Congratulations, Martin Kaymer, you handsome German son of a bitch.
Sure, nobody wanted you to win. I walked the first five holes with you and Rickie Fowler Sunday and heard chants of “USA! USA! USA!” and even “win one for ‘Merica, Rickie!” along the way. The cheers were noticeably louder when Fowler did well. Not so much with your steady hand.
Hell, even if Rickie didn’t take you, there was Erik Compton. Had he caught you, the sports world would have exploded with sappy features. And for good reason.
Yet, if it wasn’t over before you even teed off Sunday, it was certainly over when Fowler shanked his second shot on the beautiful 4th hole at Pinehurst No. 2. It was the worst golf shot I’d ever seen live, not counting every shot I’ve ever taken or seen while playing golf with my friends. Fowler double-bogeyed the hole, and you cruised to your second major and first U.S. Open win.
And while you didn’t wear knickers Thursday or go out of your way to capture ‘Merica’s heart, your win was impressive. Most impressive. Michael Campbell, you ain’t. And this likely won’t be your last major.
So kudos, Martin, you ol’ kaiser you. I enjoyed watching you take out the putter when the rest of the world opted for wedges.
And I certainly enjoyed my first ever major in person.
LITTLE FOWLERS
Everywhere you looked Sunday, you saw little boys in orange. Puma orange, to be specific.
Rickie Fowler looks like a goober with his color coordinated clothing and straight bill Puma hat, but damnit if it hasn’t caught on. If there was a boy under 13 at the U.S. Open Sunday, odds were he was sporting some kind of Puma apparel.
Which is fine … for kids.
On the 5th hole, I saw the complete Folwer outfit, but in all pink. And this wasn’t a 12-year-old boy, but a man in his mid-40s, early-50s. I took a photo with my cell phone, but out of fear of retribution from Pinehurst and that this guy may track me down, I’ll refrain from posting. If you must see it, send me your email and $5 through Paypal. Now.
MEDIA COVERAGE
I wrote back on Thursday that the media had it easy at the U.S. Open. You didn’t have to leave the comfy, air-conditioned confines of the media tent to report on the goings-on at Pinehurst … which really means you didn’t have to come to Pinehurst, unless you felt like sitting in the interview rooms (also air conditioned) to talk to the golfers. And if you didn’t even feel like doing that, the USGA provided full word-by-word transcripts of each public press conference.
I thought The Sanford Herald — which had a four-page wrap of U.S. Open coverage each day from Thursday through Sunday — could have relied less on the media interviews (which were being covered by the Associated Press, for which the paper pays a service to use) and gone out and gotten more unique features or odds and ends. The average newspaper reader cares very little about the actual golf going on, but probably cares a great deal more about how this huge event down the highway is affecting their community … whether it’s an economic boost or stories about the many volunteers from our area working the Open.
Anyway, that’s just my opinion.
Oh … and …
