Post by philknj on Jul 28, 2017 9:51:48 GMT
After exiting the shuttle bus around 8:45 AM, I passed through the front gate and was handed the official 2017 USWO program. I wasn’t aware they were for free. I flipped through it while walking to the driving range and was stupefied by the editorial blunders in the section displaying 97 exempt players (as of June 7). Ninety-five players had small photos above their names, while two had a blank box that said PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE. I found this hard to believe, but I guess the pics were hard to find when those players’ names were spelled this way:
AL SUZUKI
MIN SUH KIM
It gets better...Su Oh’s pic is correctly in the book, even though the caption says SI-HYUN OH. The photo posted for Jeong Eun Lee 5 is actually KLPGAer Jung Min Lee, who’s not in this tournament. Lastly, Inbee Park had two pics posted. One is over her own name and the other is over the name of Seung Hyun Lee. The pic over Lee’s name is an oldie...Winbee is wearing a PANKOR cap with a blue zip-up vest. I did some digging...they probably got it from the 2011 Women’s British Open.
The program’s publisher has electronic versions of its products here:
GolfweekCustomMedia.com
Unfortunately, the Portfolio section has nothing posted from 2017 yet. Maybe they make corrections before posting them online!
The first tee time was 8:55 AM and a small number of players were on the range. Two of them were Georgia Hall and Nelly Korda. Another was Leona Magure(A), who had washed out after Friday. She was mostly unsuccessful trying to straighten out her banana ball driver.
The plan was to watch Mi Hyang Lee/Karrie Webb during the middle of day and Hye Jin Choi/Shanshan Feng at the end of the day. But, who should I watch in the early morning? An intriguing stat in the pairing sheet answered that question. It said Rumi Yoshiba was first in driving distance thru three rounds at 255.6 yards. This was no fluke, as she has been leading the JLPGA in driving distance this season (260.36 thru July 23). She was a must-see teeing off at 9:39 AM, along with LPGA hotshot rookie Nelly Korda, who I had never seen play before in person.
Rumi displayed a nice game when I followed her a little bit during Round One of the 2015 USWO in Lancaster. Her appearance was definitely improved at Bedminster...sported a mushroom haircut, a flattering Nike top and short pleated skirt, and her face cleared up.
As usual, Rumi was followed on course by a Crazy Golf rep from Japan, who must have been over the moon from her ball bashing this week.
Nelly was followed on course by her mom, a 6-foot blonde wearing shades and a big floppy hat.
At the par-5 1st hole, I leaned over the ropes and looked at the pin sheet on the starter table. Twelve to fourteen holes had the flags on an extreme corner...the rest were in the middle of the green, but on the far left or right.
Nelly teed off with a mid-trajectory mini-draw and she hit that shot over and over. She has mostly PXG gear. It was too soon to judge Rumi’s driving at #1 as she struck a bad-sounding low diving hook into a fairway bunker. She reached the green in four, but made bogey when her par putt did a full horseshoe around the cup lip. One of the people following this group for the first hole or two was the Seaview bag lady, a frequent attendee at the LPGA’s Shop-Rite/Acer event...often stationed on the right of the par-3 7th hole at the Bay course.
On the par-4 2nd hole, Nelly hit her usual drive while Rumi hit a towering draw towards the left side trees, but her ball found the fairway on the far left. Both made pars on #2. Nelly missed a short par putt on #3 while Rumi made par.
Both players botched the par-3 4th hole (178 yards). Rumi hit an iron straight left of a bunker into the rough above the green. I was directly behind Nelly’s target line as she set up for her shot. Her caddy does not line her up, but he should have here. She was not aimed at the green, but at the shaved run-off area on the right...and hit her usual tight draw directly at it. I have to call this a mental error...really surprised me. Both players made bogey.
Rumi started demonstrating her driver distance advantage over Nelly, which was about 10-15 yards...she pounded bombs at #5 and #6 and birdied both. Their swings were completely different. Rumi has a high backswing with a big “across-the-line” position at the top. I’ll let the experts debate that, but if it leads to inconsistency, I certainly saw it. Nelly is much taller, but has a flat backswing and a shallower swing plane.
I followed this pair thru the 9th green. The surrounding area was a bit more crowded now and I noticed Pei-Ying Tsai (missed cut) was following the action with her mother. Both players made par. Rumi was Even (+4 overall) and Nelly, who missed another short putt along the way, was +2 (+6 overall).
