Bethpage and Free Water

This coming week, the US Open Golf Championships will be held at Bethpage Black. The Black course is located in Bethpage State Park, in New York State. Bethpage, with it's relative bargain $120 greens fee for out of state residents, is the blue collar course to the exclusivity of Pebble Beach and Augusta and the exorbitant rates of Pinehurst, Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass.
In the Sports Illustrated US Open Preview issue, the article Public vs Private compares New York's two Tour venues: Bethpage Black and the brand spanking new Liberty National Golf Club. Bethpage is where groups of strangers can arrive the night before and camp out, drink beer, play poker and swap stories as they wait for one of 6 first come-first serve tee times that are given out each day (the other tee times are via lottery). Liberty National, with its $500,000 initiation fee, is a place where you pay to not have groups in front or behind you on the course.

I was reading Charles Spurgeon's (1834-1892) Morning and Night, and for Morning, June 13 he wrote how Jesus says, "take freely". Come just as you are and "take freely" the water of life. He writes about how beautiful the drinking fountains in England were. No one in their right mind would come to the fountain if they were thirsty and say they couldn't drink because they didn't have five pounds. No matter how torn and tattered they may be dressed, weary and thirsty travelers will freely drink for no other reason than the fountain is there.

The fine gentlemen and ladies in their carriages that pass by, though they may be parched with thirst, will not demean themselves to drink for the fountain of the commoners. In the same way, there are those who are too rich in their own works to freely come to Christ and state, "I will not be saved in the same way as the harlot or the swearer."

Billionaire Jim Clark, founder and member of Liberty National, was asked in the article how he would feel about sleeping in his car to secure a tee time. His response, "I can't imagine having to wait half an hour for a tee time." This is not a diss on Jim Clark. He has earned the right to do with his money whatever he pleases. This is about the rest of us, who do not everyday get the opportunity to walk and play the same course as Tiger, Padraig and Sergio. For that, we will drive hours, sleep in our cars and shank our opening shot on the Number 1 Tee.

"Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17

The US Open at Torrey Pines

Though I am admittedly a hacker, I love golf. I love the tradition and history of the game, the challenge of each shot on each hole, the scenic layouts of certain courses and the fellowship of golfing with my friends. Needless to say, I was enthralled by the action at this past week's US Open Championships. From the opening pairing of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott on the first day to the playoffs today, this was an Open for the ages.

A few notes:

1) I can understand Phil's frustration. The quadruple bogey on Number 13 Saturday ruined him. Just a bogey would have brought him to plus 3 after Sunday and tied for sixth. Instead, he finished tied for 18th with a +6. We once played golf at Connestee Falls and watched our putts roll off the green and several yards down the fairway. Went from putter to wedge. Not a good hole that day.


2) In case you haven't heard, Tiger Woods had surgery on his knee right after the Masters. He was obviously in pain, especially on Saturday. A lot of people said that the media was overplaying his injury, that it's just golf. I would beg to differ. Golf is so much about balance and control and your knees are just a little bit important for that. Golf is a game of precision.

I would argue that Tiger playing with a hurt knee was more impressive than Curt Schilling's bloody sock, Emmitt Smith's separated shoulder in the 1994 NFC Championship game, or even Kerri Strugg's miraculous vault on an injured ankle in the 1996 Olympics. While these injuries might have HURT MORE, I don't believe they affected the performance in their sports as much as a bum knee in golf might. Some injuries in some sports can be played through.

I watched Justin Harrell play against Florida with a torn bicep! I have no doubt that he hurt, but he could still perform at an acceptable level. There's no way you are performing with that injury if you are a golfer or tennis player. It's not about toughness, it's about physiology.

3) We are going to talk about Tiger's performance for a long time. Saturday was amazing. That birdie putt from near the fringe on 13 (the same hole that ate Mickelson) was phenomenal. Then he holed 17 from the bunker and a 30 foot birdie on 18 to clinch the lead. The putt on Number 18 Sunday to tie will be also remembered (if only for the insatiable fist pumping). Check out these highlights from Saturday:

4)Get rid of the 18 hole playoff for the US Open. Playing Monday is so anticlimatic. It was close today, but what if Tiger had birdied three in a row and Rocco bogeyed those and was 6 behind? That equals: Yawner. If there is a tie, they should draw a number from a hat or bucket and play three holes. If 12 is drawn, you play 12, 13 and 14. If there is still a tie, go on to 15. I don't like sudden death, it does not give enough room for the better golfer to emerge. 18 on Monday is too much though, especially if one golfer falters.