This is golf, not a rock concert
Yesterday I went down to Charlotte for the final round of the Wachovia…Wells Fargo…Quail Hollow Championship. It was sunny and warm, most of the top golfers were playing and the tournament was a close contest. It was a good time. Here are a few observations from my trip:
Phones/Cameras
We weren’t allowed to bring phones or cameras to the course. OK, I understand that they don’t want anyone’s phone ringing or camera shutters clicking during Tiger’s backswing (he gets furious), but thousands of people manage to take phones on airplanes every single day and not use them. It’s 2009. They need to embrace technology, not ban it. It would have been so nice to be able to check the current leaderboard from my iPhone when I was a half mile away from the nearest video screen. Or be able to check what hole Phil Mickelson was on, so I could avoid the herd (or is it pride?) of Yankee cougars who follow him. I say allow phones, but just require silenced ringers and make designated phone areas. If you’re caught using your phone outside of that area, you’re kicked out and your grounds pass is revoked. Seems simple enough to me.
Kasey Kahne threw a temper tantrum until they allowed him to take his toy guns with him to Victory Lane
Kasey Kahne
I saw NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne out on the course. That guy is tiny. Actually, tiny is an understatement. I think Gary Coleman might be taller. It really makes Archibald Hutchinson’s claims of getting shoved to the ground by Kahne look ridiculous. Furthermore, I think it’s really irresponsible for Budweiser to have a 12 year old be the face of their NASCAR representation. This makes those Allstate commercials with the older women swooning over him look even more disturbing.
Tiger Woods
I got to see Tiger Woods up close on Sunday and I will admit, it’s really amazing to see him in person. He’s the best golfer playing right now and it’s pretty cool to stand 10 feet away from him while he takes a tee shot. That said, I’m never doing it again.
He was in the 2nd to last pairing on Sunday and I knew there would be a crowd with him. I wanted to be sure that I could see him up close, so I posted up at the rope beside the 3rd tee box and watched the four or five pairings ahead of him come through. As soon as he had made his putt on the 2nd hole, the crowds came like a herd of buffalo. You could hear the rumbling of hooves as they stampeded to the 3rd hole tee box in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Tiger. People crowded closer and closer, eventually beginning to push and nudge to try and get in front. It was miserable. I felt like I was in the middle of thousands of starving refugees clamoring to get to a bread truck. He walked up to the tee box, gobbled down some trail mix, grabbed his 3 wood, crushed a tee shot and just like that he was gone. Well, so was the crowd. Suddenly I could breath again, so I stuck around and comfortably watched as the actual tournament leaders came through and teed off on the same hole. I could have done jumping jacks there was so much room. The exact same thing happened when I posted up at the 15th hole in the afternoon.
I understand that he’s the biggest name in golf and the best player in the world, but seeing him in person is much more trouble that it’s worth. I’ll still pull for him to win tournaments, but from now on, I’m only watching Tiger on TV.
Boo Weekley
Boo Weekley is my favorite golfer. I love lists, so I’m going to make a short one of reasons why I like Boo:
- He’s sponsored by Bass Pro Shops.
- He lives in a trailer.
- On Sunday he was wearing a camo hat and a shirt with camo on it.
- He dips tobacco while he plays. (Personally I think dipping is nasty, but it’s funny that he does it while playing in PGA tournaments)
- At the 2008 Ryder cup he did the Happy Gilmore “ride the bull” dance after a good tee shot.
- He’s constantly jarring on the course and talking loud enough for everyone to hear. For instance, at the Wachovia Championship last year he told Brandt Snedeker to stop raking out the bunker because, “Man, they’ve got people to do that for you. You just need to do what you do best, stand there and look pretty”.
Just check out both of these videos and you’ll understand how entertaining this guy is.