That's pretty sick.

What channel/s are the best to watch this in the US? UK I believe only has it on at 11pm for 2 hours.

https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-cham...nship/S2023512

yeah...tough sledding this morning.

from his recent post, I'm guessing rough sledding.

touche

not good when Jerry Springer has a lower score (i kid, i kid)

Rough morning for BO (no pun intended). Hopefully we're about to witness a Tin Cup level come back.

43rd U.S. Senior Open: Thursday at SentryWorld https://championships.usga.org/ussen...ntryworld.html

Scroll to picture 6 and tap on it for epic reaction to only birdie of the day.

I can play the course but there is absolutely zero margin for error.

Disappointed in my score but still have a big smile on my face. This is just an amazing experience. Some things money can’t buy, this is one of them.

keep at 'em tomorrow BO
it might be time you finally use an avatar

A little over the top with that fist pump, but that's ok

Great attitude. Go get 'em tomorrow. We're still behind you! Enjoy it while you're there!

Is it the hardest course you have ever played? Feel free to answer whenever. I'm sure you have other stuff on your mind.

So glad you're embracing the experience rather than being down about the score. Thanks a lot for taking the time to update here.

This

Quite a treat for us

Buddy played a few years ago at Omaha and had the same reaction.

the cut at +9 is quite amazing
as is 65 year old Bernhard Langer being 12 strokes better

It wasn't the most jittery sweat in the world, but it was fun!

GG BO! Nice ride!
Looking forward to next year!

Wow, what a ride. The golf today was infinitely more positive than yesterday although the score certainly did not reflect it. Me and my entourage still have full access to facilities like player dining through Sunday and we will be taking full advantage. I can even use the practice facilities once the last group tees off.

Sitting in there this evening and MAJ came strolling through with a full glass of whiskey, looked at our table, raised his glass and announced Salud! and continued on his way. Bernhard was sitting by himself at the table next to us for a spell.

Will probably start churning out lengthy recaps by Tuesday.

As a German, being a Bernhard fan is not extraordinary, but even I thought, after the last few results, where he placed mostly outside of the T10 (we leave the very nice win early in the season aside for the moment), that we have now come to a certain point, but this man does not cease to surprise :-)

P.S.: Way to go, Bo!

I'm very much looking forward to these.

Saturday, July 24th.

Girlfriend and I head to the airport and meet my friend/caddie. Have a good lunch and then get on the plane to Chicago. Then Chicago to Central Wisconsin Airport which is about 20 minutes north of the course. Only about a 40 minute flight which I spend bouncing off the fuselage.

Land and head to baggage claim. Right next to our carousel is the a USGA desk where they are distributing player courtesy cars for the week. I give my name and 20 seconds later I have the keys to my car for the week, no paperwork whatsoever. Car is parked on the curb outside 15 feet from the baggage claim door.

Collect all luggage and take a look at my ride. Lexus RX 350 loaded with 108 miles on it and the US Senior Open logo on the door. This does not suck.

The town of Stevens Point is not large, 25k people, so it doesn't take long at all to get anywhere. Even though it's almost dark I have to see the course. Pull in at 830 and almost run from the parking lot to check everything out. Only problem is it's hard to find anything because of the huge build out for the tournament. There are tents and stands and who know what else absolutely everywhere.

Since I see the driving range I make that my first stop. The deck is just as good as the fringes at my home course. And probably tighter. I check out #1 and #10 tee as well as #18 green, #17 tee, and #16, the flower hole. The whole thing is just amazing. By the time I tear myself away it is completely dark.

Drop my caddie off at his hotel and head to ours 10 minutes away. His hotel is only a 10 minute walk to the course. Mine is a Holiday Inn, one of the two host hotels for the players. Room is certainly nice enough. Have no idea how I'm going to sleep tonight knowing what awaits me for the next week.

Sounds like the excitement I used to have way back when I would go to the WSOP

To keep this is chronological order, I'm just going to paste an older post from Sunday here.