More of the same at the par-4 10th. Rumi outdrove Nelly, but her approach shot was not as good. Nelly made par. I was at the green and could see it was a downhill birdie putt for Rumi, but was shocked by the huge backswing she made on it...blasted it past the hole eight or ten feet...and missed it coming back. While walking off the green, Rumi had no more use for that ball and handed it to a small boy in the arms of his father.
After this pairing teed off at #11, I left them to intercept the MHL/Webb pairing at the par-5 8th hole. Mi Hyang’s daddy was not following along, but a couple of guys were there with KB Star umbrellas... one of the them was probably her manager. Webby had five young women following her...three wore the Aussie athletic green and gold colors, while the other two were draped in Aussie flags and headwear. Karrie was +2 thru seven (+4 overall) and MHL was +1 thru seven (+3 overall).
Webb hit accurate drives (about 12-15 yards shorter than Lee), but her approach shots were no good...never gave herself any short birdie putt attempts. After racking up two more bogeys at #13 and #14, she drove her ball into the left rough at the par-5 15th. She knocked the ball out of there with a hybrid, but barked at her ball for going too far right...still made par. While passing the 15th green area I spotted Mi Hyang’s daddy and gave him a wave (yes, I was wearing his gift cap).
MHL’s round was mostly uneventful. She stuffed her second shot to about two feet at #11 for an easy birdie to even her round, but gave it back when she started her drive too far right at #17 and it rolled into the water.
After Lee and Webb completed #18, it may have been at this time that I took notice of a small crowd within a crowd near the 15th green. I could see reporters holding up recording devices...who were they talking to? I squeezed my way closer and saw that they were four goofs from the Purple Gang.
Protesters with t-shirts that read "USGA:Dump Sexist Trump" position themselves near the presidential viewing stand, behind, where President Donald Trump is watching the U.S. Women's Open Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Meanwhile, the people in the upper balcony of the clubhouse went crazy and took smartphone pictures of The President.
HJ Choi/Feng were next on the agenda. Instead of chasing them down, I decided to station myself near the 12th green and wait for their arrival. On my way, I passed a long train of spectators following the Lydia Ko/In Gee Chun pairing, can’t remember which hole. I saw no one this week who looked like a Flying Dumbo. The last three people in the train were Ko’s parents and sister.
The 12th is probably the highest point on the course, which also has a good view of the 5th green and 6th tee box. I was tempted to leave this area when I heard a huge roar way down at the 7th green area and a red ‘10’ was posted next to Choi’s name, but I maintained my discipline and stayed put.
While at #12 an old-timer in a scooter said Karrie was running hot earlier in the day and flung a ball into the water at #6 or #7. Friday washout Caroline Masson showed up at #12 to catch some of the action.
One pairing that came up the 12th fairway was Jeong Eun Lee 6 and Cristie Kerr. I saw one spectator arrive wearing a TONY MOLY cap and another had a LUCKY 6 cap. Kerr’s drive was in a bunker on the left. She took a swing, but I didn’t see the ball land on the green or anywhere else. However, I heard the on-course TV reporter say her ball hit the lip and travelled maybe 40 yards. After both players finished #12, Lee jogged down to the 13th tee box, while Kerr walked. Kerr’s caddy stopped briefly to ask a rules official about the timing of players...I think he was told that the player’s time over a shot was being timed, which probably means they didn’t have to worry about how much space was between them and the pairing before them.
I followed Lee 6/Kerr to the downhill par-4 dogleg left 13th hole (412 yards) where Kerr hit a high draw that clipped the top of the trees on the left. Lee’s drive finished on the right side in the first cut, but it was a good lie. With the ball above her feet, Lee hit a high arching iron over the front-right greenside bunker and made par, while Kerr made her second straight bogey. I want to see more of Lucky 6 in the major leagues.
The thought of walking back up the hill to #12 didn’t appeal to me, so the right side of #13 became my new station. A woman was looking at the scores on a smartphone, so I asked her who was leading. She started reading names and numbers that made no sense...I looked over her shoulder and saw Yoshiba 68 F...she was looking at the first round scores! I said, “hit that arrow on the upper right”, which displayed the Round Two scores. “Hit the arrow again...and hit it again”, which produced the Sunday scores.
The So Yeon Ryu/Mirim Lee pairing passed through, followed by the Sung Hyun Park/Amy Yang pairing. Park hit a nice drive that turned the corner and finished on the left side of the fairway. I was in the right rough 200+ yards downrange of an elevated tee box, which had a partially obstructed view from my position. The cart path behind me was filling up with people streaming down from the last groups.
