Golf Monthly US Open Blog: Back home

published 11 June 2007

GM Towers, 6.30pm, Wednesday June 20

First of all, apologies for the delay in posting this final entry (tears and sadness all round I know ? to console yourself I advise spending some time reading the rest of the GM site, it?s a proverbial gold mine of golfing excellence and deserves your attention).

Anyway, enough of this prevaricating, I know all of you sadistic people want to hear of my pain at Oakmont on Monday. Well, I?m a big fan of the old adage that you give people what they want, so let me tell you about the 1st. After a bit of a chaotic morning trying to find clubs (the rental shop ran out) there was no time to warm-up and I stood on the tee in a pair of tennis shoes (no hire shoes) with a 1985 TaylorMade driver in my hand ? but I was confident. Not quite so confident a few moments later, as my ball headed sharply to the left-sided rough. I eventually located the very top of the ball, nestled sweetly in the long grass. One hack later and I was in the sand, one shank later and I was in the trees to the right. Army golf is what my mate calls it (left-right-left? you get the picture).

Things got better though (D:ream?s anthem was my motivation tool after that start) and I began playing quite steady bogey golf, which was my intention from the beginning. I did go in the Church Pews after a huge drive on the 4th but I was still on the green for three (three-putted obviously). At the monster par-3 8th (playing 301 yards for us) I was quite happy to fire my ball pin-high and in the left-side bunker, not quite so happy with taking two to get out.

It was my performance at the 600-yard par-5 12th that summed up what the course is all about for me. I hit a good drive that ended up 10-yards off the fairway, I was forced to hack out with a SW for my second, hit a great 3-wood to 40-yards off the green in the light rough with my third and then hit what looked like a perfect chip all the way until it rolled, rolled, rolled gently off the back of the green. A courageous two-putt gave me a bogey.

It was the rough that really shocked me ? anything off the fairway cost you a shot and that?s not something any of us are used to. The greens were simply magnificent, incredibly fast and difficult but a complete pleasure to play on. The entire course was, clearly, in immaculate condition and to be able to play a day after the US Open, from the same Sunday tees to the same Sunday pin positions was just a huge privilege.

Anyway, of course far more importantly (to you lot at least) Angel Cabrera is US Open champion and I for one am seriously delighted. He hit the ball 397 yards on the 12th ? anyone who can do that deserves a Major championship in my book. He also steadfastly refused to dispense with a translator much to the US media?s chagrin ? especially since he didn?t need the translator to translate the press? questions!

For me, it has been absolutely fantastic and I have loved every moment. Best of all I managed to repeat my first round feat and get under the ropes for the final moments. Having been ushered along from standing behind the stands at 18, with no view what so ever, by the Terminator-state-troopers (what a bunch of?) I felt rather pleased with myself when I smiled at a young lady holding a rope at the side of the green and ducked under it announcing that I was with the media. The next thing I knew I was just yards from the edge of the green, standing with a posse of members, all in green jackets. Shades on, arms crossed, I tried and succeeded in looking as inconspicuous as possible. Best of all of course, Tiger missed the putt and the game is on tomorrow ? I am taking on fierce rival Jock Howard of Golf World fame and the stakes are enormous.

Wow, it?s getting a little tense here as I?m sure you all know. The entire media centre is silent everytime Woods or Cabrera hits a shot and now Furyk is making a major charge ? three birdies in three after two bogeys in two?yikes! There?s lots of debate here about who the money is on ? I am fearing for Cabrera, he has collapsed before ? just last month at the BMW Championship a double-bogey at 15 took him out of it. Woods is looking pretty immense ? although he has clearly been spending too much time in the gym, where did those biceps come from?!

With this in mind, I went to chat to a few souls waiting patiently on the back nine, as our leaders took on the front nine. In the stand behind the 15th green (with a view of the tee-shot on 16) I found Don and his three mates. ?We have been here for three-and-a-hours already, we got here about 10 minutes before Kevin [Sutherland, the first starter who teed off at 9.50am] and we?ll be here till the end,? said Don. The question of refreshment is key; ?We do two waters for one beer.?

For a few the whole thing becomes a bit much (quite understandably ? if I didn?t have the ice-cold media centre to come home to I would be in serious trouble) and lying in the shade of a TV tower by the 16th tee, unable to see anything I found Kelley and Heather. ?We?re just having a bit of time out and taking it easy,? said Kelley. ?We were in a great place at the 6th but left to get some food and someone took our places,? she explained. For these two the Open means more than just golf though; ?Oakmont has been phenomenal all week and the bars and clubs are buzzing,? said Kelley.

Anyway back to the golf, this is my first last day of a Major, if that makes any sense, and I have to say it?s truly fantastic to be here. I have just been out for a wander around with the idle thought that I could go and follow a few of the early starters, those well out of it, like for instance Lee Westwood (+16 at the start of play). A serious under-estimation of what happens on the fourth day of a Major.

The crowds are just immense and they must have been here since dawn ? getting anywhere, even as a privileged member of the media, takes an ice age. My favourite moment was passing the 18th green just a few minutes ago: not only were both grandstands full to bursting but all the standing areas around the green have been taken. And this is two hours before Tiger even tees off, so a good seven hours before they get to see their hero. In fact, Kevin Sutherland, first out this morning and playing on his own, hadn?t even come through yet. Now that is dedication.

I pulled back my curtains this morning to a very different scene ? the 18-wheeler camped outside my window since Wednesday had disappeared, perhaps the trucker finally remembered where he was supposed to be going, but even more interestingly the sky was grey, overcast and bristling with rain. What does this mean for the outcome of the US Open? I?m not sure to be honest but it should signal slightly softer, more receptive greens and maybe even the odd birdie. Now that would make a change and it would really get the crowds going, yesterday the masses were so desperate to cheer for something that they resorted to going wild anytime someone made a par, which still wasn?t too often.

Tiger hit 17 greens in regulation yesterday? can you see past that? I?m not sure, if his putter starts working (35 putts yesterday compared to 28 by Baddeley) then boom. Should we have seen it coming? Maybe you all did ? but on the hardest (yes I know everyone is bored of hearing how difficult it is) course you would expect the best to win. And that would make the USGA very happy ? sadistic bunch of ?.

I don?t know about you but when Peter Alliss starts to bumble on (does he ever do anything else?) and on about how the TV screens can?t express how difficult this or that particular course is, I slightly switch off and think, ?whatever?, in true modern British style. So I can totally empathise that a lot of you (I like to think that there are a lot of you!) will skip this next entry and that perhaps it is a waste of my time and resources but to quote the Lord Flasheart, I?m going to do it anyway.

I have spent two and a half days now watching every single mistake, no mater how small, be punished by at least a shot and I think that is the biggest single difference between this course and any other I have seen. Take this for example, GM columnist Graeme McDowell came to the 9th a highly impressive +7, and hit his drive four paces off the fairway, into the bunker. Now these bunkers, unlike most on the PGA circuit, cost you a shot, so he splashed out 20 yards or so, got a bad bounce and found himself quite literally three inches off the fairway. But the first cut of rough is so spongy and sticky that there was no way he could hit the shot he wanted. So one shot, a few yards off line, cost McDowell a double-bogey and that?s before he even reached the green.

To play a Major course, when set-up in tournament conditions, has always been a dream of mine but these greens make me re-consider whether it might not ruin my game forever if I do get picked to play on Monday. This morning I watched Pablo Martin touch a putt from off the green on the 1st and I immediately thought, half-way for girls - it finished five-foot by. On the second the young Spaniard had a three-footer for par, which he tried to stroke crisply into the back of the hole ? it ended up over 30-feet away. Wow.

With a long wait for the leading players to tee off, I finally decided to honour my promise and head for the range, to see how the pros prepare and who is doing what. But one thing I didn?t expect to see was Padraig Harrington. There was the Irishman, next to his fellow competitors, endlessly smacking balls, nothing wrong with that you might imagine? except of course he finished at +13 yesterday and is out of the tournament. OK, so he must be taking the chance to get some (much needed, you might say) practice in but you would have thought he would go somewhere else. Surely being around a Major that you are not in ? especially one where you came with such high hopes ? would be a bit too painful?

One thing that wasn?t a huge shock was that Vijay Singh (+8) was firmly engrossed in practice, his pale blue shirt turned navy by the morning?s work. Famous as a range hound, he was still there just 10 minutes before his tee-off time, which seemed a little extreme. Lee Westwood (+7) was taking a very different approach, hitting a shot in between jokes with his caddie and an unknown (to me) hanger-on ? probably one of the world?s leading coaches but hey.

It caught my eye that the vast majority of those on the range looked like they were very deliberately practising some aspect of the swing, be it the take-away, swing plane, follow-through etc, as opposed to just warming up. Perhaps this is just a way of calming nerves or keeping mind?s focused. Also around 90% were hitting irons, which maybe indicates the way people?s course strategy is set-up for the weekend.

So far the scoring is pretty similar today to the first two days, although there is the odd indication that conditions are verging on the extreme. Is it fun for Major winners Michael Campbell and Zach Johnson to be at +13 and +14 respectively? How do they keep themselves going when they are so far off the pace and finding the going so tough? It?s a true indication of the professionalism of these guys that they keep bothering because I imagine most of them can?t wait to see the back of this place.

My favourite moment so far came last night, as in a major change of routine I headed for Primanti Bros ? the best restaurant in the immediate area (I quote Pearl behind the desk at said Comfort Inn). To be fair to Pearl it certainly had more atmosphere than the joints I had been frequenting in my parking lot. So seated at the bar and in conversation with Joe ? an ex-air force man and major soccer fan ? I dipped into the menu and was delighted to find a salad staring up at me. My entire body went into spasms of craving as the prospect of lettuce and tomato flashed in front of my eyes.

Everywhere on the course people are eating, it?s hardly surprising given the fact that you can?t go more than 20 yards without seeing a concession stand offering, dogs, nachos, burgers, pizza slices?you get the picture. For the average visitor (especially a young Viking male) it?s clearly brilliant, like being let loose in a fast-food heaven. But after four days I am beginning to suffer and I have nothing but admiration for the natives. Of course I have seen a fair few ?fatties? (and I do mean fatties) but nothing in comparison to what you would expect with the national diet as it is.

?Awesome? ? you're lucky if you go 10 seconds without hearing this.

So brutal (the watchword for the Open by the way ? players and press have to use it the whole time or they will be killed) has Day Two been that a USGA official has just informed us that they are ?watering the greens tonight and considering watering them in the morning?. I suspect that those players still here will be gathered in a passionate rain-dance this evening because everyone knows that the USGA are, not very secretly, seriously enjoying this carnage. It?s Gotham time for me, so Adios all and bring on the weekend.

Tiger on the tee with a driver in hand causes mayhem and the kid behind me, who has been talking about Tiger non-stop for 35 minutes (I?d give him to the dogs if I was his father), goes into whine-overdrive. His Dad also gives into to the peer pressure and starts the inevitable hollering. The crowds are now 10 deep on each side of the fairway and not a vantage point is wasted. One thing I do have to say is that when he actually plays there is complete silence (bar the devil-kid of course).

I know that I said I was off to the range but I?m afraid that I never made it. I got hijacked by the ?Paul Casey show?, which was just starting the down the 1st as I passed (his 10th hole). I?m not naturally a Casey fan ? I think he hasn?t quite backed up all his talk with results in the big tournaments ? so I thought this was my chance to be persuaded one way or the other. I picked him up by the second green, where I once again got ushered under the ropes (!) and stayed with him through to the 8th, when I lost my nerve and melted into the crowd again.

Now this guy is a complete showman. He clearly loves the theatre and thrives on being the centre of attention. It is becoming something of a regular event at Major Championships: a bad first round followed by a blaze of birdies in the second (something he acknowledged in the press tent). If I didn?t know better, I would almost say that he does this on purpose because he knows more people will watch him if he is coming charging through the field!

The 5th is definitely the sort of hole that would stop me sleeping for a week, with a blind drive uphill and an approach over a stream you can?t see due to the foot-high grass, to a green that is so small you couldn?t fry an egg on it. Casey hit it to four-feet. Incredible. He finished with a flourish too, saving par magnificently at the short 6th and then making a great birdie at 7 for a stunning 4-under-par 66.

Of course he then gets his wish; his name is up in lights all over this tournament and his story is the headline news. His press conference was more akin to a circus performance as he bathed in the spotlight. However, I?m wouldn?t put a dime (getting into this) on him still being in it come Sunday ? look what happened at the Masters. But of course, this really means you should all put your mortgages on him to win, after all Steve Marino is coming 143rd, just ahead of Henrik Stenson.

I feel a little bit like Batman at the moment. Quite a strange sentence I know but go with it. Like Bruce Wayne, the eccentric millionaire, the difference between my ?evening-life? and the daytime existence is becoming pretty extreme. At the one end, I am ensconced at beautifully manicured, highly exclusive golf course, that is hosting one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world and at the other, I am living out one of those bad Hollywood road movies.

Last night I left the course about 9.00pm, after a quick beer with some fellow hacks and found my way back to the urban sprawl that I lovingly call home and once in Gotham it?s impossible to escape if you don?t have wheels. Take-away pizza, a couple of Buds and endless channel-hopping followed. I woke up this morning to a room littered with McDonalds wrappers, pizza boxes and a few beer cans ? and of course the first thing I did was switch on the magic box ? I?m learning fast. A toothless, mono-syllabic handyman then drove me to the course for the third straight morning. We are slowly becoming buddies.

Anyway, it?s great to be back here and everything is set for a spectacular day. The black spot on the horizon is that I look increasingly unlikely to become rich. My four top tips, cunningly divided into four categories, are not progressing quite as might be hoped. Out of the fancied pack I went for Adam Scott (currently +10), my American choice was Scott Verplank (currently +3), my European hope was Henrik Stenson (currently +10) and my outsider was Rodney Pampling (currently at +10). So one should make the cut at least ? perhaps now my friends will learn to stop asking me for ?insider? tips.

Luke Donald (+4): must be disappointed, at least his fiancée is here to cheer him (and us) up

Jim Furyk?s "cardigan-style" beige T-shirt

So there it is, Day One is over and I?m so knackered that even my parking lot is alluring, if of course I can get there. With no car still and the hotel unable to pick me up, it?s a case of getting on the shuttle to the car park and hoping to persuade someone to go out of their way to drop me off ? because strangely none of the other journalists are in my hotel?! Last night local cameraman Kevin obliged, so fingers crossed for tonight. Oh and by the way, Steve Marino finished at +9 ? I?ll kill his caddie if I see him again on the shuttle!

The 13th is not Oakmont?s most well known hole, standing quite literally in the shadow of the ludicrous 667-yard 12th (think that is driver, driver, 3-wood). However, it?s a gem of a par 3, offering birdies and bogeys, with a wickedly slopping green and it was my home for two hours this afternoon ? come to think of it, I might be more comfortable there than at the well-named Comfort Inn (very ironic these Americans, don?t you know).

My first customers were the pretty impressive trio of Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Adam Scott ? the man I have got my money on. They taught me a good lesson; don?t even try and follow Big Phil or Tiger, I was swamped by the crowds and could see nothing. But even had I got near, the "hollering" would have ruined the experience. Columbus must be very proud of his work at moments like these.

My view of those souls that pick a spot and don?t move all day started to turn from admiration to irritation. However, as usual people know a lot more than I do. Faced with six players who I couldn?t possibly pick out in a police line-up ? I was rewarded with two agonisingly close-to-hole-in-ones, a further birdie and two bogeys. Who?s interested in picking a new cast for Grease when you have entertainment like that.

I also had the privilege of speaking to one of those "near hole-in-oner?s" proud parents. Mr McNeil said (of son George): ?It?s his third time at the Open and we were hoping for a lucky charm and he?s going along nicely. The only thing is I wish he would use his driver more but of course I am not telling him that!? Nice to see that he is no Senor Capriati!

Woh, still getting shivers down my spine. Just spent an hour and a half torn between quiet ecstasy and absolutely bricking myself that I was about to be hauled off the course and given a major dressing down by the Oakmont equivalent of Hootie Johnson. Let me explain. I had just set off for my first proper walk around and, with advice from the grizzled veteran of 38 Majors, who sits next to me, ringing in my ears, I thought I would follow the first group I came across for a few holes ? just to get into it, if you like.

The three just happened to be Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Zach Johnson. Not a bad trio and even better because Woods was playing so the crowds were relatively sparse. However, the whole scene changed when suddenly I was ushered onto the player?s bridge on the walkway to the 2nd tee. That?s nice I thought, a bit of a shortcut. The next thing I know I am being ushered underneath the ropes at the 2nd tee and am walking just three paces behind this triumvirate.

No one asked me a thing as I walked from fairway to green to tee and it was immense! The Church Pews up close on the 3rd frightened the pants off me (luckily not literally, that might have been embarrassing inside the ropes). They are truly huge, a lake of sand with wispy marron-style grass on the top of each pew. My three pals (well, I was very close to them) all avoided it but Chris Di Marco, coming down 4, was in them and just hacked out. However, he didn?t seem too upset as he and Els shared a joke.

In terms of the three, Johnson was totally indebted to his short game ? he played his second shot first on every hole I saw but he putted and chipped like the Masters champion he is. Els seemed to be hitting it sweetly but I was most impressed with Harrington. He was hitting it out the screws every time and played one outrageous chip-putt with the rim of his lob wedge. If I had money on him I would be quietly optimistic? but I don?t, damn.

The fairways and greens are definitely a lot softer than they were and I reckon the scoring is going to be a little better than people think, although as I write that there are only two players under-par! I finally left the party when a rather large security guard came towards me ? he actually was just warning me not to step on the TV wires but I thought that was a sign that I shouldn?t push my luck!

Get in the hole! (sorry but when in Rome?). And so it begins (apologies now it sounds all Lord of the Ringsish, think I should have avoided the All American jumbo breakfast). In fact my diet so far is enough to make Jamie Oliver squirm in his mock Tudor mansion: two burgers (a quarter-pounder is still the best I?ve done), a hot-dog, fajitas and pancakes with double-bacon. Wonder if the media center has any fruit?

As I glance up at the interactive leaderboard it?s all looking pretty bright at the moment ? our very own Nick Dougherty shares the lead of the US Open! A few other early highlights: a Woods bogey on one ? just missed seeing that live after my lift and I got lost on the way to the shuttle bus ? and Wales? Sam Walker starting, in the very first group, with two birdies and a par on three to lead the Open for a short while. They?ll be singing in the hills.

Have got a new top tip ? sat next to Steve Marino?s caddie on the way up this morning and he told me that not only does he think the course won?t play nearly as difficult as people have been saying but that his man has made nine birdies in 27 practice holes and is worth a flutter. Not sure if I trust him wholly as he was wearing some very suspicious shades but I shall certainly follow him down the first couple of holes.

Had an interesting night when I got back to my parking lot heaven at about 9.00pm yesterday. The first thing I noticed was that an 18-wheeler was parked directly outside my window (that doesn?t open anyway) and the second thing was that my nice neighbours were big TV fans?in fact they don?t ever seem to turn the magic box off. There was just one B-movie horror moment during the night when I woke up to hear a very loud argument in Spanish right outside my window ? I said a few prayers, checked the door (again) and turned over. It does make a nice contrast to the exclusive feel of Oakmont!

This isn?t supposed to be happening at all, forget checking out the players fine-tuning on the range and finishing up their practice rounds, the entirety of the international media are huddled in our over-sized tent as a storm of biblical proportions batters the place to within a few gusts of its life. Water is pouring in the doors, thunder is cracking overhead (in fact the fellow UK journalist on my left and I just looked rather silly after jumping out of our seats in fright) and my choice of shorts and a t-shirt is looking extremely foolish.

One thing I love looking at on a Major practice day is the pairings ? still not quite sure how many players pick their partners and how many sign up to the lottery but it?s all fascinating. For instance did Monty chose to play with Wagner, Stroud and List ? exactly, who? What about Donald, Garcia and Casey ? were they a bit put out when Pettitt Jnr signed up or did one of them suggest helping out a youngster? Even better, does the bearded Matthew Goggin have personal hygiene problems or did he just choose to go out last, on his own?

I am very pleased to have located a few friendly faces in the last couple of hours after a day or so of chit-chat with the Yanks. It?s also a good tonic before I return to my charming roadside Comfort Inn. It has the distinct advantage of being just three miles from the course and the distinct disadvantage of being miles from the rest of the media and in the middle of an urban shopping centre and trucker hangout. Doors will certainly be double locked and I can forsee a fair few dinners-a-un ? especially since I don?t have a car at the moment. With that in mind I am certainly going to take up the opportunity of heading to American Golf World?s drinks party, where Arnie is making a toast ? a few doubles on the rocks should make the three-mile hike home a little more entertaining. Can?t wait for tomorrow ? my outside tip is Rodney Pampling, saw him hit a monster drive at 9, straight as an arrow, come on Rod!

I?ve made it. Planes, Trains and Automobiles pretty much covers the journey but all that can be forgotten now ? my first US Open experience has started for real. I am sitting somewhere near the back of a vast media centre and I, unlike the rest of the very relaxed veterans, am seriously over-excited. A large and rather stupid grin gives the game away and I think Pierre (Swiss press) who has the misfortune of being placed next to me is wondering who this ludicrous rookie is. Everything, from picking up my media passs to collecting my free gift (a rather snazzy Ashworth polo shirt!) puts a huge grin on my face.

Compared to US Airways (sorry ? I will try not to keep harking back to my travelling travails) the staff here at Oakmont deserve a Nobel prize. I have been here just under an hour and yet I?ve visited the help desk a world record 11 times - the staff must be beginning to weary of this strange techno-fobe Englishman, who even needed help plugging in his laptop (well, there are lots of wires around and the blonde hair does have some drawbacks) yet each time they give me a great big smile and tender to all of my needs.

Having learnt from the GM team?s experience at the Masters, the very first place I headed once settled was the dining room ? wow! After nothing but airplane food for 28 hours, a hotdog, a fajitas and burger number one went down very well indeed ? nicely finished off by a jumbo ice cream of course. In true American style veggies seem banned and that suits me down to the ground ? might need to go swap that Oakmont polo shirt for an XXXL come to think of it.

I knew it was too good to be true... first ever upgrade, sitting next to a very nice man reading Golf Monthly (he actually happened to be a friend of equipment editor Jeremy Ellwood and even better he had beaten him into second place in the medal last week and took great joy in describing Jezz's pain!), great airplane food and a couple of top action movies. At this stage I was sure that not only was Luke Donald going to claim a monumental victory come Sunday but I would get a Pulitzer for this blog and probably meet Pamela Anderson on the way back home.

Expectations have changed a little - I now know for certain that yet another God-fearing American will cruelly deprive our boys and I will be shipped off to Anglers Mail magazine on my return to report on perch growth in Norfolk for the rest of eternity (where Pamela will be but a faint dream) - it's not been a good few hours.

US Airways will not be receiving a Christmas card. Flight 189 from Newark to Pittsburgh cancelled without a word, no hotels/vouchers/compensation offered by the 'so-called friendly staff' that made Gordon Brown look cheerful (apparently they can't control the weather...), no flights available from Newark to Pittsburgh for another 23 hours. So a 45-minute ride to La Guardia - no flights to Pittsburgh for 14 hours (an improvement, you'll agree) but best of all no hotel space in the vicinity. After an hour or so of frantic searching with my two new best friends (Pittsburgh residents) they were ready to sleep on the departure benches. I had one more effort in me.

As such I am now sitting on a rather sticky sofa in the Crown Motor Inn in Queens, New York, waiting for my room to be cleaned. The very friendly counter guy Nik assures me it is all safe but since I have just noticed that rooms are rented out by the hour as well as by the night, I am not so sure. Best of all since I managed to find the only hotel with any beds in (I wonder why) I arrived here with a gaggle of highly respectable Americans and English in tow. The taxi did get quieter and quieter the further down the Boulevard we went. I fear they blame me.

Quite simply, I can?t wait to set foot on Oakmont CC and breathe in the US Open. A few little hurdles before then though. Finishing up my commitments here at GM Towers is proving tricky, with the US Open site flickering attractively in the corner of the screen and an increasing propensity to daydream my way onto the 18th green as Luke Donald sinks an eight-footer for the title and the British contingent of Pennsylvania goes wild?

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