What's a little more difficult to see is the group heading off the tee and the group ahead of them just reaching the green. Nonetheless Brian and I hung ended up with a cool pairing of Kevin Grady and his caddy Sean . Particularly relevant was that Sean was originally from Cincinnati and is a huge Bengals and Reds fan. He had plenty of stories to share from his associations with the two teams and some very cool stories about his time as a looper over at Pinehurst #2 since he moved here a handful of years ago. It was almost an expensive round for Kevin as he came this close to holing out on the par 3 7th hole. Since the green is slightly elevated the best we could figure that the ball spun back into it's pitch mark but it kept it from going in the hole.
We made it through 15 holes today and as we made it to the 16th hole we were told that we had to clear the course as soon as possible. Well placed carts were waiting for us. On the way in picked up a couple stray golfers and no sooner than we got back the sky pretty much cut loose. It was a Nor'easter! The storm packed a nice jab of wind and rain as there were some fallen trees as we were driving out of the area to lunch and power was out in selected areas.
After an hour we headed back out to finish the last 3 holes. It was probably the coolest time on the course in the passed 2 days as it was just golfer and caddy. No time table. No rush. Just golf, strategy, and friendship. We tied up a couple loose ends on the range and then I'd be remiss if I got my ass handed to me on some chipping contests though I did break through for a victory from the pine straw. Just goes to prove who plays from more of those lies versus the fairway! Back over to the putting green for some solid putting drills and it was off to Pinehurst #2.
It's an overused adjective but both Brian and I consider Payne Stewart a hero. Whatever superlative you want to use there was no doubts to his play on the golf course and his life off the course. 24 Tour wins including 3 Majors including 2 US Opens, his early brash attitude at times was a turn off to some but there is no denying his impact on the PGA, his respect for the game, and commitment to off the field charity work. He was truly popular with the fans and always was an impeccable dresser. The Payne Stewart Award has been given annually to the PGA player that exhudes those traits since the year after his death. The realization that today, October 25th, was the day he died back in 1999 made it such an impactful time as Brian and I toured the #2 course grounds. #2 is having renovations done to it in preparation for the 2014 US Men's and Women's Open so the look of it is so much different than you see in TV. Here's the first tee... normally you'll have a grandstand down the right side of the tee with people 5-10 deep down the right side.
The bronze statues of Donald Ross and Richard Tufts as well as Payne Stewart stand guard of the practice green between the 1st tee and 18th green... the plaques commemorating them need no words other than what's scribed upon them.
And amazing poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
Payne....
Payne and friends...
Good times away from the grind of the golf course this evening. It was nice not to think about lays ahead for us. Thanks to Brian to setting up this special time for me. The significance of this day with Payne Stewart made it that much more.
Tomorrow will be a truly be a great day. We tee off at 9:00 AM going off the 1st tee. Brian's ready. I'm ready. We're ready. I received a tweet from a PGA Tour caddy earlier in the week (he knows funny!) and his advice was simple. "Don't worry about the score. Focus on each shot and have more fun than the other guys. Score will take care of itself". Well said....
Take a deep breath.... Do what you do.
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