Day 2 (Phoenix Open)

Tuesday began with the Arizona weather I have come to expect (and is the envy of everyone who doesn't live here). Of course it was still dark when I crawled out of bed and made my way to Scottsdale. The TPC Scottsdale is a course anyone can play ($287.00 for 18 holes this time of year--yikes!). I will play in the summer when the only the weather is over 100... (greens fees go down to about 60 bucks in July). The course was in wonderful shape with rough that was thick and difficult to get out of... (it was hard to walk through--imagine trying to hit a golf ball out of it). Since there was no golfers assigned yet, I roamed with another guy all over the course and was at the putting green for the Special Olympics/Celebrity Putting Challenge. One celebrity (Mark Grace and Luis Gonzalez from the Diamondbacks plus local tv and business people) and one pro golfer (Rocco Mediate, Billy Mayfair and others) teamed up with a Special Olympian in a putting challenge (I guess you figured that part out from the name---DUH!). After it was done, the Thunderbirds presented a check for $55,000 to Special Olympics (this tournament raises the most money for charity on tour including a record 8.6 million dollars in 2008). It was great seeing the softer side of the players and they really enjoyed the event.

So after doing much walking around the venue, at 4pm I reported back to command for my next assignment--the kick-off party for the tournament. I changed into my black shirt, pants and shoes (I do clean up well, I must say, although a shower would have been appreciated). We were transported (there were only 7 of us so I should be honored they thought of me) to the Scottsdale Airport where they were having the party in one of the hangars. All the positions were outdoors except for one in the lobby, greeting the guests (and you know who was inside--must be my natural charm and shyness). Turns out I stepped in a big pile of doo-doo (trying to keep this a family blog) because once the sun went down the temperature dropped and the wind picked up... (we were wearing short sleeve shirts and no jackets and my peeps were freezing their butts off). The weather was delightful inside as I directed guests and assisted the all woman volunteer corp with whatever they needed. Needless to say, I got some evil looks from my compatriots when they came in to use the facilities and catch some warmth. The party ended around 11pm and I was able to score some free golf balls from the CEO of Waste Management... (which I shared with the boys outside). These golf balls were made from 100% recycled materials... (sort of like hot dogs). Will test them out next week on the golf course. Home after midnight. Let the sleep deprivation begin!!