Tuesday--91st PGA Championship

We arrived at the course just before 6:00 AM and there was already lots of activity. Many players came early to play. By 6:30 players were teeing off. As I was waiting for Ryan to come out of the locker room, Tiger and his caddy walked by to the driving range. When we got there, Ryan had just one player between himself and Tiger. Unfortunately, Tiger left after a couple of minutes, but at least we got to see him up close. He is taller than I imagined him, and he is very fit and muscular--more so than any other player. When we got to the 1st tee, we had to wait for a couple of groups before we could tee off. Players on the tee were Angel Cabrera, Andres Romero, Camilo Villegas, Luke Donald, and Miguel Angel Jimenez. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were all laughing and having a good time waiting to hit. Ryan played with Rich Beem, Jerry Kelly, and Kevin Steelman. Steelman's caddy used to be with XM radio and interviewed Ryan at Southern Hills. He is quite a character and kept things lively. Kelly and Steelman left after 9 holes, so Rich and Ryan finished the round. Beem was a very enjoyable player. At 2 this afternoon, Ryan went down to 16 tee with Jim Huber from TNT and a film crew and did a "tip from a Pro" segment. So now you'll have to watch TNT, tape or DVR it, to see if they air the segment. The one guy said probably Friday, but who knows. The crowds here have been amazing. According to a news report this morning there are very few tickets left and it really shows. Several players have commented that they've never seen so many people for practice rounds. The tournament days should have even more people. Today was a special day for Vicki, after three years she got to walk "inside the ropes" with Ryan and me. She started on 10 which is a picturesque hole. It is a dogleg left which drops down to the green by the lake. It is kind of a hub there because 16 is close by, so she got to experience what it is likw to walk from green to tee through large crowds. She was very impressed. On hole 12, Ryan told a little boy to wait for him until after he had teed off. He went over, signed his flag, and gave him a signed practice ball. The boy and his family were very excited and it was a very touching and proud moment for Vicki and me. Ryan did a radio interview this afternoon with the Dennis Patchin Show in Spokane and Thursday morning at 8:30 AM Pacific time he will be on "Mitch in the Morning" on a Seattle Radio Station. Mitch is on KGA 1510 in Spokane as a simulcast so the Spokane area can listen. Mitch is also on the computer by googling KJR Seattle and you can listen live or listen afterwards because his interviews are taped. Tomorrow we get to sleep in a little--7:45 leaving time. He will be playing around 10 with Fred Couples and probably others. We will only play 9 holes as that is what most of the players who have been around a long time do. They are familiar with the courses, so they just need to refresh a little and most rely on their caddies to do all the course analysis. Hopefully, they will play the back nine because that is where most of the playing decisions need to be confirmed. After we are done playing, I'm sure Ryan will spend time on the range and on the putting green. Vicki and Stacy have had interesting days, spending most of their time in the dining room taking care of Carsen. The have been like mice in the corner listening to all the conversations. Zach Johnson even talked to them about Carsen today. We really miss not having Matt and Kim here this week. Matt has been studying for his National Physician Assistant Boards. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

Looking forward to a lighter bag tomorrow.

Bruce from the CaddyShack