Sunday, July 25th.

Got out there at 8am and got the lay of the land a bit. Player hospitality just inside the clubhouse. Locker room just off player hospitality. Range, short game area, putting green, 1st and 10th tee, etc. Grandstands all over, sometimes to the point that it's tough to navigate but certainly manageable.

There were several weather delays but having a place to hang out during those with all the free food and drink you want makes it very tolerable. Started with hitting some balls on the range before playing the front nine at 930. The range deck is huge and it's the quality of an average putting green. The grass is so short and tight, just so much fun hitting balls off quality turf. Naturally when I got practice balls I was asked if I wanted Pro V1's or Pro V1x's. I play x's, they are all new and perfect and have TOUR stamped on them in red. No, my caddie did not slip a few in the bag when nobody was looking.

Then make our way to the putting green and get the feel. Greens are perfect of course but not unusual for good courses in this part of the country. Quick but nothing crazy. Yet. Balls downhill certainly roll out a lot but I told my caddie that this will be the slowest we see the greens all week.

Step on the first tee with nobody in the grandstands and almost nobody on the course. Need to enjoy the solitude because it's just going to get more and more crowded everywhere. Hit two balls of the first tee, one in the left rough and one in the right. Difficult to find, the rough is brutal. 4 inches although in places it's definitely more. Talked to the GM of the course later and he said a couple of weeks ago it was probably double this but it's easier to cut the rough to the height they want rather then attempt to grow grass and inch or so overnight.

Had 180 in and tried 6 iron out of the cabbage. Hit it 140 but at least it went forward. Hit balls out of the rough on a few other holes and it was similar. Will need to take some time and determine the best way to play out of the thick stuff.

Around the greens though I'm confident I can play out of it. Just have to read the lie and adjust the length of the swing accordingly. Pretty fun to take a half swing with a wide open 60 and fly it maybe 8 yards. The short cut around the greens are probably better than many actual greens. But you can certainly spin it off the tight grass. Hit those low spinners that hop once and just skid to a stop. But it's also pretty easy to putt off of and that's a good comfort to have.

Took at least 2.5 hours to play the front nine just trying to learn as much as I could about the holes. Played the max length on most holes and there were two par 4's I hit 4 wood into. We will see how often the USGA plays those holes back there.

Got off the course just as more rain was coming in so retreat to player hospitality for food and to officially register. Got a bunch of swag, credentials for my girlfriend and parents, signed 9 pieces of memorabilia, made times for M-W practice rounds, and so on. Fun stuff. Then met my girlfriend and caddie player dining and we just chilled and stuffed our faces.

It rained for quite a while but eventually we were able to get out and practice some more. Hit another bag of balls, practiced out of the fairway bunker, and went through my drills on the putting green. The practice facility is just so perfect it's honestly difficult to tear myself away. I had told my caddie a week ago that I figured I'd just want to stay there all day and he would literally have to force me to quit. And that's what happened. I quickly acquiesced because once he mentioned it I realized it was happening.

So plan is to do something like this the next three days as well. Want to get as much work is as possible without wearing myself out. Probably going to get to the course about 930 Monday and not playing the back nine until 1. Parents get in this and it will be so fun to show them the facility.

The adventure has started and it's a lot of fun.

Monday, July 26th

Since I'm not playing until 1 today and I want to conserve energy, I sleep absolutely as late as I can, which still wasn't that late. I then waste as much time as I can otherwise I'd be at the course at 6am running amok. Ended up picking my caddie up at 930.

Here's where the fun really begins. Sunday wasn't an official practice round, those don't start until today. Starting today everything is official and the golf course and facility as a whole is treated as such. This means roads going into the course are closed and police cars stationed appropriately.

