The FM Championship 

Sunday August 31, 2025 

After what I’d been through for the previous two days of this tournament, I was glad that the final day was a return back to normal, meaning a reasonable 12:10pm midday teetime. Our player group consisted of Aditi Ashock, India and Minjee Lee, Australia. We were back to twosomes which meant for a much more reasonable 4 1/2 hour round.

I had another great talk with Mike over lunch waiting for our respective rounds to begin. He gave me a lot more details about walking scoring for the PGA and how it differed in complexity to the LPGA system. He said there’s less margin for error and it’s a more complex, exacting system, which is tied into video recording as well. I had been thinking about pursuing walking scoring at the PGA level, specifically at Travelers, but I might have some second thoughts about that. This past weekend may have been the peak of my comfort level; laser focused for five hours to record every shot accurately and I sort of can’t imagine taking it to an even higher level.

Our standardbearer for today, Jill, was terrific, a super LPGA fan, who seemed to know all of the players and filled me in with lots of tidbits. My contribution generally amounted to telling her little stories about incidents that happened at certain holes around TPC Boston back when the PGA played the FedEx cup here. It was a lively discussion and the day went by fast.

Both Minjee & Aditi started this round at -8 and played really well although didn’t gain enough ground to catch the leader Miranda Wang who ultimately won at -20. Still, it was great to watch the precision ball striking and accuracy of women’s golf at the professional level up close from the fairway. 

13,127 steps 

4.5 miles

 FM Championship 

Saturday August 30, 2025

As it turns out, this was the situation I had been hoping to avoid by becoming a walking scorer rather than a mobile Marshal at the FM. By that I mean, the predictability of knowing exactly when your teetime is was such a tremendous benefit to the walking scoring assignment. Today, however, it was like being back in MM scheduling having to awaken at 4:45 am and make the drive up to TPC Boston in order to arrive by 6:20 am. I quickly grabbed my scoring equipment consisting of the radio and handheld device (iPhone) and headed out to the 11th green where we left off last night. It was rather pleasant actually, no one else was around, all I heard was crickets. The three players, Porvasnik, Kang, and Phatlum arrived with their caddies, ready for the 7 am restart. Immediately, Jessica Porvasnik asked me to summon a rules official with my radio as she was concerned that her ball mark from the previous night had been moved. As it turns out all three balls had been moved apparently so that the greens could be rolled for resumption of play. A rules official determined the players could estimate their previously marked positions and play resumed. It was a rather peaceful and pleasant golf experience, although a little chilly at 55°.  Early morning mist was rising off the ponds and we could hear roosters crowing nearby. Managing the scoring system was becoming second nature, although constant attention was needed to log every single shot accurately. I got to chatting with Phatlum’s caddy who told me that her nickname is “Whin”, pronounced just like my name “Wyn”!  I asked if she would object to me mentioning we have the same name and he said go for it, she would love it, and she did! She and I later chatted about her terrific par save on 9, the last hole, which enabled her to make the cut at -3. She was ecstatic. Such a sweetheart.   

A disheartening moment occurred after Kang sent her shot wide left of the green at the par three 8th hole. She was dragging her 7 iron along the wooden walkway from the tee to green as she was +7 for the tournament. I thought any minute she was going to wing it into the pond off to the left but she held it together nicely. Not so sure I would have seen the same degree of composure a few years back at the FedEx Cup event, (I’m looking at you, Mr. Poulter).  I received a signed golf ball from Whin at the end of it all. Handshakes and thank you’s from Kang and Porvasnik.

Took my lunch to the car, very nice chicken sandwich and fruit cup all the while wondering if I would get an assignment for the afternoon as there was a surplus of walking scorers apparently. Brian did set me up with a good group although not marquee, with the exception of Megha  Ganne, recent winner of the Women’s US amateur Championship.

Also playing in this afternoon group teeing off at 1:42pm was Jin Young Ko, Korea & Yahui Zhang, China. For this third round, I was joined by a standardbearer, Scott, a terrific guy, chemist from Stowe, Mass. He didn’t need my help in posting the scores accurately and it was a good check and balance situation.

A little bit worried that an entire second round would be exhausting, but I was able to make it through successfully, ultimately 35 holes for the day. At the conclusion, had a great interaction with Ko’s caddy, a burly Australian dude who came up behind me, slapped me on the shoulder, and said some encouraging words, acknowledging my very lengthy day helping out with walking scoring, ending with him saying to those gathered round, “He’s a legend”!

Nearly 12 hours on the course

24,625 steps

8.3 miles

FM Championship 

Friday August 29, 2025

The prediction of rain for the entire day was an understatement. Ultimately, there were three thunderstorm delays, the first just ending when I arrived at TPC at 11:30am for my 1:10pm assignment. My players group included Jessica Porvasnik, OH; Haeji Kang, Korea; & Pornanong Phatlum, Thailand. 

I was then informed that our starting time had been moved back to 3:15! Two more rain delays would ultimately result in my assigned group not teeing off until 7 pm!

It was an unprecedented circumstance as everyone I spoke with had never experienced anything like it in all their years of involvement with the LPGA and PGA. The volunteer headquarters was jammed with us all seeking shelter. I met up with Mike from Travellers from two years ago and had a great lengthy chat about what he has been up to down in Florida, working at multiple tournaments as a walking scorer.  We both got to talking as a threesome with Brian Turbitt, Chairman of the walking scorer committee who has a very interesting background living on Nantucket as the town Finance Director. He has been involved with walking scoring going back at least 15 years to the FedEx cup era at TPC Boston.

As the hours dragged on during the delay, I went back to my car for a respite from the HQ bedlam. The restart for 5 pm was pushed back by the LPGA to 5:30, then to 6 pm.

Eventually play restarted at 6pm, with my group not scheduled to tee off until 7 pm.  When we all gathered at the 10th tee the players were surprisingly upbeat, I guess having been used to these kind of delays from past experience. The volunteers, on the other hand including the starter and myself couldn’t believe we were about to start a round of golf when it was nearly dark. We completed the 10th hole and teed off on 11 when the horn blue at 7:15pm halting play on account of darkness. Players marked their positions on the green and we walked back to the clubhouse cutting through the driving range area. During our long walk back, I had a great chat with Pornapong Phatlum and her caddy, both extremely pleasant people and very curious about my circumstances, background, history with walking scoring, etc. They both thanked me profusely for sticking it out to that late hour under trying conditions. I said goodbye to them at the parking lot where they all got into their courtesy BMW’s while I continued on to make my way home. I was fortunate that there was virtually no traffic driving back to the Cape on the Friday night of Labor Day weekend. Thank goodness since it poured rain for nearly the entire way.