by Tom Cade
So….what did we learn today? With it being Pebble Beach, and with it being the U.S. Open, we learned many things. Such as:
- Don’t try to follow Tiger Woods around – the mass of humanity trying to follow along both sides of the fairways is such that you’ll find yourself asking, “Doesn’t anybody work anymore? And is the entire population of California here for the hot dogs and warm beer?”
- If you’re walking downhill to get to the golf course, remember that you’ll be walking uphill to leave the course. Ouch.
- When a very nice security officer tells you to “move along, please, don’t stand there,” just do as he says (don’t ask me how I know this).
- Just trust that the shuttle driver knows where he’s going, despite the narrow and winding roads (paved and unpaved) that you’ll travel on your way to the golf course. (Again, don’t ask me how I know this.)
An how did our Northwest boys do in today’s opening round? Well, Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley shot even par, Bellevue’s Richard Lee shot 1-over par; and Spencer Tibbits of Vancouver, Wash., the lone amateur in our group, shot 3-over. Aaron Wise, who played golf at the University of Oregon (helping the Ducks win the 2016 NCAA national team title while also winning the individual national title), shot a blistering 5-under par, and is in rarefied air, tied for second heading into Round 2 of the U.S. Open.
Some other notes:
PLAYER INTERVIEWS
Clubhouse leader Justin Rose to Joel Klatt: “I was inspired by Merion. I loved it and it’s hard not to love Pebble Beach. So horses for courses, I love both courses, so maybe that’s the connection.”
Rickie Fowler to Joel Klatt: “To be honest, I feel like that was as bad as I could have shot.”
Rory McIlroy to Ken Brown: "I feel like I did everything you need to do in a U.S. Open."
Brooks Koepka to Joel Klatt: "I'm happy with how I came out of the gates, I think it's important to get off to a good start and kind of give yourself a chance."
Tiger Woods to Curtis Strange: "I was trying to just kind of hang in there today. It was just one of those days."
SPECIAL FEATURES & HIGHLIGHTS
Cedric the Entertainer tells the story of Tiger Woods’ dominant performance at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach
Rory Sabbatini aces No. 12, the 45th hole-in-one in U.S. Open history