I noticed the next player getting ready to hit and said, ”Shanshan Feng is hitting now.” The lady next to me said, “Wow, you have good eyes.” I didn’t tell her why Feng is easy to spot from 200+ yards away. You couldn’t see the ball after it was driven...just wait for the ball to plop in the fairway, which Feng’s did near the center of the elbow.
Choi was next and I directed my eyes a little to the right of Feng’s ball, since she drives it longer. Suddenly Choi’s ball dropped FAR to the right, at least 40 yards ahead of Feng’s and dead-center...better than Park’s drive. This elicited a collective gasp from about a hundred people behind me, which sent shivers through my body. That never happened to me before at a golf tournament.
While waiting for the players to reach their second shot positions, I glanced over at the computer screen of the surveyor gadget. Choi’s distance was recorded at 258.6.
I don’t know what Feng had to the hole, but that 5-iron she hit looked even better in person than on TV. But, it was too hot to have any chance of finishing next to the hole. With much less club, Choi’s approach hit the far right of the green...I was expecting a better shot than that. Both made par.
The par-3 14th (191 yards) with a back left-center pin was next. Feng teed off with a hybrid and hit the center of the green, but Choi hit an iron inside Feng’s ball. Choi left her birdie putt an inch short and Feng also made par.
People were piled up on both sides of a roped path leading to the 15th tee box. I was on the players’ right side close to the teeing area. Feng passed through first with no fanfare. Choi was met with hooting and hollering...all the guys on the right side of the line stuck out a hand and she did a mini-Hale Irwin hand slap trot to the tee:
Hye-Jin Choi was a fan favorite during the U.S. Women's Open, nearly becoming the first amateur to win the championship since 1967. (USGA/Darren Carroll)
On the par-5 15th hole, Choi pushed her second shot into the right rough. I was on the left side, and with an elevated fairway and green, you couldn’t see anything. I decided to reserve a spot at the par-3 16th tee box and listen to the action at #15. I heard a nice reaction to her pitch from the rough and a roar from her birdie putt going in. After that, the marshals moved the ropes behind the 16th tee much closer to the players to accommodate the crowd.
The 16th played at 139 yards with the flag on the far right. Feng took the safe route and hit the center of the green. Choi lined up on the far right of the tee box...I was directly behind her target line and she planned to knock the flag down. But, her ball started right and it didn’t draw back one inch. I was even more stunned when it splashed down...I assumed she had the distance to make it to the right rough.
The air came out of the balloon for me and most of the other people there. I decided to re-position myself to the left side of the 18th fairway, where I could still see the 16th green. Choi hit the green from the drop zone and two-putted for a double bogey. Barring a miracle, it was over for Choi and my remaining interest in this event had shriveled up.
Ryu and Lee passed through #18, followed by Park and Yang. I missed Park’s heroic chip at the 18th green. I visited the 18th tee to watch the drives of Choi and Feng. As I walked up the fairway, I noticed Weiwei Zhang (MC) had arrived to watch Feng, I assume.
When play finished, they quickly brought out tables to the 18th green. I found a seat in the bleachers at #18, front row and center. The PA system was pretty good and I listened carefully to see if USGA Prez Diana Murphy would foul up her comments. I didn’t hear any glaring miscues, but sometimes it sounds like her teeth get stuck together.
Park received proper applause during the awards ceremony, but there is no doubt in my mind that most people there wanted a Choi victory. Park posed for photos on the green, then was taken over to the main scoreboard over the drop zone at #16 for more photos. Also, the Namdallas had draped two banners over the ropes behind the 18th green and took pictures of themselves and their hero.
On the way to the exit, they had a 50% off sign posted outside the merchandise building, so I went in. There were mostly empty spaces along the walls, along with a few sections that were quite full. Almost all the remaining stuff just said TRUMP on it in capital letters with no obvious reference to golf. It didn’t say USWO or Trump National Bedminster (like my cap), just TRUMP. That JUNK would not have moved with a 99% discount! I’ll bet the USGA had to make a deal requiring them to display and sell CRAP from the club’s pro shop.
When I got off the shuttle at the parking lot, I realized the mistake I made: leaving the course too soon. The cars were at a standstill trying to get out of there. I didn’t bother starting my car and milled around for about 40 minutes killing time. I had the same problem at the 1994 Greater Hartford Open, so I spent an hour reading the Sunday newspaper before leaving.
