Watson's true blue to Greenbrier
Tom Watson is a man of his word. At first, it seemed peculiar that the 61-year-old Watson was entered to play in The Greenbrier rather than the US Senior Open.
Watson, the pro emeritus at Greenbrier, couldn’t play in the inaugural PGA Tour event at the West Virginia resort because he was already committed to competing at the Senior Open. But he promised Greenbrier owner Jim Justice that he would play this year.
I’m sure you’re all on the edge of seats wondering what it was like to play at Sahalee on Monday. Well, it was early and it was damp. And I felt really prepared with loaner clubs and a stiff back. It was also encouraging to have the shanks on the range. This is going to be just delightful, I thought. Oddly enough, Sahalee played easier than I expected.
On my way to Sahalee this morning, I was listening to KJR Sports Radio in Seattle. I liked and agreed with most of what the guys had to say, except one thing — the radio dude said Bernhard Langer wasn’t responsive to fans and didn’t show much personality. That’s what he appears to be like, but he’s actually quite eccentric and interactive on the course. It’s surprising since he talks in this robotic German accent (it’s great) and plays in a deliberate manner.
The first time I ever watched him play in person was on Thursday and he won me over by, like, the fourth hole. He scrambled from the trees and sank a really long putt for birdie from the fringe. The crowd gave him a Freddie-like cheer. He held a fist pump for a few seconds and turned around to the gallery with his “I’m a German machine” expression (which includes a smile). The best was when he did a lunge.
So in honor of Langer winning the US Senior Open (and the Senior British), here’s a compilation of his various awesome and eccentric reactions in pictures. Enjoy! (Click on images to enlarge.)
Just after 2010 US Senior Open champ Bernhard Langer’s press conference in the media center at Sahalee, I received the most baffling email with the subject “remove my picture” from someone named Julie Barnett. Huh? I couldn’t recall posting any controversial pictures lately.
Turns out it was Fred Couples’ most recent ex-girlfriend, who wasn’t making much sense but seemed very upset. I knew he had a girlfriend last year whose name was Julie (public knowledge), but I didn’t know her last name and don’t recall ever mentioning her (I searched my archives).
There was a gasp of horror unlike any other that roared through the trees of Sahalee by the 16th hole on Sunday afternoon. Well, sorta. I was kneeling on the hillside by the green when Tom Kite, who was two-under and in third place going into the 70th hole, hit a straight shank into the gallery and the trees on the right from an awful lie on the downhill slope. Everyone — including Kite — was stunned. Known for the dramatic, he looked too horrified to react and put his hand over his mouth like a little kid thinking “Oh my God, what just happened?”
“The firmness of the greens is probably as hard as I’ve seen a green in America in a long time,” Tom Watson said. “They’re very, very firm. And as a result the greens are not real big in depth.”
For those unfamiliar with the Northwest, it may be shocking to hear that there’s been little rain recently. Seriously! Best kept secret: Summers in Seattle — I contend there’s no better place in the continental US to be in August.
Welcome to Balls in the Air, where I size up my Fantasy Golf picks of the week, featuring guys to watch (or not) and interesting story lines. Disclaimer: Don’t yell at me if my picks suck. There’s no mathematical formula to my attempt at predicting something as random as golf scores.
After a two-week respite, welcome back to Balls in the Air — I’m sure there’s been an empty place in your lives without it, so I’m struggling to stay up 20 or so extra minutes to maintain my commitment. Well, I’m happy to report that I had a smooth trip to Seattle and I’m pumped to get out to Sahalee tomorrow morning to watch Fred Couples and Tom Watson tee off at 7:45AM (yeah, right, considering it’s 1:00AM right now — I’ll catch them on the back nine). Well, honestly, my mind couldn’t be further removed from the Greenbrier Classic with a big major for the 50+ studs and the Women’s British Open. Oh, by the way, fans should cheer for the pros to make aces (lots of them!) at Greenbrier this week. And alas, here are my picks.
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