Post by philknj on Jul 17, 2015 1:08:11 GMT
I got up around 5:15 AM...still dark outside my Knights Inn window, but enough light to see heavy rain falling. It was done when I checked out at 6:30 AM. Many of the motels and eateries in this area (east of Lancaster CC on Rte. 30) had “Welcome USGA Women’s Open” signs. The drive to the shuttle lot was uneventful, aside from blowing my stack upon realizing that I left two bottles of water in the cube fridge of my room. At least they had water fountains on the course.
I didn’t hang around the range too long, as Mi Hyang Lee, Charley Hull, and Ariya Jutanugarn were scheduled to tee off at 7:40 AM at #10.
Team Mi Hyang had its full squad in action for today’s round: Daddy, caddie Ivan Galdame, coach Puggy Blackmon...and me! I noticed Puggy was completely attired in his U. of South Carolina garb; he didn’t look that way at the KPMG. Puggy had an assistant with him (also in a Gamecock ‘uniform’), but he did not follow Mi Hyang. It didn’t occur to me until later that this tournament was also a scouting and recruiting opportunity, since there were about two dozen amateurs in the field.
I’m guessing Charley was followed by daddy and a young guy in Adidas golf duds. Ariya was followed by her mom and her coach, an older gentleman with a British empire accent.
The 10th hole is a par-4 of 428. Just like at the 2015 Shop-Rite, Ariya used an iron off the tee and put it in the rough. I assume that was her 2-iron. She also carries the Callaway 21-degree utility iron, which you can purchase at your local private country club’s golf shop for one arm, one leg, and one kidney.
The people manning the current threesome scoreboard at the 10th green botched the job. It showed this:
LEE MI RIM
YANG
JUTANUGARN A
Ariya bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the par-4 11th. At the 11th green, her coach was speaking with momma. The guy did most of the speaking...spoke quite softly, but I heard him say, “there’s nothing wrong with her”.
I moved ahead to the green of the downhill par-4 12th of 169 yards. Sakura Yokomine tapped her mid-range birdie putt and began a series of imaginary softball pitches with her right arm...it worked...birdie. Meena Lee made par. Caroline Hedwall, who was +3 after her first two holes, butchered #12 with a double-bogey. I looked around and did not see the lady who said she was Hedwall’s mental coach at the KPMG.
Ariya was just as lousy at #12. She dumped her ball into the tall grass short and right of the brook that fronts the green...hacked it out and three-putted for a double-bogey.
It was Charley’s turn to foul up at the par-5 13th hole. Her first two shots landed in the right rough...didn’t reach the green area until her fourth shot and scored a double-bogey seven.
Ariya patched her tires with a par at #13 and then discovered a red-hot putter with birdies at #s 16, 17, and 18, making her +1 after nine holes. Charley picked up a birdie at #15 and was +1 after nine holes.
Mi Hyang was spot-on from the start...drove the ball beautifully and made two birdies on her first nine. The only snags were the two bogeys she made by missing short par putts, making her Even overall. I was directly behind her putting line at the par-3 17th. I’m guessing she had no more than two feet, but the ball took a vicious right turn when struck.
Starting at the first tee, Team Mi Hyang picked up another foot soldier, Mr. Volvik. Mi Hyang parred #1 & #2, Ariya bogeyed #2, and Charley birdied #2.
IMO, holes 3 thru 7 make up the best and most attractive part of the golf course. These holes are down and away from the rest of the course and don’t have the same congestion. Using the Conestoga River and Stauffer Run, they all have water, but the hazards are not abusive or contrived (like TPC Sawgrass).
Ariya hit a massive hook off the elevated tee at the par-4 3rd. By the time I got down there, she was taking a drop on the 6th fairway in front of that green...ended up with a triple-bogey seven.
The par-4 4th (346 yards) was played from the back tee...the USGA normally uses the back tees on the first day of their championships. Ariya pushed her tee shot into the left rough. Her second shot was an impressive, low running bullet that hooked, ran uphill and reached the green...probably has a lot practice with this shot these days. But, having a 60-foot birdie putt was no bargain...three-putted for a bogey. Mi Hyang knocked her approach close for a birdie while Charley made bogey.
The par-4 5th (392 yards) goes uphill, then downhill, as well as right-to-left. Mi Hyang was the shortest hitter in the group and hit a superb driver that cleared the hill and ran down the left side of the fairway for a flip wedge over Stauffer Run. She and Ariya made pars, while Charley made bogey.