The lot is an isolated open field cut into the woods with one circuitous road leading out. I can’t imagine the same parking arrangement being used when the 2022 PGA Championship is in Bedminster, which will have a much bigger turnout, despite the howls of the Purple Gang.
AL SUZUKI
MIN SUH KIM
It gets better...Su Oh’s pic is correctly in the book, even though the caption says SI-HYUN OH. The photo posted for Jeong Eun Lee 5 is actually KLPGAer Jung Min Lee, who’s not in this tournament. Lastly, Inbee Park had two pics posted. One is over her own name and the other is over the name of Seung Hyun Lee. The pic over Lee’s name is an oldie...Winbee is wearing a PANKOR cap with a blue zip-up vest. I did some digging...they probably got it from the 2011 Women’s British Open.
The program’s publisher has electronic versions of its products here:
GolfweekCustomMedia.com
Unfortunately, the Portfolio section has nothing posted from 2017 yet. Maybe they make corrections before posting them online!
The first tee time was 8:55 AM and a small number of players were on the range. Two of them were Georgia Hall and Nelly Korda. Another was Leona Magure(A), who had washed out after Friday. She was mostly unsuccessful trying to straighten out her banana ball driver.
The plan was to watch Mi Hyang Lee/Karrie Webb during the middle of day and Hye Jin Choi/Shanshan Feng at the end of the day. But, who should I watch in the early morning? An intriguing stat in the pairing sheet answered that question. It said Rumi Yoshiba was first in driving distance thru three rounds at 255.6 yards. This was no fluke, as she has been leading the JLPGA in driving distance this season (260.36 thru July 23). She was a must-see teeing off at 9:39 AM, along with LPGA hotshot rookie Nelly Korda, who I had never seen play before in person.
Rumi displayed a nice game when I followed her a little bit during Round One of the 2015 USWO in Lancaster. Her appearance was definitely improved at Bedminster...sported a mushroom haircut, a flattering Nike top and short pleated skirt, and her face cleared up.
As usual, Rumi was followed on course by a Crazy Golf rep from Japan, who must have been over the moon from her ball bashing this week.
Nelly was followed on course by her mom, a 6-foot blonde wearing shades and a big floppy hat.
At the par-5 1st hole, I leaned over the ropes and looked at the pin sheet on the starter table. Twelve to fourteen holes had the flags on an extreme corner...the rest were in the middle of the green, but on the far left or right.
Nelly teed off with a mid-trajectory mini-draw and she hit that shot over and over. She has mostly PXG gear. It was too soon to judge Rumi’s driving at #1 as she struck a bad-sounding low diving hook into a fairway bunker. She reached the green in four, but made bogey when her par putt did a full horseshoe around the cup lip. One of the people following this group for the first hole or two was the Seaview bag lady, a frequent attendee at the LPGA’s Shop-Rite/Acer event...often stationed on the right of the par-3 7th hole at the Bay course.
On the par-4 2nd hole, Nelly hit her usual drive while Rumi hit a towering draw towards the left side trees, but her ball found the fairway on the far left. Both made pars on #2. Nelly missed a short par putt on #3 while Rumi made par.
Both players botched the par-3 4th hole (178 yards). Rumi hit an iron straight left of a bunker into the rough above the green. I was directly behind Nelly’s target line as she set up for her shot. Her caddy does not line her up, but he should have here. She was not aimed at the green, but at the shaved run-off area on the right...and hit her usual tight draw directly at it. I have to call this a mental error...really surprised me. Both players made bogey.
Rumi started demonstrating her driver distance advantage over Nelly, which was about 10-15 yards...she pounded bombs at #5 and #6 and birdied both. Their swings were completely different. Rumi has a high backswing with a big “across-the-line” position at the top. I’ll let the experts debate that, but if it leads to inconsistency, I certainly saw it. Nelly is much taller, but has a flat backswing and a shallower swing plane.
I followed this pair thru the 9th green. The surrounding area was a bit more crowded now and I noticed Pei-Ying Tsai (missed cut) was following the action with her mother. Both players made par. Rumi was Even (+4 overall) and Nelly, who missed another short putt along the way, was +2 (+6 overall).
More of the same at the par-4 10th. Rumi outdrove Nelly, but her approach shot was not as good. Nelly made par. I was at the green and could see it was a downhill birdie putt for Rumi, but was shocked by the huge backswing she made on it...blasted it past the hole eight or ten feet...and missed it coming back. While walking off the green, Rumi had no more use for that ball and handed it to a small boy in the arms of his father.