So when turning onto a road a half mile from the course there is a big sign stating road closed and a police car with lights on further blocking the way. But I am in an official courtesy car, I also have a special parking badge. I confidently roll by the road closed sign and the policeman gives me a smile and waves me through his checkpoint. At the next intersection I encounter another man in blue who waves me through, oh this is fun. Then come to the entrance where a lady is triple checking whether or not cars can enter. Of course I can. A little further up the road another parking attendant points me closer to the clubhouse where player parking is. At the clubhouse two more attendants show me the lot and inform me I can park anywhere except for the 20 or so spots marked for all the past champions.

Both myself and my caddie stroll to the clubhouse official credentials prominently displayed because there is security everywhere and certainly at every entrance. Of course we are allowed everywhere we want (well, I am, my caddie can't go in the locker room or a separate player restroom, but he can go everywhere else) and we quickly end up in player dining for a leisurely breakfast.

After breakfast we head to the range where my caddie picks up two bags of Pro V1x's and pick a spot. As soon as we set the clubs down a volunteer has looked at the name on my bag and has found the sign with my name on it and slid it into the USGA stand behind where I was hitting. Of course all spectators need to know exactly who is hitting balls and I am no exception. As already stated, Monday is the first official day and everything is done by the book.

Even though it's just Monday, there are a surprising number of spectators already here. I hit balls, then go to the putting green. It is slightly faster than the day prior, no real surprise. Ball is rolling out just that little extra. Even the uphill putts roll out like crazy. But it's also so easy to make putts if you hit them pure.

After a good session we head back to player dining for a light lunch before heading out on the course. They just make it so easy to get stuff done in a short amount of time here. Walk into the room and two minutes later you are starting your meal. So spoiled.

Head off to #10 tee box and enter a different world than yesterday. There are now USGA officials on the box to check in with and hand out official hole locations for that day. Then at tee time they announce who is playing and the few spectators who are on the box applaud. On a Monday! This is nuts. Hit two balls off the tee and we are off.

But wait, who are these two volunteers walking with us? They are practicing for their duties come Thursday, scoring, etc. And there are also volunteers on each side of the fairway. They are spotters, making sure we can find a ball if we hit it in the rough and mark it with a flag. On a Monday! Same thing up by the green, same thing on every tee box. It's a Monday and there are 10 volunteers doing various jobs on every hole. Making sure the ropes are in proper position so I can get from green to tee with nobody getting in my way.

On #12, a par 3 over water, I clank an iron that fails to clear. Thrown down a second ball and do the same thing. Fabulous. Find the green with my third ball thankfully. Turn to the two volunteers on the back of the tee and ask if this is where I can purchase mulligans. Gotta just laugh at bad shots.

Again, probably takes 2.5 hours to play 9 holes by myself because there is so much to learn. Hitting shots from the greenside rough, the bunkers, the collection areas, etc. My head is swimming with data to analyze.

While I was on the course my parents had arrived in town so as soon as we came off #18 I headed back to the hotel to pick them up while my caddie chilled in player hospitality. Fetched them, drove back to the course once again past all the checkpoints and into player parking. Needless to say they were quite impressed with everything. Their credentials also gets them into nearly everywhere in the building including the dining, they found this hard to grasp at first. But I told them that they were allowed in even if I wasn't with them. After about a day they overcame their trepidation and took full advantage of all the amenities.

I wanted my Dad to take a quick look at my swing so we headed out to the range for a short session. I also had a surprise for him. At registration the USGA gave me an orange armband that gets the wearer inside the ropes Monday through Wednesday. I reached in my golf bag, pulled out the armband, had him put it on, then pulled up the rope and had him join me and my caddie on the range. Worked through a couple of things and called it a day. My Mom snapped some really good pics of the three of us out there, pretty special if you ask me.

We all went straight from the golf course to dinner as it seemed silly for all of us to clean up beforehand which would have made dinner as late as 7pm. We found a good pizza place downtown which was quick and easy. Girlfriend and caddie downed several beers which would become routine during the week. Good for them.

All of us back to the room at a good hour and got a good night's sleep. Still a long way to go through the week.

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