A food tent was behind the 6th green and I made a mental memo for a future pit stop, as they had bratwurst w/ sauerkraut sandwiches for $6.50. It may have been the only food tent that had this item.
The par-5 7th (482 yards) used the tee box behind the 6th green, which required a diagonal tee shot over the Conestoga River. This was the only hole where Mi Hyang found deep grass on the left with her drive...not a big deal as she probably had no plans to go for the green in two. She and Charley made pars, while Ariya got back onto the bogey express.
One of the few steep walks on this course was up to the 8th green of this 198-yard par-3...you couldn’t see this hole from anywhere else. For lack of a better description, this hole has a mini wooden train trestle bridge running from an elevated tee box to a slightly higher green. Players who missed the green struggled to make pars...Mi Hyang and Charley did not miss and made birdies.
Ariya took out her driver on the par-4 9th, one of the rare times she used it, and hit a full-blown corkscrew quacker. Now I see why she keeps the driver under wraps most of the time...with it she’s like a pitcher who can’t find home plate. She needed three shots to reach the green, but had enough grit to roll in a long par putt and avoid shooting 80.
Charley finished with a par and shot 71 (+1). Her swing is much like Nick Price – fast tempo, compact, one-two, back and through...and lots of power. Has the same Callaway driver as Mi Hyang, but hits it higher and longer. I can see how she waxed the Pink Panther at the last Solheim Cup and would have no problem doing it again this year.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of buzz around Charley on this side of the pond, which is a little surprising. There’s no language barrier (although her accent is heavier than that of Laura Davies or Karen Stupples) and she is quite easy on the eyes. She needs a little polish to become an elite player, which she might pick up with experience (she’s only 19).
Mi Hyang closed out #9 with a par and finish -2 at 68. Ivan and Puggy gave each other a high-five hand clasp. Mr. Volvik chided Ivan for wearing a blue TaylorMade visor; Ivan gestured that he was matching the blue Ralph Lauren golf shirt under his bib.
Mi Hyang passed through a gap between the bleachers behind the 18th green with Ivan, signed a couple of autographs, and began the long walk into the buffer zone surrounding the clubhouse to wherever the players sign their scorecards. For me, that’s it...she’s gone until next year...Elvis has left the building.
Where do I go next? Since it was a circuitous route back to the range, I decided against that option. I meandered about and decided to crash under a big shady tree off the 11th tee and wait for the 1:03 PM group of Erika Kikuchi, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, and Kim Kaufman, which started at #10.
In the familiar faces department, Betsy King walked by the 11th tee. Among the working media, Ron Sirak was on the front nine on Wednesday and Beth Ann Nichols was there Wednesday and Thursday. Shane O’Donoghue was at #1 on Wednesday. Mike Davis (USGA) was being transported around the course on Wednesday.
I noticed a new TV camera trend at this event and the KPMG. At LCC they had these Jeep-like or tractor-like vehicles with hydraulic platforms in the front of them, which would have a guy and his camera perched over a green or tee box. This was in addition to the fixed towers and the mobile guys in golf carts.
Kikuchi, Kaufman, and JES putted out at #10 and advanced to #11. I was temporarily blinded by Erika’s chubby alabaster thighs...maybe the sun hasn’t hit Japan this year. She had her Titleist/Japan VG3 gear with her, including ERIKA-stamped wedges. It also said ERIKA on one side of her bag...I guess when you say “Erika” on the JLPGA, they know who you’re talking about. Her black shorts had a white flowery print, along with tiny script in English for a golf club that starts with ‘M’, but I couldn’t make it out. Her mom followed the group.
This group was competent, but unspectacular. Kaufman was interesting to watch because she’s quite tall with a good In Bee Park swing impersonation...she barely gets the club shaft past vertical at the top of her swing.
I wanted to catch someone on fire in the afternoon. I didn’t get those vibes from Erika’s group, so I left them after # 16.
The group of Maria Balikoeva, Regina Plasencia, and Rumi Yoshiba, which teed off #1 at 2:31 PM, approached the 2nd tee. Plasencia was already -1, so I took a chance on them. Regina (of Mexico and the U. of Arkansas) had family in the house wearing LCC golf shirts. They were not tucked in because of the embroidered message on the back hems: ¡Vamanos Regis!
