Fun at the Open
More pictures to come, tonight, when I get the chance to move them off the camera...
So far I've gotten every autograph I've wanted EXCEPT for Paula Creamer -- I just haven't been able to be where she was on the course...
Yesterday, Wednesday, was the final day of practice. A lot of the ladies played just 9 holes and stopped -- if they practiced Monday and Tuesday, I think I'd have taken it a bit easy Wednesday, too...
Funny story: Tuesday I was sitting in the second row of the grandstands (front row is always kept open for kids -- that's something the LPGA does and does so well, is try to make it easy for kids to get interested in golf) when a shot came zinging right in front of me. It hit the walkway in the front of the grandstands with a pop that sounded like a gunshot! Caromed on past and landed in the rough well off the green... I didn't think anything about it (except to think, Hey, I can miss the green that badly myself!!) -- I guess I'm too used to baseball, and balls come flying in the stands and you're expected to be alert... Spectate at your own risk! But a few minutes later, here came one of the golfers, and she apologized profusely -- "So sorry, so very sorry, everybody okay here?" Really nice of her to do that! The golfer? Karen Stupples -- nice lady and very professional! She was on Good Morning America this morning, as they talked a bit about the Open and the golfers who are moms, how they handle having kids and being on tour...
Better go, I need to head on up to the Open!
posted by mm @ 8:08 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I had no idea you were an LPGA nerd! We watched some of it on Saturday afternoon. I guess we should've been looking for you! :)
P.S. In completely unrelated news, Eric Peters has an upcoming show in Centerville, IA. You should go! Details here:
http://www.ericpeters.net/concerts/
Oh, yeah, I'm a big time LPGA nerd! I love to play, and I love to watch golf... My brother got us tickets to go to the final day of the US Women's Open in 2005, when it happened to be in Denver (Cherry Hills Country Club), and as we were leaving, my nephew commented on all the volunteers we saw, and how fun it would be to come back as a volunteer some time.
I went straight to the computer that evening and found (on the uswomensopen.com web site) a link for volunteers, and immediately signed up for the next year's event!
I've volunteered at 3 of the last 4 Opens, only one I missed was in 2007 when my nephew got married!
You get to give them your top 3 choices for what job you'd like to do. So far I've done gallery control (in 2006) and leaderboards (2008 and 2009).
You actually have to pay to be a volunteer -- but the fee basically covers the cost of your uniforms. The first year it was $95, and for that you got 2 golf shirts and a cap. This year I think it was more like $150, but we got 2 golf shirts, a cap, and a really nice jacket... Plus your volunteer pass gets you in the gate all week long, even on days you're not working.
I try to pick a job where I get to see the action, and leaderboard is great that way. And once in a while, you get caught on camera (see my post from last year's open, I'm on the leaderboard in the background with In-Bee Park (the eventual winner) in the foreground)...
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