At least one golfer had fans cheering for him in the PGA championship, and his rounds didn’t even count.
Tom Smith, the general manager of Harding Park, had the honor of playing as a scorer in the tournament, the extra player who balances the odd field so that one of the contestants doesn’t have to play alone.
Smith played with Mackenzie Hughes on Saturday and Sung Kang on Sunday, and ended up getting an emotional ovation from the club’s peers.
After Friday’s cut, Smith had another marker in mind, but learned that the on-site COVID-19 test was over. Therefore, no one else could enter the bubble. Smith essentially had to intervene.
“It’s been a very long night for me,” he said of the wait on Friday. “I’ve been in operational mode for the league, and my team has put my clubs together, packed my bag, packed the caddy. My good friend, Joe, made me the caddy. And we tried to sleep; he didn’t sleep well, get up and chase him in the morning, so what a day. “
Smith, who said he hadn’t touched a golf club in weeks because he was setting the course for the tournament, estimated he shot in the mid-1970s.
“I had to pick up a couple of times today just for the sake of rhythm,” he said. “[Kang] he was hoping to catch a flight, which he did, so we were well informed about our pace. We played in 2 hours and 54 minutes, so we were definitely moving out there today. “
As for that section of rooting …
“Probably the most memorable thing for me was the crowd. We were walking down 18 and all my staff walked out of the clubhouse, along with the PGA staff here on the spot, and they clapped so loudly that people were watching, “Smith said.”[Hughes] He turned to me and said, “ You have the largest crowd at the PGA Championship screaming in your corner. ‘It was very, very special. “
Phil the radio waves
“There are three things I do well: playing golf and talking about golf,” Mickelson said when he was introduced, leaving the implied sexual innuendo unspoken. Faldo fell for it, stressing that he listed only two things. Mickelson remained silent with a mischievous smile.
“I think for someone like me it has never been done [booth commentary], having a guy like Jim Nantz organize things and stage things to talk about made it easier, because it’s not like I prepared for anything, ”Mickelson said on Sunday.
“And then of course having a wonderful goal like Nick, that made it enjoyable too.”
A swing
South Korea’s Byeong Hun An punched a hole in one on the eleventh hole from 189 yards, using a 6 iron. It was the 43rd hole in one in the PGA since 1970.
