The U.S. Senior Open ended last Sunday with Fred Funk shooting a record 20-under par at Crooked Stick. That is right, 20 under. The Stick was defenseless in this birdie fest.
Don’t get me wrong, Fred played great. When in trouble he played smart and he putted very well. But I have to tell you that the players did not see the real Crooked Stick.
I went to the tournament on two days and I have to say it was not set up to produce high scores. I am going to say that maybe the fairways were too firm and the pins were maybe a little benign for the last day, but in the end these “seniors” were hitting 300-plus yard drives on a course that was to be the longest in Senior Open history.
I have a soft spot for Crooked Stick and its members as I was an assistant there back in the day and I know firsthand how hard that course can be. To me, the rough did not look rough, it looked very manageable.
Each year the Stick hosts the Pete Dye Cup Pro Am, which brings in pros and top amateurs from around the country for a two-day tournament. And trust me, we don’t get 30-40 yards of roll on our tee shots. As Fred Funk said, “This week I felt like one of the big boys with my tee ball.” That just may say it all.
Don’t fret when the BMW Championship rolls into town in 2012 with Tiger and the rest of the top players in the world. Crooked Stick will be a lot meaner with nasty rough, slick greens and softer fairways.
Next item concerning the Open: The Crooked Stick members, volunteers and the community of Carmel need a standing ovation on what was a first-class event that they put on last week. It was very impressive. The hospitality tents were full, the concessions were laid out perfect and overall it had a warm Hoosier, friendly feeling. They got people in and moved around the course and the attendance was impressive.
Now onto happenings at the Brickyard: The Challenge Cup matches are here today (Thursday) with the amateurs against the professionals in a 36 hole Ryder Cup style format. I tee it up here in about hour so I need to get warmed up.
Want to let everyone know that we will be adding some features and specials to our website here in the very near future so don’t forget to book your tee time online.
Till next week, get out enjoy the weather and play some golf!
Two down, one to go – races, that is – here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Brickyard 400 was run last Sunday, with Jimmie Johnson winning for the second time in a row and third time overall. Jimmie was at the course Friday, July 24 to accept his ring for last year’s victory and to also announce the Jimmie Foundation golf outing to be played at a later date.
Boo Weekley showed up on Friday to check out the action at the Brickyard and got in a little golf that afternoon. Boo is exactly what you see. He is very friendly, courteous and just a lot of fun to meet and be around. He went over to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. and picked up a few items for a charity auction he is doing later this year. He picked a door and spoiler from the 88 car. Also from the Tour, our good friend Jim Gallagher Jr. and his son Thomas and friend Jake came to the race. It is always good to see Jim. Jim represented the Brickyard on Tour for a number of years and has always been a good friend to the IMS and Brickyard. Jim and the boys got in a little ball-hocking in the creek before the race and walked away with some nice golf balls. Our blogger from the Nationwide Tour, Craig Bowden, also came to the track to watch the race.
Speaking of the Gallagher’s, Jim’s sister, LPGA tour player Jackie Gallagher Smith, is here this week. Local company Allison Transmissions is entertaining some customers this week and decided to tie in some golf with their visit. Jackie, myself and the rest of the professional staff have been doing two clinics a day for their customers, then taking them out on the course for a round of golf. The clinics concluded Friday.
The U.S. Senior Open started Thursday at Crooked Stick, and the leaderboard is full of stars. Greg Norman got off to a good start and was tied for the lead with Joey Sindelar at 6-under par. This is going to turn out to be a very exciting tournament with plenty of birdies to be had, but Crooked Stick will jump up and bite you very quickly. Fuzzy Zoeller is playing, and fellow Hoosiers Randy Nichols and Scott Morris shot 75 and 76 in the first round, respectively. Randy was at 1-under when the Stick got him on No. 14 and No. 16 with double-bogeys.
As far as predictions, I think it is wide open. Weather right now has not been a factor as Thursday the rain stayed south, and the winds have been somewhat light. Scoring conditions should be ideal with good weather scheduled for the weekend.
Last Friday, I participated in the Meridian Hills Shootout and got to see the renovations that took place over the past year. I must admit: The course definitely got harder. During the shootout, I partnered with Pat Welch of Woodland Country Club, and we finished fifth. My putter was not very good as the first six holes are alternate shot.
Coming up here at the Brickyard next week are the Challenge Cup matches where the top amateurs in the state take on the top professionals. It is 36 holes and is contended very much like the Ryder Cup, with the morning being best-ball matches and the afternoon being singles matches. I am happy to report that I will participate. I was hoping to play in the senior division, but unfortunately I am in the regular division, so I have to say hello to those back tees once again.
