Friday at the Open with Jim

Sleep deprivation and the long hours are taking its toll but it sure beats standing in a parking lot for 13 hours... (my job at last year's Open). My tee time wasn't until almost 1pm... the first two days of the tournament you play with the same group but reverse tee times... early Thursday-late Friday and vice versa... (I know I explained this already but I wanted to use vice versa in a blog). So I spent the morning roaming the grounds, visiting the driving range, putting green, clubhouse, etc... with Ron ("We can go anywhere we want") my roaming partner... Having a security shirt and radio is like an "all access" or backstage pass, allowing us to go into places that the regular paying crowd can't... (just doing my job). No one says anything to us. I really got a heavy dose of behind the scene action at the golf tournament and was loving every minute of it.

I went out around 1pm and enjoyed another walk around the golf course... Today my three golfers had their scoring hats on as Zach Johnson shot a 68 (-8 for two days), Ryan Moore shot another 66 (-10) and Nick Watney burned up the TPC for a second round 63 (-5) including an eagle on the 595 yard 13th hole (Driver right down the middle, and an iron within 5 feet of the hole---an IRON!). These guys put on a show for the fans (I was in awe at their shotmaking ability). You only get a taste of how good these guys are on TV, but watching them play every day, you realize how good they really are... (can't wait to go play myself and implement some things I have observed). The round ended around 5:45 and after herding all the fans out of the grounds...(including some spirited "debate" with some inebriated fans), I went back to command to sign out, forgetting that I had "volunteered" (at gunpoint--not literally) to help at the Birds Nest, if needed. I asked at command if they needed me Friday night and I wasn't on the list!! But she put me on the yes list for Saturday night, if they needed me... (which meant hot food and hot tub for my aching dogs and a little catch-up on some sleep).

The hot tub, foot massage and horizontal position was just what this walking machine needed and I barely got the alarm set before I passed out for the night... (and dreamed they wouldn't need me for extra hours tomorrow night). The weather report for Saturday was ominous and they scheduled all golfers to tee off between 9-11am on both nines because of high wind warnings in the afternoon and a storm cell coming through Saturday night. One golfer had to finish a putt in the morning before they made the cut and pairings for the weekend, so I didn't know what time I was going out...(like it mattered-I was there at the crack of dark every day)...