Pebble Beach National Pro Am

I thought I knew what it would be like to go to a professional golf tournament. I figured it would be just as boring as it is to watch on TV. I definitely knew that I would get off on the wrong foot because the alarm went off at 4:30 this morning. Kevin on the other hand was thrilled. A budding young golfer with aspirations to make his high school team, Kevin received tickets to the Pebble Beach National Pro Am for his birthday.

When the website suggested parking 5 miles away I was nervous. When the site told me that both cameras and cell phones were prohibited, I was pissed. This must be the only sport (some would argue that it's a sport since no one sweats) where cameras are banned...let alone cell phones. But the busses worked like clockwork, the parking was included and the volunteers were friendly. It may sound silly but the only fun I planned to have was behind the lens of my camera. I moped on. As it would turn out, at least two-thirds lied and hid their cell phones from the trusting security people who sternly quizzed everyone twice going in. There was rumor that if caught the numerous officials would throw cell phone possessors out, but then there would have been no one left to watch the golf.

In addition to being my first golf tournament, there were some other firsts. It was my first time at Pebble Beach and it came on a day when the were surfing the big waves at the Mavericks competition to the north and Pebble had its share of monster waves under a warm sun. The radio told us that today 49 of the 50 states had measurable snow the day before, but for us the weather and scenery couldn't have been more stunningly beautiful. Too bad I didn't have a camera. The other personal record I set was for breathing in the most cigar smoke of my life. It seemed like everyone (men and women) had a fatty sticking out of the their mouth for most of the day. This record eclipsed my previous best--the drive I took with my grandparents from LA to Palm Springs where my grandfather smoked his cigar the whole way with the windows rolled up because the air conditioning was on.

I used to carry on about the one professional basketball game I saw where I sat underneath the basket. I claimed, "this is the closest anyone can get to a professional sports contest." Well we were just six feet from the tournament leader at one point and the entire day proved to be quite intimate. While there were lots of people, it was much less crowded than I would have guessed and it was easy to get close to the action. When one Hollywood type (Lucas Black) hit an errant shot up a hill Kevin and I were among just a few others standing around him outside the ropes. I asked him what would happen if some wild fan kicked the ball back down the hill and into the middle of the fairway. He stopped, stepped back and said, "absolutely nothing" as if encouraging me with a big smile.

I was struck by the contrast between the more senior players and the young guns. We followed the Japanese 19 year-old phenom (Ishikawa) and Fowler (21) who were both wild in their outfit and flashy in their style. The pizzaz was rewarded with two tons of camera lenses that followed their every move--actually it seemed like the entire Japanese press corps was there to follow Ishikawa's every move. The part rock star, part golfer that both exhibited seems like it is the future of the sport. The older players, including leader Paul Goydos was emotionless as he completed his round. A 17-year veteran with 3 PGA victories under his belt, seemed deep in thought. And yet when a fan just a few feet away said, "Great job today Paul" he was pulled out of his mental zone and forced to politely acknowledge the recognition.

Maybe the highlight of the day was seeing the amateurs contrast the professionals. Watching George Lopez slice the ball like I do made it all the more impressive to see Michelson hit the green from a couple hundred yards and put the ball 5 feet from the pin. Bill Murray seemed to have a silly move on every hole and in a true "agony of defeat" moment we saw one professional four putt a green that others found easy and effectively end his tournament.

Golf may not be my sport, but it was a great day.

February 13, 2010