I was at the U.S. Open last Sunday. I had never even been to a PGA Tour event so it was hard to believe my luck at being there for such a wild finish. First off it’s the freakin’ Open at a venerable and just downright filthy course plus it’s in New York and then you have one of the world’s best and most popular golfers in the mix until the last hole. As a fan, I’m not sure it gets any better.

If you haven’t been to watch professional golf, don’t wait as long as I did. Hey, get out to Riverside this week to watch the TD Banknorth Open if you want a taste. I can’t think of another sport where the fans are so close to the action and even in the action when golf balls start leaving fairways.

I was on the left rough on the 18th hole at Winged Foot and of course that’s where Phil spent some quality time. His second shot rocketed off a tree (a sound I have enjoyed many a time) and bounced to a spot about 10 feet from where I was standing. Within seconds, hundreds of people were jammed around me and I couldn’t have left even if I’d wanted to. Phil and Bones came over to survey the lie and the shot and we were able to listen in on their private conversation. As I recall it went something like this,

Phil: “Are you thinking 9 iron?”
Bones: “It’s 173 to the front.”
Phil: “Are you thinking 9 iron?”
Bones: “I am definitely NOT thinking 9 iron.”

Imagine the Red Sox and Yankees playing game 7 of the ALCS and you’re there in the dugout sitting next to Francona as he discusses whether or not to let Schilling face another batter or is wondering out loud what Manny is doing inside the wall.

Since we couldn’t see a leaderboard, the crowd was relying on good old-fashioned gossip for its information on where Phil stood. Someone would whisper something and we would pass it along. As word filtered through the crowd about Monty’s double bogey the elation was almost immediately squashed as Phil started bouncing balls off buildings and trees.

If you look at the sequence on TV you can clearly see the tension in the faces of both Phil and Bones. Besides the tension there was also a look a guy might make if he came home one night and found a pile of burning embers where his house used to be. Add to that the knowledge that he was the one responsible for the carnage and you get a sense of what his face looked like. The crowd, fueled by it’s love of Phil’s swashbuckling style, stifling heat and a boatload of beer, was still urging their man to keep swinging right up until his fifth shot slid by the cup and he was done. I’m not even a Phil fan but the feeling was just devastating. Phil was in shock. The crowd was in disbelief. We had been watching golf for over eight hours and it was over just like that.

Obviously the real winner was Winged Foot. I don’t think television was able to capture how tough that course is. I’m not sure I could have broken 120 as it was set up and that’s without super fast greens.

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