I need to give a shout-out to my good friend and fellow professional Will Hutter. Will was the professional at Wolf Run and Sea Island and is now at the Governors Towne Club in Atlanta. Will had to have some surgery to remove a kidney on Tuesday of this week. Will is recovering nicely, and his results are very favorable. I want him to know that just because he is short a kidney, he is not getting any shots, no matter how much he whines!
Remember, the Brickyard is in awesome shape and tee times can be made daily through our Web site.
Until next week, keep practicing, and remember fairways and greens lead to lower scores.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
It’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard week here, and the course has been busy.
Fuzzy Zoeller was here Tuesday, July 21 for the Bob and Tom Fuzzy Navel Open golf tournament benefiting Riley’s Children Hospital in Indianapolis. As always, Fuzzy was very entertaining in his clinic, and then he was even more personable as he went around and played a hole with each group. Needless to say, they raised quite a bit of money that day for Riley.
It looks like Boo Weekley will be attending the race this weekend with a friend of ours, John Cunningham, who works for Bingham EST here in Indy. Along with Boo, our good friend Jim Gallagher Jr. and his son will be here this weekend to catch the race. Jim is a huge NASCAR fan.
Lots of activities going on Friday at the course, with hit a floating green on Hole No. 8 sponsored by Chevy. It is open to all fans and starts at 9 a.m. Those who hit a shot on the green qualify for the High Noon Shootout, with a chance at winning a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. Check out the Web site for more details.
Let’s talk about major golf now. What a heartbreak for Tom Watson last weekend in his playoff loss to Stewart Cink in the British Open. Cink has been on the verge of winning a major for a long time, and it was nice to see him win.
But I do have to admit that we hold a special spot here for Watson, seeing how he made his Senior Tour debut here at the Brickyard in 1999. He actually shared the lead after round one with a 66. That year, we had the Richard Petty Driving Experience come in and let the players drive a stock car around the track, and Tom got the Rookie of the Year award for his time in the car.
After Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is over this weekend, major championship golf arrives in Indy for the U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club in nearby Carmel. If you don’t have tickets, yet you need to get some and watch the best senior players in the world take on Crooked Stick from July 27-Aug. 2.
The first round of the tournament begins Thursday July 30, with the final round Sunday, Aug. 2. Some of the best times to go might be the practice rounds, where you get up close a little easier and the players are much more relaxed.
I want to wish fellow Hoosiers Scott Morris and Randy Nichols good luck during the tournament. Scott qualified here at the Brickyard on June 30, and Randy qualified through his play in the 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur. Randy was a semifinalist at Shady Oaks in Dallas last year. Both are great guys to play with, and I have enjoyed the pleasure of competing against both.
The field for this year’s Senior Open is very strong, with all the big names entered. I am sure Watson will be among the fan favorites, as he always is, along with Fuzzy and Greg Norman. It should be a great tournament, so don’t miss the chance to see these great players up close at Crooked Stick.
As for our playing here, I tee it up Monday with my assistant Jeff Williams in the Indiana PGA Pro-Assistants tournament at the Legends in Franklin, Ind. It is 36 holes, with a best ball in the morning and Pinehurst alternate shot in the afternoon. We hope to build on our top 10 finish of last year.
Until next week, check out all the racing action here at the Brickyard and book a tee time next week here at Brickyard Crossing and play one of the finest conditioned courses in the area.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
The U.S. Open has started and now has stopped. Play has been suspended for the day, and it will resume at 7:30 Friday morning. So it is going to be boring day here, with no golf to watch.
I watched a few holes Thursday morning, which was Tiger’s group as it teed off at 8:06 a.m. In his group were Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington. They completed six holes and will start on #7 Friday morning. The conditions were really rough, with gusty winds and a constant rain that eventually turned Bethpage Black’s fairways and greens into streams.
The scores were about what everyone thought they would be – somewhere around 1-under or even par. Scores probably will not go low due to the conditions and the length of the course. Throw the rain and the wet rough in the mix, and the course is probably playing two to three shots harder.
I would like to welcome fellow professional and Hoosier Craig Bowden to our blogging team. Craig has been on Tour quite a few years, and if you recall, he came to the Indy 500 this year. Check out his blog as he is playing in the Open and blogging from there all this week. Indiana University player David Erdy, who is from Evansville, also got in the Open as alternate. Good luck to both players this week.
