Received the email notice from the PGA TOUR Ryder Cup volunteer registry, thanking me for my interest in volunteering, but unfortunately not selecting me from the lottery of over 30,000 applicants.  Seeing that there were that many involved, I guess it was an even longer shot than I would have predicted. I guess the only harder marshal assignment in professional golf is being selected to work at Augusta.

February 10, 2019

I received an email announcing that the USGA website had became active for accepting volunteer applications for the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.  I emailed my son Brian to let him now that the volunteer lottery system had gone live.  He and I later spoke by phone and he had lots of questions about working at the U.S. Open, and how it might differ from the Dell Championship.  He agreed that he would like to have that experience and we both filled out our applications, designating the 19th Hole Marshals committee as our preferred assignment choice.  We also requested to be designated as roving marshals, if at all possible.  Now begins the long wait to see if our names get selected from the thousands of other volunteer applicants for the very limited number of available marshal assignments.

Two days later, I received an email from David Fierman, sent out to all the Dell Championship mobile marshals, seeking volunteers to work as mobile marshals at The Travelers Championship in June.   I again contacted Brian to see if he was interested working a TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.  I also contacted Tony Landry to gauge his interest, as we had discussed it at the Dell last summer.  Tony declined, saying he'd have difficulty getting the time off from work.  Brian agreed to sign-up if he could just work the Saturday and Sunday of the tournament.  We both completed the online volunteer applications and I let David know of our plans.          

January 9, 2019

Seems crazy to have to think this far ahead but the 2020 Ryder Cup website just began accepting applications for volunteers.  A lottery system is in place due to the overwhelming number of interested applicants for all assignments, not just marshals.  Applicants will be notified by April if they have been selected.  Just the first step in a very long process, but you never know, luck of the draw. The same thing will be happening for the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot. I'll be staying on top of the USGA website for that one.