After this pairing teed off at #11, I left them to intercept the MHL/Webb pairing at the par-5 8th hole. Mi Hyang’s daddy was not following along, but a couple of guys were there with KB Star umbrellas... one of the them was probably her manager. Webby had five young women following her...three wore the Aussie athletic green and gold colors, while the other two were draped in Aussie flags and headwear. Karrie was +2 thru seven (+4 overall) and MHL was +1 thru seven (+3 overall).
Webb hit accurate drives (about 12-15 yards shorter than Lee), but her approach shots were no good...never gave herself any short birdie putt attempts. After racking up two more bogeys at #13 and #14, she drove her ball into the left rough at the par-5 15th. She knocked the ball out of there with a hybrid, but barked at her ball for going too far right...still made par. While passing the 15th green area I spotted Mi Hyang’s daddy and gave him a wave (yes, I was wearing his gift cap).
MHL’s round was mostly uneventful. She stuffed her second shot to about two feet at #11 for an easy birdie to even her round, but gave it back when she started her drive too far right at #17 and it rolled into the water.
After Lee and Webb completed #18, it may have been at this time that I took notice of a small crowd within a crowd near the 15th green. I could see reporters holding up recording devices...who were they talking to? I squeezed my way closer and saw that they were four goofs from the Purple Gang.
Protesters with t-shirts that read "USGA:Dump Sexist Trump" position themselves near the presidential viewing stand, behind, where President Donald Trump is watching the U.S. Women's Open Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Meanwhile, the people in the upper balcony of the clubhouse went crazy and took smartphone pictures of The President.
HJ Choi/Feng were next on the agenda. Instead of chasing them down, I decided to station myself near the 12th green and wait for their arrival. On my way, I passed a long train of spectators following the Lydia Ko/In Gee Chun pairing, can’t remember which hole. I saw no one this week who looked like a Flying Dumbo. The last three people in the train were Ko’s parents and sister.
The 12th is probably the highest point on the course, which also has a good view of the 5th green and 6th tee box. I was tempted to leave this area when I heard a huge roar way down at the 7th green area and a red ‘10’ was posted next to Choi’s name, but I maintained my discipline and stayed put.
While at #12 an old-timer in a scooter said Karrie was running hot earlier in the day and flung a ball into the water at #6 or #7. Friday washout Caroline Masson showed up at #12 to catch some of the action.
One pairing that came up the 12th fairway was Jeong Eun Lee 6 and Cristie Kerr. I saw one spectator arrive wearing a TONY MOLY cap and another had a LUCKY 6 cap. Kerr’s drive was in a bunker on the left. She took a swing, but I didn’t see the ball land on the green or anywhere else. However, I heard the on-course TV reporter say her ball hit the lip and travelled maybe 40 yards. After both players finished #12, Lee jogged down to the 13th tee box, while Kerr walked. Kerr’s caddy stopped briefly to ask a rules official about the timing of players...I think he was told that the player’s time over a shot was being timed, which probably means they didn’t have to worry about how much space was between them and the pairing before them.
I followed Lee 6/Kerr to the downhill par-4 dogleg left 13th hole (412 yards) where Kerr hit a high draw that clipped the top of the trees on the left. Lee’s drive finished on the right side in the first cut, but it was a good lie. With the ball above her feet, Lee hit a high arching iron over the front-right greenside bunker and made par, while Kerr made her second straight bogey. I want to see more of Lucky 6 in the major leagues.
The thought of walking back up the hill to #12 didn’t appeal to me, so the right side of #13 became my new station. A woman was looking at the scores on a smartphone, so I asked her who was leading. She started reading names and numbers that made no sense...I looked over her shoulder and saw Yoshiba 68 F...she was looking at the first round scores! I said, “hit that arrow on the upper right”, which displayed the Round Two scores. “Hit the arrow again...and hit it again”, which produced the Sunday scores.
The So Yeon Ryu/Mirim Lee pairing passed through, followed by the Sung Hyun Park/Amy Yang pairing. Park hit a nice drive that turned the corner and finished on the left side of the fairway. I was in the right rough 200+ yards downrange of an elevated tee box, which had a partially obstructed view from my position. The cart path behind me was filling up with people streaming down from the last groups.
