Senior Moments: A New Marshal in Town
By Frank Luna
First day marshaling at the US Senior Open, lots of fun and excitement followed by long stretches of baking in the summer Sun.
After watching about eight videos on my various duties I was ready to tackle the 11th hole.
My first job was spotter for the landing area where I'm tasked with sticking little USGA flags in the ground two feet behind the ball towards the players path.
But to my great disappointment everybody hit their ball in the fairway, who are these guys?
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At least on the 11th hole the landing area is pretty generous, but I did miss a spectator almost getting beaned because I lost track of the ball.
I ran down to the spot where the ball landed in the rough and place my little flag in the ground.
The player walked up and surveyed the situation, pulled the flag out and handed it to me, job well done.
If you've ever been to a golf tournament, the first thing you may notice is how nice everyone is, player and spectator alike.
That attitude makes marshaling a snap. While on the tee Hale Irwin and Fred Funk engaged the marshals in conversation, joking about our stoic posture and high fiving the guy holding his hands up to quiet the gallery.
Fun on Tuesday, but I'm sure it will get a little more serious come Thursday and the first round.