With the United States Open being played at the Oakmont Country Club this weekend, I thought that I would share with you my own personal experiences at this great golf course.
No, I was never a member, just in case you were wondering, but during the course of my working career at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, I had the good fortune to be invited to play there twice, both times by customers of mine. The best advice I received prior to the first time I played there came from my friend Bob Mill who told me "Don't even be concerned about the score. Just go out there, hit your shots, and enjoy the experience." That was good advice, which I followed and it enhanced my pleasure of playing there. The course is everything that you hear everyone saying about it. Beautiful, long, incredible bunkers, and unbelievably fast greens. I did keep score, and I recall that in one of those rounds, we went out early in the morning, and I carded a 51 on the front nine, which pretty much amazed me. By the second nine, however, the sun had come out, the greens had dried out, and it was like putting on marble. I don't think I broke sixty on that nine.
There was a third time that I was invited to play, but it rained that day, and we only were able to play two holes. We started on the back nine, and I somehow managed to bogey number ten. On number eleven, I reached the green in three shots and somehow, miraculously, managed to drain about a fifty foot putt for a par. Then the rains came and washed out our round, but it has enabled me to always say that there was one day when I played Oakmont in "one over par". I don't have to mention all the other details of that day.
Enjoy the Open this year. As of this morning, I will select Jason Day as the winner of this year's Open, but I reserve the right to take a mulligan and make another prediction at the close of the second round.
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