I noticed the next player getting ready to hit and said, ”Shanshan Feng is hitting now.” The lady next to me said, “Wow, you have good eyes.” I didn’t tell her why Feng is easy to spot from 200+ yards away. You couldn’t see the ball after it was driven...just wait for the ball to plop in the fairway, which Feng’s did near the center of the elbow.
Choi was next and I directed my eyes a little to the right of Feng’s ball, since she drives it longer. Suddenly Choi’s ball dropped FAR to the right, at least 40 yards ahead of Feng’s and dead-center...better than Park’s drive. This elicited a collective gasp from about a hundred people behind me, which sent shivers through my body. That never happened to me before at a golf tournament.
While waiting for the players to reach their second shot positions, I glanced over at the computer screen of the surveyor gadget. Choi’s distance was recorded at 258.6.
I don’t know what Feng had to the hole, but that 5-iron she hit looked even better in person than on TV. But, it was too hot to have any chance of finishing next to the hole. With much less club, Choi’s approach hit the far right of the green...I was expecting a better shot than that. Both made par.
The par-3 14th (191 yards) with a back left-center pin was next. Feng teed off with a hybrid and hit the center of the green, but Choi hit an iron inside Feng’s ball. Choi left her birdie putt an inch short and Feng also made par.
People were piled up on both sides of a roped path leading to the 15th tee box. I was on the players’ right side close to the teeing area. Feng passed through first with no fanfare. Choi was met with hooting and hollering...all the guys on the right side of the line stuck out a hand and she did a mini-Hale Irwin hand slap trot to the tee:
Hye-Jin Choi was a fan favorite during the U.S. Women's Open, nearly becoming the first amateur to win the championship since 1967. (USGA/Darren Carroll)
On the par-5 15th hole, Choi pushed her second shot into the right rough. I was on the left side, and with an elevated fairway and green, you couldn’t see anything. I decided to reserve a spot at the par-3 16th tee box and listen to the action at #15. I heard a nice reaction to her pitch from the rough and a roar from her birdie putt going in. After that, the marshals moved the ropes behind the 16th tee much closer to the players to accommodate the crowd.
The 16th played at 139 yards with the flag on the far right. Feng took the safe route and hit the center of the green. Choi lined up on the far right of the tee box...I was directly behind her target line and she planned to knock the flag down. But, her ball started right and it didn’t draw back one inch. I was even more stunned when it splashed down...I assumed she had the distance to make it to the right rough.
The air came out of the balloon for me and most of the other people there. I decided to re-position myself to the left side of the 18th fairway, where I could still see the 16th green. Choi hit the green from the drop zone and two-putted for a double bogey. Barring a miracle, it was over for Choi and my remaining interest in this event had shriveled up.
Ryu and Lee passed through #18, followed by Park and Yang. I missed Park’s heroic chip at the 18th green. I visited the 18th tee to watch the drives of Choi and Feng. As I walked up the fairway, I noticed Weiwei Zhang (MC) had arrived to watch Feng, I assume.
When play finished, they quickly brought out tables to the 18th green. I found a seat in the bleachers at #18, front row and center. The PA system was pretty good and I listened carefully to see if USGA Prez Diana Murphy would foul up her comments. I didn’t hear any glaring miscues, but sometimes it sounds like her teeth get stuck together.
Park received proper applause during the awards ceremony, but there is no doubt in my mind that most people there wanted a Choi victory. Park posed for photos on the green, then was taken over to the main scoreboard over the drop zone at #16 for more photos. Also, the Namdallas had draped two banners over the ropes behind the 18th green and took pictures of themselves and their hero.
On the way to the exit, they had a 50% off sign posted outside the merchandise building, so I went in. There were mostly empty spaces along the walls, along with a few sections that were quite full. Almost all the remaining stuff just said TRUMP on it in capital letters with no obvious reference to golf. It didn’t say USWO or Trump National Bedminster (like my cap), just TRUMP. That JUNK would not have moved with a 99% discount! I’ll bet the USGA had to make a deal requiring them to display and sell CRAP from the club’s pro shop.
When I got off the shuttle at the parking lot, I realized the mistake I made: leaving the course too soon. The cars were at a standstill trying to get out of there. I didn’t bother starting my car and milled around for about 40 minutes killing time. I had the same problem at the 1994 Greater Hartford Open, so I spent an hour reading the Sunday newspaper before leaving.
The lot is an isolated open field cut into the woods with one circuitous road leading out. I can’t imagine the same parking arrangement being used when the 2022 PGA Championship is in Bedminster, which will have a much bigger turnout, despite the howls of the Purple Gang.
