AT THE OPEN
Cain’s historic feat, TaylorMade offered a free R11S driver to any major league starter who mimics Cain’s routine with an out-of-the-park golf shot before his next start. •••
A DOUBLE EAGLE ON 17 Fresno’s Nick Watney made double
eagle on Olympic’s 17th hole during Thursday’s first round. In the prior four Opens at Olympic it would have been just an eagle as the hole was played as a par 4. Watney came to the 17th at three over but got back to even in one shot, a 5-iron from 190 yards out.
It’s the second double eagle in a major this year, along with Louis Oosthuizen’s albatross at Augusta’s second hole dur- ing the Masters, and is believed to be only the third in Open history. •••
HOW LONG IS AN UNREACHABLE PAR 5? The USGA’s efforts to accom-
modate stronger and longer players resulted in a 670-yard par 5 at the 16th hole of The Olympic Club for most of Open week. But San Diego’s Alberto Sanchez, three days shy of his 18th birthday, still managed to reach the seemingly impregnable hole as he drove the ball 340 yards and followed it with a 3-wood he called “the best shot of my life” to reach the green in two. The time is drawing near when the USGA will have to set up a 700-yard hole to combat the young guns in the game.
CASEY MARTIN RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS Oregon men’s golf coach Casey
Martin has played in only one other U.S. Open—at Olympic 14 years ago. After hasty preparations and a six-year layoff from competitive golf, Martin returned to the course in an attempt to slay the Tiger—aka his college teammate at Stanford, Tiger Woods. The pair played a practice round Tues- day before Martin turned in rounds of 74-75–149 to miss the weekend by a stroke. Along with the sights and sounds of Martin’s golf cart winding down the fairway, a strong contingent of Stanford fans joined the green-hued gallery to cheer Martin through his rounds. His bright “lightning green” shirt for Thursday’s round was chosen by Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who was in attendance at Olympic for the Open. Martin was a member of the 1994
national championship team for the Cardinal. While at Stanford, Martin was a two-time All-American and two-time all-Pac-10 selection. He took the reigns of the Oregon golf program in 2006, and since his arrival the Ducks have enjoyed four NCAA Championship appearances. Martin was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2010 after his team reached the NCAA semifinal round.
TIGER WOODS Tiger Woods’ return to U.S. Open
competition after a one-year absence due to injury was highly anticipated by golf fans. And the 14-time major winner didn’t disappoint, at least initially, finishing at one under and tied for the lead at the halfway point of the event while grouped with Phil Mickelson and Masters champion Bubba Watson in the marquee trio of the first two rounds. But pedestrian rounds of 75-73 on the week- end yielded a 21st-place finish, lowlighted by a shocking six-over start in the first six holes in Sun- day’s final round. The vortex of fans Woods
commands and the intensity of interest his performance sparks is difficult to discern on television. Suffice it to say Woods drives the sport like no one else. From a small army of media following each shot, even when his game began
to teeter, to the cheers from the fans throughout, Tiger’s innate ability to focus is remarkable. Though most fans were clearly behind the three-time Open champ and willing him to succeed, also overheard were comments pleading for the native Californian’s putts to miss.
Bubba Watson #CrazyFan “Thinking about WDing from US Open cause I want to watch @TigerWoods & Phil on TV. But I forgot I got the best seat in da house!! ?#CrazyFan” – Bubba Watson’s tweet, a couple hours before teeing off with Mickelson and Woods on Thursday
SUMMER 2012 /
NCGA.ORG / 31
PHOTO: JOANN DOST
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