It is less than two weeks until the Brickyard hosts the U.S. Senior Open qualifier, and the field here is strong. One Tour player is entered, left-hander Russ Cochran, and also a few former Tour players such as Ralph Landrum, who led the U.S. Open at Oakmont. There are quite a few fellow Indiana professionals, along with some other club professionals from the surrounding states. There are 101 entries, with only three advancing to the championship at Crooked Stick Golf Course in Carmel, Ind. It will probably take 4-under to secure a spot and maybe 2- or 3-under for the last spots. It all depends on the weather. The course is going to be setup from the back tees with difficult hole locations. If the course is soft, it will play longer, but the greens will be more receptive for approach shots. Spectators are welcome, and there is no admission charge.
After the qualifier, we go right into the Fourth of July week and then the Indiana State Open on July 7-10. Here in Indianapolis, we have had some type of rain nine of the last 11 days. We could use a break from the rain and let things dry out a bit so we can keep up with our mowing.
With no U.S. Open action going on Thursday, the rain has stopped and the sun is out in Indiana. This would be a good time to get some practice in to get ready for the qualifier and State Open. My knee is feeling a lot better but is still sore when I walk up and down hills.
Check out our Web site soon as we are going to be announcing a new promotion and an event in conjunction with the State Open.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
The Ryder Cup is over, and the Americans came through despite being “Tigerless.” It just goes to show that just because Tiger is on the bench that American golf, and golf, in general, isn’t down until his return.
New stars and heroes emerged from Valhalla Golf Club, just down the road in Louisville. Players that bomb the ball like JB Holmes and Boo Weekley captured golfers’ hearts with their go-for-broke, swing-from-the-heels attitudes. They also brought something we had not seen from the Americans in past Ryder Cups – team spirit.
Sorry for not writing a blog last week; we were a little busy with a few events surrounding the race. A few of the drivers played last week in the Chevrolet Media Day golf tournament. It seems like more drivers are playing than in the past. This takes in account drivers from Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series.
Not a whole lot going in golf with the exception of the U.S. Senior Open out in Colorado this week. One of my good friends, Bob Stephens from here in Indy, qualified and shot a very respectable 71 in the first round. Bob does a little practicing here at the Brickyard and has won numerous amateur tournaments here in Indiana.
Speaking of the Senior Open, the Senior Open comes to Crooked Stick Golf Club in suburban Indianapolis next year, and the tournament is looking for volunteers. Contact the tournament office at (317) 571-8742 or visit www.2009ussenioropen.com if you would like more info on being a volunteer.
We have some events coming up here at the Brickyard. The annual IGA-PGA Challenge Cup is Thursday, Aug. 7. This event pits the top amateurs in the state against the top PGA Professionals.
The event is 36 holes in which the morning round is a two-man team best-ball match play, and the afternoon is single-match play. This similar to the Ryder Cup but is only one day. The amateurs have been beating us here lately, so the professionals need to step up and lay one on the amateurs.
I am fortunate to be able to play in this event and am honored to be on the team and to also host this event that is sponsored by the Greg Norman Collection. Speaking of Greg Norman, how about his play in the British Open and the Senior British Open?
The PGA Championship is coming up in about a week. The venue this year is in Detroit at Oakland Hills. This is a very long and demanding course, and I am going to give you a couple of picks I think might do well in next week’s blog.
The Tour is at Firestone CC this week for the Bridgestone Invitational. If you haven’t heard, we are a Bridgestone-exclusive facility and have been now for two years. You can read more about this on our Web site.
Back to the tournament at Firestone. Last year I was invited to the tournament as a guest of Bridgestone. They rolled out the red carpet. I got to stay right at the course in the guest rooms above the clubhouse. Then on the first round of the tournament, I was an honorary observer with Sam Foley, our business manager here at the Brickyard, and walked inside the ropes with a group. Our group consisted of Michael Campbell, Paul Casey and Scott Verplank. They were all nice. Not a lot of conversation, but they hit some golf shots.
Being that close, you watch every move they make, then immediately try to copy that shot or swing. I watched really close when they missed a green to see if I could pick up anything that would help me with my short game.
I did notice that on their shots around the green out of high grass that the clubface did not necessarily open up as much as what I thought it would, so I came back to the Brickyard and practiced that. It did help my short game a little.
Firestone CC is an awesome course that I got play about a month after my visit, and it is one tough, long golf course. The thing people don’t realize is that there are two other courses there that are just as good, and it is definitely worth the visit to play.
I’ll give my picks next week for the PGA, and if you get a chance, try some Bridgestone products. Their golf balls are as good as it gets, and their irons are pure.
Don’t forget that golf is a game of a lifetime.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing