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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 1:11:56 GMT
I like to start off by saying I made a CRUCIAL mistake to not watch Inbee play...but In Gee was on the opposite side at the same time and I had never seen Dumbo play.
I had so much fun in the two days....The Rocket and In Gee made it great.
TV does not capture the magnificence of Sahalee...it's majestic....the back 9 is very hilly and difficult....TV makes this course look flat.
KPMG and the PGA of America have poured in money and resources to make this a REAL fake major.
The infrastructure is huge for a LPGA event...you see it immediately when you enter through the gates......I think this had more infrastructure than the 2010 USSO.
The shuttles were coaches and not school buses...the had some Seahawk buses.
Once you enter...one can immediately see the GORGEOUS conditions of the course....it's worth it just to pay the admission fee just to see this course...believe me.
The background in the GC production booth trailer is fake and the video background is feed in.
The attendance is pretty good...it would have been better if it was in the summer with school kids out of school.
I believe the attendance is helped by the 2015 USO held at Chambers....I spoke with many and many attended Chambers and you see many 2015 USO clothing on spectators...I think 70% of attendees went to Chambers.
The course is set up long and tough....some uphill par 4's are so difficult and long...and let's not forget...the ball doesn't go far in the PNW...never mind the cool temps and rain...what a change from the 85*F and sunny conditions Sun-Tues.
WTF....$15 hamburger...it is $20 Cdn or a $9 Heineken ($12 Cdn)....sorry I wasn't that hungry or thirsty....lol.
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 1:32:00 GMT
As we all know....the gals look better in real life...Paige M was looking sharp out of her golf attire and I saw her twice to say hi.
I saw Lisa Cornwell many times....a nice lady...her Arkansas accent doesn't come through on TV.
She and Stupples seem like gal pals...often carting around together.
I was standing next to some GC personnel...they said a pro was being her usual self and they were frustrated with the pro....they were only doing their media job...I couldn't figure out who they were speaking of....I'm kinda surprised they were talking about this considering they were standing right beside me at the range.
Randell Mell and another GC gigi were interviewing Ha Na for quite some time...I had to stay back...they were well inside the ropes...kinda seems like Ha Na had vertigo and other issues..she said she was seeing several balls during her absence.
I asked some questions....supposedly the Undercover tour pros is many players and not one person....Jodi has never played with Kerr.
Julian Trudeau of Big Break and husband of Mallory Blackwelder and caddie for the now absent Graham Delaet...is looping for Clayton....I also spoke with an ex Cdn tour pro charting the course and looping for Marina Alex.
A lot of caddies were charting if they had the time...I saw Rock wandering around.
WTF....there were 4 groups on the par 3 5th....this is a pretty straight forward hole......there was a ruling that took a lot of time.
Another WTF...both the Am & PM took 5.5 hrs to play..that is stupid...so many slow players....Laura Davies and Charley Hull should give fast play lessons.
Phil...I spoke with Puggy for quite some time...his 1st time out with MHL....a really nice man...seems like an old school teacher...wish I had 1/2 with him to fix some ball striking and putting issues.
A local young Asian teacher was helping MHL on the green and I believe soliciting for jobs/players.
Spoke with HOF Betsy King for 20 minutes.....she was shocked anyone would recognized her...I saw her last year at the CWO too but only said hi.
If you keep your eyes open...there's so much info you can pick up on that you'll never know from TV coverage.
I now realize why I don't see enough play that I should...I must chat with 40+ people per day ranging from volunteers, spectators, coaches, OEM reps, parents, media personnel, etc, etc....ya just can't do this at a football, hockey, baseball, basketball game...it's so much fun attending events...especially the LPGA where things are more relaxed.
There are a ton of volunteers here....their uniform package looks amazing.
I was up at 5am to be on the road by 545am to avoid the wacky Seattle traffic...it was still slow in some spots on the 405 and I was in the parking lot at 630am and didn't return until 9pm.
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 2:38:59 GMT
Mr. Ko is a really nice guy...but his English is poor.
Spoke with Tina for a while....her English is good.
Sura was trying to be the invisible women....but few would know she's Lydia's sister.
Oh ya....I met and chatted with the Flying Dumbo's who flew in from Korea and San Diego...they made my day....some really great guys.
They were surprised I knew Sharon, SKY, Smile Candy, etc....they said Sharon was a man made fake.....lol.
They even let me take a picture with their Dumbo flag.
They really appreciated and let me know how they enjoyed our engagement.
When I told them there were 5,000 Flying Dumbo they corrected me...there are 7,000 Flying Dumbo's....they better build more grandstands for the Hana.
All the local Korean fans made the Flying Dumbo's feel at home......I also chatted many times with the local Seattle HYP fanboy I saw last year at the CWO.
In Gee really enjoyed the 30 Koreans following the group...they were also supportive of Ha Na too.
There was little conversation in the group...the mild convo between Dumbo and The Hulk seemed fake and contrived.
I saw both fathers....neither acknowledged one another.
Ha Na's dad was approachable...In Gee's dad not.
Here's a 1st for the Smiling Buddha.....Dumbo initiated a high five with the Smiling Buddha after her birdie on the 7th....she also high five'd a Flying Dumbo with an earlier birdie.
Lexi is so nice...she stopped for a long time on Wed between the 8th and 9th to sign and take pictures of all requests.