Maria B. is formerly known as Maria Verchenova, LET fairway super model, but I was not blown away. I never heard of Rumi before, but she has decent game and looks. Upon further research, Rumi is one the “iron” girls who played 17-straight weeks on the JLPGA this year. She carries the Yamaha banner.
After Regina’s group teed off at #4, I stopped at the par-3 6th hole (172 yards) to watch the tee shots of Brittany Lincicome, HJ Kim, and IB Park. When Park hit, it sounded different from her partners...and Bam Bam & Kim are not weaklings.
Regina had a birdie chance on the 4th green. I was standing behind the little kid who was serving as standard bearer and he was holding a red -2 numeral behind his back. It was not a kick-in, but the kid was right...she drained it. Then she jammed her approach shot for an easy birdie at #5 to reach -3.
After Regina parred #6, I parked myself on the bridge to watch the tee shots over the river at #7. Rumi had the longest and most daring drive...barely skirted the trees on the right side, but it worked.
Regina and Maria laid up for their second shots, while Rumi went for it in two with a FW...avoided the water hazard on the right and landed it in the left rough behind the green. But, there was no big payoff – made a par.
While Regina prepared for her third shot, a mobile camera guy scrambled onto the fairway, placed his camera on the ground and looked down through the viewfinder. It didn’t distract her as she stuffed it close and made birdie to go -4.
The par-3 8th brought “Regis” back to Earth...missed the green right and scored a double-bogey five. Rumi also had problems, as her tee shot went dead left and scattered the spectators. Regina could not save par at #9, now -1...it became obvious where this round was headed, so I bailed out.
For the rest of the day I wandered here and there. I caught up with one of Alison Lee’s drives and also saw one of her drives at the KPMG. Why has she scored so well this year? From what little I’ve seen, I have no idea...will require further study at next year’s Shop-Rite.
At some point, WEATHER WARNING signs were getting hung up on the scoreboards, but I didn’t worry about this. The play continued.
Returned to the par-3 8th to watch more players get brutalized. Christina Kim was playing well, but took her lumps when her tee shot went short and right, nestling up against a tree. Her pitch did not hold the green and rolled off the back, which generated a foot stamp on the cart path. She was with Karin Icher and Hee Young Park, who never got off the launch pad.
If HYP is the Rocket, then maybe Il Hee Lee (82 Thu., 68 Fri.) should be called the Missile. It’s not the first time she has played crazy good and crazy bad from day to day. Lee arrived at the 8th hole with Chella Choi and Brooke Henderson. Chella’s tee shot almost hit the base of the flag on the fly and rolled off the back of the green. As this group prepared to putt, the weather horns were sounded at 6PM. The player marked their balls with tees and everyone had to take shelter.
I walked down the left side of the par-3 12th hole and stepped inside what looked like a temporary bar that had been set up inside a wooden maintenance barn...or maybe it really was a bar. Although the entrance was kept open, it was extremely humid in there and I didn’t stay long.
I was allowed to enter the nearby 1761 Club, a huge temporary tent building, and it was a good move as it had A/C. It was one of those nasty orange storm cells you see on radar that slammed into the course. It couldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes, but it shook the metal pipe frames of the building. Water started pushing its way under the entrance doors, which prompted someone to throw a blanket over that area.
There were no immediate announcements after the storm passed, so I hung out at the 1761 Club for a while. The TVs were on, but it was too noisy to hear them. I went back to the barn/bar at 6:45 PM where the TV could be heard. Several middle-aged ladies were in there and two of them were dressed head-to-toe in the colors of the UNCW (U. of North Carolina-Wilmington) Seahawks. One of them was head coach Cindy Ho who was there to root on ex-Seahawk Lori Beth Adams (who got clobbered, 84). I assume Cindy and her assistant also did some scouting.
The barn/bar was closed at 7:00 PM. I hung out by the 8th green on rumors that play would resume later, but when the volunteers started disappearing, I took their cue. It made sense – the cardboard trash cans were overturned, the manual scoreboards looked like Swiss cheese, tree debris was in play, and a couple of fairways had small puddles. I wonder how the low-level holes (3 thru 7) handled all that extra water.
I checked out the driving range where the grounds crew was rolling water off the short grass areas. Then I noticed that the yellow rope line had been moved about 30 yards deep into the range and players were being handed ball buckets to warm up. By my estimate, 54 players had not completed Round One. Apparently, the players were told to warm-up, while the committee debated what to do. There should have been a professional photographer here to take a panoramic shot of all these players wedged into the range like sardines.
