Meehan: Local golf fans get peek at the best

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Keith Ross was on the Chambers Bay driving range at 5:45 a.m. Monday, waiting for Tiger Woods to arrive. Instead, Dustin Johnson showed up. For 10 minutes, Johnson hit balls and Ross was the only one in the grandstands to see them soar into the distance. “Tuesday morning, same idea,” said Ross, who coaches the Mead girls golf team. “And it was Darren Clarke hitting balls, smoking a cigarette. It was awesome. Eventually Tiger shows up and the crowds just accumulate.” Ross was one of many Inland Northwest golf enthusiasts who took advantage of the national championship’s first visit to the Pacific Northwest. With the Northwest absent on the map of PGA Tour stops, the 115th U.S. Open provided a rare opportunity to drive five hours to witness the best golfers on the planet. That’s a shame, of course, given the multitude of extraordinary courses in our corner of the country. United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis is digesting his annual double-helping of discontent from grousing Open players – this time about unsightly, uneven Chambers Bay greens – but the man deserves unconditional credit for his outside-the-box thinking that brought an Open to a golf-starved region. It’s the 10th major championship (pro and amateur) conducted in Washington. Sahalee hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open. The Seattle Open was once on the PGA schedule but that ended after a short run from 1961-66. I bumped into dozens of familiar faces at Chambers Bay, all of us jockeying with 35,000 others to find an elusive quality viewing spot. It’s proven to be as tough as the links-style course itself. “I’ve played it maybe 6-8 times,” Chewelah pro Jason Pitt said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a great place to watch so my plan was to scout things out Wednesday and find a place to hunker down. “Thursday I sat in the grandstands behind the 16th green, watched the trains go by, view of the Sound and (Chambers Bay’s lone) tree, watch players tee off on 17. I walked the majority of the course but I never made it up to 12, 13, seven, eight.” Texted one friend: “Cool event, but this place sucks for viewing. About the only place you can consistently see is from the grandstands.” Texted another friend: “Where R U N this mess?” His objective was to see Tiger Woods close up. I texted back that I was above the sixth green in one of a few marked-off sections for media. From there, I could see approach shots and putts on No. 6 but wasn’t able to track drives off the seventh tee. I caught five groups Friday, including the Spieth/Day/Rose threesome followed by Woods/Fowler/Oosthuizen. Other than a handful of Phil Mickelson’s shots in Thursday’s opening round, it was the extent of shots I viewed from close range in the first two days of tournament play. Two days later, I checked in to see how my buddy fared on Tiger watch. He replied: “Saw one hole day 1.” Pitt, who receives free admission as a PGA member, saw Woods’ infamous topped fairway wood Thursday on No. 18. Pitt came away impressed by the precise shots dialed up by most pros. “The No. 1 thing that popped into my mind is they definitely have control of the distance,” Pitt said. “They can land it in a 10-by-10 area. Spin control, distance control. Same thing on the driving range, they’re hitting 10 in a row right where they’re trying to hit it.” Ross worked four four-hour shifts as a volunteer in a hospitality tent and was otherwise free to roam the expansive property. “Easy tradeoff,” said Ross, leaning against a railing as Adam Scott stroked putts 20 feet away on the practice green. “It didn’t matter what was on my schedule, I was going to drop anything to make sure it happened. For being 36 and being in the game, it’s the first time I’ve been to a tour event of any kind. To make it a U.S. Open, it’s about as special as it gets. I’m going to take full advantage. “I’ve got autographs from Rory (McIlroy), Hunter (Mahan), Keegan (Bradley). I feel like a 12-year-old, just so giddy. I love it.”