I really enjoyed watching HYP here and there to see her playing well....I normally don't watch a specific pro for more than 1-3 holes at a time.
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Post by philknj on Jun 11, 2016 3:37:08 GMT
Phil...I spoke with Puggy for quite some time... his 1st time out with MHL....a really nice man...seems like an old school teacher...wish I had 1/2 with him to fix some ball striking and putting issues. A local young Asian teacher was helping MHL on the green and I believe soliciting for jobs/players. Spoke with HOF Betsy King for 20 minutes.....she was shocked anyone would recognized her...I saw her last year at the CWO too but only said hi. Either you had a miscommunication with Puggy or he is slipping...I saw him with Mi Hyang at Westchester CC and Lancaster CC last year. He was wearing his Gamecocks golf attire. As for King, I saw her at the 2009 and 2015 USWOs, both in PA...not a big surprise as she is from Pennsylvania. I didn't know that gets around to other big tournaments, too. BTW, you said nothing about The Canadian Princess. Would her low bullet drives be effective on those bowling alley fairways? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 3:50:35 GMT
Great insight. Thank you.
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 4:07:08 GMT
Either you had a miscommunication with Puggy or he is slipping...I saw him with Mi Hyang at Westchester CC and Lancaster CC last year. He was wearing his Gamecocks golf attire. BTW, you said nothing about The Canadian Princess. Would her low bullet drives be effective on those bowling alley fairways? Ooops....I meant this year...I knew he was out previously. Yes......her low traj off the tee is OK....but if it was soaked...one needs more carry. As with all PGA & LPGA...the courses are maintained so firm on the fairways....Mel hit a 320 yd drive on the downhill 7th. As you know it's all technique....you see how such small gals can hit all their shots so high...yet we stronger weekend hacks struggle to maintain high straight shots. |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 4:19:25 GMT
As for King, I saw her at the 2009 and 2015 USWOs, both in PA...not a big surprise as she is from Pennsylvania. I didn't know that gets around to other big tournaments, too. Betsy has aged well...60 yrs old...same with Steinhauer and Rosie. I told Betsy it was a shame she was not a keynote speaker at the KPMG summit....you have someone on site who at the time was one of the best in the world at their profession and you can't give her the floor for 15 mins is a shame. She was in Seattle because KPMG is a sponsor of her charity and World Vision HQ is in Seattle. |
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Post by cannlinny on Jun 11, 2016 13:57:34 GMT
I'm really enjoying the firsthand reports. I would have loved to see Sahalee, and gave some thought to attending (friends in Seattle) but didn't fit the schedule. The bonus of meeting the Smiling Buddah didn't quite change the decision.
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Post by mnmlistgolfr on Jun 11, 2016 14:10:09 GMT
Putt, thanks for the reports.
Question: How did you "confirm" that Undercover Pro is not one player, or that Jodi Hyphen has never played a practice round with Crusty Kerr?
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Post by philknj on Jun 11, 2016 14:24:14 GMT
Annika sucks all the oxygen out of the room. Betsy King is totally overlooked. People forget that she completely overhauled her swing to become #1 in the world around 1988-90...of course, there were no Rolex Rankings at that time, but it was quite obvious that she was the best. She even had a tournament named after her in Kutztown, PA, but it went belly up so long ago that nobody remembers it. |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 16:26:21 GMT
I'm really enjoying the firsthand reports. I would have loved to see Sahalee, and gave some thought to attending (friends in Seattle) but didn't fit the schedule. The bonus of meeting the Smiling Buddah didn't quite change the decision. Who cares about the Smiling Buddha...it was getting the chance to meet and chat with the Flying Dumbo's that made my day...they are awesome. I felt as if I was at a press conference...the Flying Dumbo from San Diego was acting as an interpreter....it was hilarious...when I said I liked Sharon....the Flying Dumbo from Korean replied....'you know she's fake don't you?" I must have chatted with them for 1/2 hr at the end of the day. I was great seeing all the local Koreans chatting with them and making them feel at home....it would not surprise me if they offered to drive them back to their hotel....but I had a feeling they knew the Flying Dumbo from San Diego and he likely had a rental car...he flew in. I can almost guarantee there will be Flying Dumbo's at the USWO. Dumbo is AWESOME....but still 2nd to the LOVELY HYP. You would love Sahalee...it alone is worth the price of admission...you have likely never seen a parkland style track like Sahalee. 1/2 the reason why I love attending golf events is to check out the private clubs. I have seen every private course here in Van City by being invited to play a few but mainly by attending golf tournaments |
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 16:33:07 GMT
Putt, thanks for the reports. Question: How did you "confirm" that Undercover Pro is not one player, or that Jodi Hyphen has never played a practice round with Crusty Kerr? See my PM. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 16:36:46 GMT
Was SayYouSeRi at the tournament? If so, he didn't get his money's worth.
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Post by mr3putt on Jun 11, 2016 16:52:58 GMT
Was SayYouSeRi at the tournament? If so, he didn't get his money's worth. I only saw Se Ri at the range and I never saw a guy wearing a Se Ri fanboy hat. I would expect him to drive up to the USWO....you should carpool with him and ask if his Beamer is fake.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 17:01:16 GMT
I'm sure he'd give me a ride. In his trunk.
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