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My
player this week is Namika Omata
Monday: Didn't take long to find a bag. Namika Omata's friend was scheduled to work for her but was in an auto accident and hurt his leg. I'll be taking his place for the week.
Another soggy course but the forecast is for temps in the 90's so it might dry out sans more rain.
The dreaded, tenacious, blood sucking, green-headed flies have not made an appearance so far, which is the good news. The bad news is that the course is adjacent to a marsh and there are enough mosquitoes and other critters to take their place.
An early morning Pro-Am tomorrow will help beat the heat.
An interesting thing happened last week. At the 11th hole, on Thursday, the caddy for Guilia Sergas happened to ask another caddy in the group if he thought it was still a driver off the tee. Well folks, that's considered asking advice and the looper being asked turned him in. The result was a 2 shot penalty for Sergas and turned a 1 under round into a one over. This may have mentally carried over to the next round because she started with three sixes and shot 77. Needless to say, the caddy got the boot. A careless comment probably cost her the cut and him his job. The caddy who turned him in was also given the heave ho by his player. I guess she didn't care for all the hubbub it caused.
Tuesday: Easy day. It took only 4 1/2 hours for the Pro-Am which is 1/2 hour less than usual. Nice guys but I was stiffed on the tip. A little practice and we were done for the day.
0 for 2 on the green-heads.
Wednesday: Easiest day yet. Started to practice at 10:30 and was done by noon. Early practice round scheduled for tomorrow to beat the heat but Friday's tee time is 1:00. Plenty of water, sunscreen and bug spray will be needed.
Thursday: It's a hot one out there folks! Heat index of 105. Everyone looks like wilted lettuce.
Played our practice round with Shiho Katano and Michelle Wie. Michelle had an entourage consisting of B. J,. her dad/caddy, her mom, her coach Gary Gilchrist, 4-5 photographers and a reporter from the Baltimore Sun. One of the photographers was from Sports Illustrated. They are going to do her swing sequence in a future issue.
Her mom was quickly dispatched from inside the ropes by one of our rules officials. If you don't have the proper credentials you must follow the rules governing the general public.
Gary, the IMG Academy director, is Michelle's regular teacher and was conducting an on course lesson and some course management instruction. With the heat, it was difficult enough to concentrate but after watching them work together I can only describe it as overload. The day before the event does not seem to be the time for such intense tutoring.
It may be nothing, but on the 4th tee a sweat pattern emerged on Michelle's back resembling the devil. Two pointed horns atop a narrow tapering face, or it just may be my vivid and twisted imagination.
If you're wondering if Michelle is as long as they say, I checked her driving distance on 3rd and 16th holes, both par 5's, and each was 290 yards. The par 5's are the only holes she may hit the driver. The four metal will probably be her choice on most of the others.
On the eight green Gary took a call on his cell which carried over to the ninth tee. This is a no-no. One of our many rules is the prohibition of cell phone use inside the ropes. I conveyed this to him afterward and he agreed not to take any more calls. Playing more than 2 balls is another one which they ignored but I presume again out of ignorance .
Kay Cockerill stopped by on the 10th tee to say hello and Grant Boone did the same on the 13th.
We played through the 16th hole and then called it a day. Michelle continued on and was greeted by a passel of autograph seekers when she finished.
In conclusion, I wish Michelle did not have to wait till she's 18 to come out on tour. She would be another great "shot in the arm" for the LPGA along with the Annika phenomenon.
Friday: A bit of a haze and an off-shore wind made the day much more bearable than yesterday. The rain in the forecast never materialized. Namika brought her umbrella which provided instant shade when necessary. It is amazing how much cooler it is when in use
Two under was our finishing score which is in good position. She struck it well and had a mix of birdies and bogies. No practice after the round. The sooner you can get inside with some air conditioning the better. We might get a brake tomorrow with the temps in the mid 70's.
Saturday: If you don't play this game with confidence you're toast. Well, you can scrape us off and slap the butter on. Shot 4 over, missed a 4 footer for par on the last hole and blew the cut by a shot. I could tell from the start she wasn't the same player as yesterday. Looked like she was guiding her swing and not putting with the same assurance.
After the 4th hole I got her to loosen up a bit but in the stretch, insecurity raised it's ugly head. That's golf. Namika has most of the tools but needs to break through on the mental side of the game.
Well, it's off to The Open. Got a good deal on a "Stay and Park" at the Philly airport. The normal long term parking can really put a dent in your wallet so it's nice to find a deal.
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