The committee wisely decided to suspend play and clean up the course first. The remaining players started getting in their mini-SUV courtesy cars and filed out at 5 MPH down a maintenance service road one-by-one...including Sun Young Yoo who had the wheel in the left hand and her smart phone in the right hand. Bad girl!
I didn’t hang around the range too long, as Mi Hyang Lee, Charley Hull, and Ariya Jutanugarn were scheduled to tee off at 7:40 AM at #10.
Team Mi Hyang had its full squad in action for today’s round: Daddy, caddie Ivan Galdame, coach Puggy Blackmon...and me! I noticed Puggy was completely attired in his U. of South Carolina garb; he didn’t look that way at the KPMG. Puggy had an assistant with him (also in a Gamecock ‘uniform’), but he did not follow Mi Hyang. It didn’t occur to me until later that this tournament was also a scouting and recruiting opportunity, since there were about two dozen amateurs in the field.
I’m guessing Charley was followed by daddy and a young guy in Adidas golf duds. Ariya was followed by her mom and her coach, an older gentleman with a British empire accent.
The 10th hole is a par-4 of 428. Just like at the 2015 Shop-Rite, Ariya used an iron off the tee and put it in the rough. I assume that was her 2-iron. She also carries the Callaway 21-degree utility iron, which you can purchase at your local private country club’s golf shop for one arm, one leg, and one kidney.
The people manning the current threesome scoreboard at the 10th green botched the job. It showed this:
LEE MI RIM
YANG
JUTANUGARN A
Ariya bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the par-4 11th. At the 11th green, her coach was speaking with momma. The guy did most of the speaking...spoke quite softly, but I heard him say, “there’s nothing wrong with her”.
I moved ahead to the green of the downhill par-4 12th of 169 yards. Sakura Yokomine tapped her mid-range birdie putt and began a series of imaginary softball pitches with her right arm...it worked...birdie. Meena Lee made par. Caroline Hedwall, who was +3 after her first two holes, butchered #12 with a double-bogey. I looked around and did not see the lady who said she was Hedwall’s mental coach at the KPMG.
Ariya was just as lousy at #12. She dumped her ball into the tall grass short and right of the brook that fronts the green...hacked it out and three-putted for a double-bogey.
It was Charley’s turn to foul up at the par-5 13th hole. Her first two shots landed in the right rough...didn’t reach the green area until her fourth shot and scored a double-bogey seven.
Ariya patched her tires with a par at #13 and then discovered a red-hot putter with birdies at #s 16, 17, and 18, making her +1 after nine holes. Charley picked up a birdie at #15 and was +1 after nine holes.
Mi Hyang was spot-on from the start...drove the ball beautifully and made two birdies on her first nine. The only snags were the two bogeys she made by missing short par putts, making her Even overall. I was directly behind her putting line at the par-3 17th. I’m guessing she had no more than two feet, but the ball took a vicious right turn when struck.
Starting at the first tee, Team Mi Hyang picked up another foot soldier, Mr. Volvik. Mi Hyang parred #1 & #2, Ariya bogeyed #2, and Charley birdied #2.
IMO, holes 3 thru 7 make up the best and most attractive part of the golf course. These holes are down and away from the rest of the course and don’t have the same congestion. Using the Conestoga River and Stauffer Run, they all have water, but the hazards are not abusive or contrived (like TPC Sawgrass).
Ariya hit a massive hook off the elevated tee at the par-4 3rd. By the time I got down there, she was taking a drop on the 6th fairway in front of that green...ended up with a triple-bogey seven.
The par-4 4th (346 yards) was played from the back tee...the USGA normally uses the back tees on the first day of their championships. Ariya pushed her tee shot into the left rough. Her second shot was an impressive, low running bullet that hooked, ran uphill and reached the green...probably has a lot practice with this shot these days. But, having a 60-foot birdie putt was no bargain...three-putted for a bogey. Mi Hyang knocked her approach close for a birdie while Charley made bogey.
The par-4 5th (392 yards) goes uphill, then downhill, as well as right-to-left. Mi Hyang was the shortest hitter in the group and hit a superb driver that cleared the hill and ran down the left side of the fairway for a flip wedge over Stauffer Run. She and Ariya made pars, while Charley made bogey.
A food tent was behind the 6th green and I made a mental memo for a future pit stop, as they had bratwurst w/ sauerkraut sandwiches for $6.50. It may have been the only food tent that had this item.
