On Location at the Senior PGA – Monday

I’m on location at the Laurel Valley Golf Club, 15 minutes from the home of Rolling Rock, Arnold Palmer, and my sister and her husband – my home base for the week. Aside from a wedding (my own) on Friday, I’ll be reporting each day from the LVGC and the Senior PGA Championship.

Weather
The story this year on the PGA Tour has been the weather, and unfortunately it was no different today. Though players got out several different times, there was never more than ten minutes without rain until 5pm or so, when the sun finally came out and most players had given up.

Several Buick mini-vans sat at various points around the course. Labelled as “Evacuation Vans” – for inclement weather, I imagine – these vans were clumped close to nearly every tee/green combo and were marked as being responsible for their respective fairways, greens, and tees.

Of course, that’s just the back story. I took this picture because it shows the rain and the logo. Lovely, eh?

Despite the rain that slowly soaked the course, the grounds crew was out in full gear. Here, a crew member mows the walkway from tee to fairway. Other grounds crew members were mowing the rough (it’s pretty thick and, from what I can tell, more clumpy than an even texture). The course is in immaculate condition, and with rain expected tomorrow but a dryer Wednesday, it should play really well come Thursday.

The Course

The course, which I’ll write more about later this week, measures just under 7100 yards and features a number of doglegs, fairway bunkers, water hazards, and thin, winding fairways. If the rain keeps the course conditions damp, then scores may be high, as 7100 yards is no easy task for the seniors.

Here’s the second hole, shot from to the right of the green. At 387 yards and playing slightly downhill, this isn’t a terribly challenging hole, but the water up front will pose a challenge if players miss the fairway with their drives. The small, undulating greens are no pushover either.

The 16th, here seen between the trees to the right of the fairway, measures a staunch 437 yards and plays as a dogleg right with a water hazard on the inside bend and a fairway bunker on the outside.

That drive I was talking about? You guessed it. Here it is:

The 17th is a cute little par 3 measuring 183 yards. There’s no water hazard, but there are plenty of bunkers surrounding this small green.

The 18th is a daunting finishing hole, measuring 515 yards. As such a short par 5, many players will be tempted to go for the green in two, and the downhill second shot gives players a good look at a green protected in front by water and to the sides and back by bunkers. In 30 minutes today at 18, I saw three balls land in the water and a few barely clear it. Some players laid out to the left and were able to get the ball close for relatively easy birdie chances.

The Players
Not many of the biggest players on the Champions Tour felt much need to avail themselves of the drizzling conditions today, but I did spot a few well-known players. In the first picture, we find Dale Douglass and The Walrus, Craig Stadler, on the practice tee. Stadler was finishing up his warmup as I spotted him, and was mercilessly pounding 3-irons into the grey, grey sky. Then Stads pulled out a TaylorMade V-Steel and promptly cold topped one. Subsequent shots were pulled off with a bit more grace…

Last week’s winner, D.A. Weibring, was the focus of a good bit of press attention this week. After all, he’s the most recent winner and naturally a favorite to do well this week. Here he talks near the putting green with a Channel 4 reporter.

At about 3pm, a foursome comprised of Bob Mann, Ed Dougherty (below), and two others headed out. One of the pros nearly shanked his second, missing the green well right and short. I saw perhaps 100 golf shots today, and two were more the type I’d expect to see from someone who shoots 100. Very odd.

Players I did not see today:
Hale Irwin, Isao Aoki, Peter Jacobsen, Jay Haas, Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Jim Colbert, Jim Dent, Raymond Floyd, Mark Jame, Wayne Levi, Bruce Lietzke, Mark McCumber, Larry Nelson, Curtis Strange, Gary Player, Dave Stockton, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Arnold Palmer

Players I did see today:
Jim Thorpe, Mark Lye, John Aubrey, Larry Mackin, Bob Mann, Dick Mast, Ed Dougherty, Dale Douglass, Allen Doyle, JC Snead, Dana Quigley, Mike Reid, and a few others not worth mentioning.

Tomorrow
Autograph day. I’ve got my Sharpie, I’ve got my embroidered flag, and I’m ready!

Photo Credits: © 2005 Erik J. Barzeski/The Sand Trap.