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It was a long day and I got off to a rough start, but it all worked out (except for the mashed rental car and the lost credit card) and I’m good to go for the tournament. I began to have this sick feeling that I wouldn’t get in, even though I was down to second alternate on Monday morning. I figured I had to give it shot at that point, so I cancelled 4 full days of lessons and got an absurdly expensive flight to Detroit which left at 6:25 AM this morning, which meant up at 3:30 AM. I was to the counter at 5:45 AM, which was 5 minutes after Delta says they can’t get the bags on the plane, but I took a chance and luckily I made the flight and my bags arrived with it. At the rental car desk I discovered I had dropped my AmEx card somewhere, and when I went to drive out I ran smack into a pole and crushed the front right fender of my rental car- probably the shortest trip resulting in an accident in rental car history. They should call it the “Senior Moment Championship”.
Anyway, I got a different car and drove the 3 hours from Detroit to Benton Harbor, where I checked in (still 2nd alternate), got some lunch, and went out to practice. Tuesday is pro-am day so I couldn’t play until 4:00 PM, but that worked out fine because after a day of travel I really shouldn’t be walking 18 holes. It’s always nice to be at one of these events, more for the friends I see than anything else. It’s nice to see old playing mates like David Peoples and Russ Cochran, fellow club pros like Tim Thelen and Darrell Kestner, and even two of my students, Dick Mast and Gary Hallberg. Dick’s son Jacob was available to caddy for me, so I went out for 9 holes with Dick, Bobby Clampett, and Billly Britton. I love playing practice rounds with really good players as it gives me a good idea of how my game stands as far as length and precision. All three of them hit the ball quite well and are not short, so when I found myself generally keeping up with them I knew I was hitting the ball far enough to still compete.
The course is a bitch, but I was expecting that. This is my ninth major, and I have never played in one (except maybe Riviera in the 95 PGA) that wasn’t hard as hell. This one is quite different from anything I’ve ever seen, in that the greens are insane. I don’t know how else to put it. I guess you could call them severe, or wildly undulating, but that wouldn’t really do them justice. The first hole I played, number 10, is a nice looking par 5, but when you get to the green it’s like you’ve been transported to another planet. I’ll have to try and take a picture of it, because I can’t even describe it. There is a 15 foot change in elevation in the middle of the green and 4 different sections all with their own ridiculous humps and bumps. I’m not sure what Jack (Nicklaus) was thinking when he designed this, but I can only picture Hogan (who thought putting shouldn’t even be part of the game) walking onto this green and just staring at it.
Tomorrow is another practice round, and I’m playing with Brad Faxon and Tom Kite, so that should be fun. I took some video today so I’ll load that up when I can and report in again tomorrow.