The par-5 7th (482 yards) used the tee box behind the 6th green, which required a diagonal tee shot over the Conestoga River. This was the only hole where Mi Hyang found deep grass on the left with her drive...not a big deal as she probably had no plans to go for the green in two. She and Charley made pars, while Ariya got back onto the bogey express.
One of the few steep walks on this course was up to the 8th green of this 198-yard par-3...you couldn’t see this hole from anywhere else. For lack of a better description, this hole has a mini wooden train trestle bridge running from an elevated tee box to a slightly higher green. Players who missed the green struggled to make pars...Mi Hyang and Charley did not miss and made birdies.
Ariya took out her driver on the par-4 9th, one of the rare times she used it, and hit a full-blown corkscrew quacker. Now I see why she keeps the driver under wraps most of the time...with it she’s like a pitcher who can’t find home plate. She needed three shots to reach the green, but had enough grit to roll in a long par putt and avoid shooting 80.
Charley finished with a par and shot 71 (+1). Her swing is much like Nick Price – fast tempo, compact, one-two, back and through...and lots of power. Has the same Callaway driver as Mi Hyang, but hits it higher and longer. I can see how she waxed the Pink Panther at the last Solheim Cup and would have no problem doing it again this year.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of buzz around Charley on this side of the pond, which is a little surprising. There’s no language barrier (although her accent is heavier than that of Laura Davies or Karen Stupples) and she is quite easy on the eyes. She needs a little polish to become an elite player, which she might pick up with experience (she’s only 19).
Mi Hyang closed out #9 with a par and finish -2 at 68. Ivan and Puggy gave each other a high-five hand clasp. Mr. Volvik chided Ivan for wearing a blue TaylorMade visor; Ivan gestured that he was matching the blue Ralph Lauren golf shirt under his bib.
Mi Hyang passed through a gap between the bleachers behind the 18th green with Ivan, signed a couple of autographs, and began the long walk into the buffer zone surrounding the clubhouse to wherever the players sign their scorecards. For me, that’s it...she’s gone until next year...Elvis has left the building.
Where do I go next? Since it was a circuitous route back to the range, I decided against that option. I meandered about and decided to crash under a big shady tree off the 11th tee and wait for the 1:03 PM group of Erika Kikuchi, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, and Kim Kaufman, which started at #10.
In the familiar faces department, Betsy King walked by the 11th tee. Among the working media, Ron Sirak was on the front nine on Wednesday and Beth Ann Nichols was there Wednesday and Thursday. Shane O’Donoghue was at #1 on Wednesday. Mike Davis (USGA) was being transported around the course on Wednesday.
I noticed a new TV camera trend at this event and the KPMG. At LCC they had these Jeep-like or tractor-like vehicles with hydraulic platforms in the front of them, which would have a guy and his camera perched over a green or tee box. This was in addition to the fixed towers and the mobile guys in golf carts.
Kikuchi, Kaufman, and JES putted out at #10 and advanced to #11. I was temporarily blinded by Erika’s chubby alabaster thighs...maybe the sun hasn’t hit Japan this year. She had her Titleist/Japan VG3 gear with her, including ERIKA-stamped wedges. It also said ERIKA on one side of her bag...I guess when you say “Erika” on the JLPGA, they know who you’re talking about. Her black shorts had a white flowery print, along with tiny script in English for a golf club that starts with ‘M’, but I couldn’t make it out. Her mom followed the group.
This group was competent, but unspectacular. Kaufman was interesting to watch because she’s quite tall with a good In Bee Park swing impersonation...she barely gets the club shaft past vertical at the top of her swing.
I wanted to catch someone on fire in the afternoon. I didn’t get those vibes from Erika’s group, so I left them after # 16.
The group of Maria Balikoeva, Regina Plasencia, and Rumi Yoshiba, which teed off #1 at 2:31 PM, approached the 2nd tee. Plasencia was already -1, so I took a chance on them. Regina (of Mexico and the U. of Arkansas) had family in the house wearing LCC golf shirts. They were not tucked in because of the embroidered message on the back hems: ¡Vamanos Regis!
Maria B. is formerly known as Maria Verchenova, LET fairway super model, but I was not blown away. I never heard of Rumi before, but she has decent game and looks. Upon further research, Rumi is one the “iron” girls who played 17-straight weeks on the JLPGA this year. She carries the Yamaha banner.
