Miles and smiles
Fans snap pix, get autographs
TOWN OF ERIN Imagine trudging miles to watch baseball batting practice.
Well, at the U.S. Open, fans walked miles Monday to get an up-close look of their favorite players practicing shots at the fearsome Erin Hills golf course.
There were payoffs for some, a chance to see the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker playing from just a few yards away.
But for 12-year-old Andrew Bauer from Chippewa Falls, the best part was the autographs.
His program was dotted with signatures, including one from his favorite player, McIlroy.
But that was a tough one to get. Bauer had to stand his ground against a rope and not get intimidated as a couple of adults tried to go over the top with flags they wanted signed.
After McIlroy signed the program, Bauer told him to win the tournament. And McIlroy flashed a smile.
“You have to find the person and make sure it’s the right time,” Bauer said.
A practice round is relaxed. There’s no pressure. The players are trying to feel out the course and fans are taking the measure of the players.
This is the first time Erin Hills has held a golf major, so everyone was eager to see just what it would look like when the players hit the course.
“It’s a lot more informal,” said Gary Dent, an anesthesiologist from Waupun. “You get to watch more shots.”
Dent snapped photos of his favorite players and said: “Mainly, I’m just relaxing and drinking beer.”
Judy Tenhaken of Oosburg was surprised to see the players throwing down extra golf balls and putting from several different angles.
“It’s fun to see where they throw the balls,” said Tenhaken’s husband, Gary.
Gary Tenhaken said he was there to walk the course and see the layout.
“When we’re sitting at home on the weekend watching on television we can visualize where they are on the course,” he said.
“The course really looks tough,” he said. “If the greens are fair, I don’t think the players will have complaints.”
John and Madelyn Mulloy of Green Bay were there to watch the golfers. But it turned out their biggest thrill was watching their kids, Holden, 9, and Madelyn, 7, get autographs.
The two most obliging golfers were Stricker and Jim Furyk, who both signed dozens of autographs as a line of fans waited patiently by the ninth green.
“It has been pretty neat for the kids,” John Mulloy said. “To see these guys taking their time to stop like this, it just encourages the kids to stick with golf.”
Allen Curtes, a retiree, lives just four miles from the course and rode his bicycle to a drop off point.
“Everything seems to be working smoothly in town,” he said.
And on the course? Curtes couldn’t get over watching the players swing.
“Just the ease with which they swing,” he said. “The rest of us lash out at the ball.”