After Regina’s group teed off at #4, I stopped at the par-3 6th hole (172 yards) to watch the tee shots of Brittany Lincicome, HJ Kim, and IB Park. When Park hit, it sounded different from her partners...and Bam Bam & Kim are not weaklings.
Regina had a birdie chance on the 4th green. I was standing behind the little kid who was serving as standard bearer and he was holding a red -2 numeral behind his back. It was not a kick-in, but the kid was right...she drained it. Then she jammed her approach shot for an easy birdie at #5 to reach -3.
After Regina parred #6, I parked myself on the bridge to watch the tee shots over the river at #7. Rumi had the longest and most daring drive...barely skirted the trees on the right side, but it worked.
Regina and Maria laid up for their second shots, while Rumi went for it in two with a FW...avoided the water hazard on the right and landed it in the left rough behind the green. But, there was no big payoff – made a par.
While Regina prepared for her third shot, a mobile camera guy scrambled onto the fairway, placed his camera on the ground and looked down through the viewfinder. It didn’t distract her as she stuffed it close and made birdie to go -4.
The par-3 8th brought “Regis” back to Earth...missed the green right and scored a double-bogey five. Rumi also had problems, as her tee shot went dead left and scattered the spectators. Regina could not save par at #9, now -1...it became obvious where this round was headed, so I bailed out.
For the rest of the day I wandered here and there. I caught up with one of Alison Lee’s drives and also saw one of her drives at the KPMG. Why has she scored so well this year? From what little I’ve seen, I have no idea...will require further study at next year’s Shop-Rite.
At some point, WEATHER WARNING signs were getting hung up on the scoreboards, but I didn’t worry about this. The play continued.
Returned to the par-3 8th to watch more players get brutalized. Christina Kim was playing well, but took her lumps when her tee shot went short and right, nestling up against a tree. Her pitch did not hold the green and rolled off the back, which generated a foot stamp on the cart path. She was with Karin Icher and Hee Young Park, who never got off the launch pad.
If HYP is the Rocket, then maybe Il Hee Lee (82 Thu., 68 Fri.) should be called the Missile. It’s not the first time she has played crazy good and crazy bad from day to day. Lee arrived at the 8th hole with Chella Choi and Brooke Henderson. Chella’s tee shot almost hit the base of the flag on the fly and rolled off the back of the green. As this group prepared to putt, the weather horns were sounded at 6PM. The player marked their balls with tees and everyone had to take shelter.
I walked down the left side of the par-3 12th hole and stepped inside what looked like a temporary bar that had been set up inside a wooden maintenance barn...or maybe it really was a bar. Although the entrance was kept open, it was extremely humid in there and I didn’t stay long.
I was allowed to enter the nearby 1761 Club, a huge temporary tent building, and it was a good move as it had A/C. It was one of those nasty orange storm cells you see on radar that slammed into the course. It couldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes, but it shook the metal pipe frames of the building. Water started pushing its way under the entrance doors, which prompted someone to throw a blanket over that area.
There were no immediate announcements after the storm passed, so I hung out at the 1761 Club for a while. The TVs were on, but it was too noisy to hear them. I went back to the barn/bar at 6:45 PM where the TV could be heard. Several middle-aged ladies were in there and two of them were dressed head-to-toe in the colors of the UNCW (U. of North Carolina-Wilmington) Seahawks. One of them was head coach Cindy Ho who was there to root on ex-Seahawk Lori Beth Adams (who got clobbered, 84). I assume Cindy and her assistant also did some scouting.
The barn/bar was closed at 7:00 PM. I hung out by the 8th green on rumors that play would resume later, but when the volunteers started disappearing, I took their cue. It made sense – the cardboard trash cans were overturned, the manual scoreboards looked like Swiss cheese, tree debris was in play, and a couple of fairways had small puddles. I wonder how the low-level holes (3 thru 7) handled all that extra water.
I checked out the driving range where the grounds crew was rolling water off the short grass areas. Then I noticed that the yellow rope line had been moved about 30 yards deep into the range and players were being handed ball buckets to warm up. By my estimate, 54 players had not completed Round One. Apparently, the players were told to warm-up, while the committee debated what to do. There should have been a professional photographer here to take a panoramic shot of all these players wedged into the range like sardines.
The committee wisely decided to suspend play and clean up the course first. The remaining players started getting in their mini-SUV courtesy cars and filed out at 5 MPH down a maintenance service road one-by-one...including Sun Young Yoo who had the wheel in the left hand and her smart phone in the right hand. Bad girl!
