COLUMN
It’s been 10 years because the most extraordinary sporting expertise of my life, which happened throughout the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
The third main of the 12 months has returned to the brutal North Carolina course for the primary time in a decade and I relived my unimaginable 5 days again in 2014 to my editors this week.
It’s such an unbelievable story that they insisted I write about it to provide weekend hacks, like myself, a uncommon glimpse behind the skilled curtain.
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I’ve been very fortunate to attend greater than my fair proportion {of professional} sports activities around the globe (114 stadiums and counting) however this expertise stands head and shoulders above the remaining.
Okay right here we go, strap in.
I used to be crashing at my finest mate Alex’s place in North Carolina, the place he was on an athletics scholarship at Wake Forest College, after I bought what proved a once-in-a-lifetime name.
The voice on the opposite finish of the road was that of Kyle Grant who traded being the 1107th ranked golfer on the planet to as an alternative snowboard full-time, and we’d simply completed working a ski season collectively in Utah.
Kyle advised me his buddy Brady Watt had simply certified for the US Open and will get us tickets to the match, which was about to be performed a 90-minute drive from the place I used to be staying.
So the subsequent day I borrowed Alex’s automobile, picked Kyle up from Charlotte Airport and similar to that we have been on our strategy to our first golf main.
The one small downside we had was a severe lack of funds. Being younger and broke, we barely had a couple of hundred bucks between us however we devised a plan to illegally camp someplace close to the course.
After assessing our choices we settled on a quiet space within the woods perched simply behind the ninth inexperienced and arrange camp for the night time.
The issue was we have been filthy from the 35C warmth and dusty winds, so we determined to drive again to a lake we noticed on the best way into city and wash off Comfortable Gilmore model, I child you not, earlier than heading to an inexpensive bar for dinner.
“I keep in mind looking for a spot to camp that first night time, we have been straight roughing it,” Kyle laughed after I contacted him this week.
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The following day we collected our tickets from the VIP sales space, regarded up Brady’s tee time and headed to the primary gap. It was there that we ran into Brady’s dad Mickey who had travelled from Perth for the most important match of his son’s life.
Mickey requested the place we have been staying and we advised him we have been tenting behind the ninth inexperienced.
“No significantly, the place are you staying,” he mentioned.
As soon as we defined our monetary scenario, Mickey revealed that as a result of Brady had certified so late that he additionally initially had nowhere to remain.
So an SOS went out in skilled golf circles and who ought to have an accessible vacation home by the course that wasn’t getting used that week – none apart from Jack Nicklaus.
Mickey mentioned there have been two empty bedrooms and insisted we come keep, we didn’t have to be requested twice. In order that afternoon we packed up our camp in document time earlier than driving over to Nicklaus’ pad in a prestigious gated group.
Within the house of 24 hours we’d gone from the shithouse to the penthouse.
However issues have been about to get even higher.
After Brady missed the reduce, his agent determined to skip city and on his approach out the door he handed us his all-access credentials.
And after I say all entry, I imply all entry.
Swiftly the 2 brokest blokes in Pinehurst had the keys to the citadel and entry to the gamers’ lounge.
We’d gone from devouring all-you-can-eat rooster wings on the outskirts of city to consuming world-class meals alongside the world’s finest golfers. I deadset requested Rickie Fowler to cross me the bread on the salad bar and he kindly obliged.
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Every part within the lounge was free after all, together with a really fancy bar that Kyle and I took full benefit of all through the weekend.
The match was being held throughout the FIFA World Cup and we discovered some Poms within the lounge who seemed to be in the identical boat as us – tagging alongside in help of a buddy.
I plonked myself subsequent to a younger fella watching England play Italy and with a beer in hand I innocently requested who he was there supporting.
“I’m truly taking part in, I’m an newbie,” he mentioned politely.
“Oh there you go, what’s your title?” I responded.
“Matt… Matt Fitzpatrick,” he mentioned sheepishly.
“I’ll have to recollect the title,” I advised him encouragingly.
I remembered the title all proper, he went on to win the match eight years later in 2022.
I requested Brady his recollections of his main debut 10 years in the past and regardless of lacking the reduce he remembered the week fondly.
“I keep in mind you and Kyle stayed and we had an absolute blast,” he mentioned.
“I keep in mind us all being within the gamers lounge and many chats with gamers.
“The course was difficult, not a sand belt however it performed with that type of firmness. Greens solely had like two or three flat spots on each. Kaymer putted every thing, so did Rickie.”
One other unimaginable a part of the weekend was strolling the course and watching the weekend’s play with two professionals in Kyle and Brady.
They give thought to the sport in methods you’ll by no means think about and genuinely have photographic recollections of all their pictures in large competitors.
The distinction between a scratch golfer {and professional} golfer is mild years, let me guarantee you.
“It’s such an extended course and the greens are tiny,” Kyle mentioned.
“I particularly keep in mind how powerful the tough was and the fairways all slope in direction of the wire grass areas which have been tremendous onerous to hit out of.
“I additionally keep in mind Chubby Chandler giving me shit for my unkempt look within the lounge.”
After German Martin Kaymer gained the match by eight pictures, we piled right into a bar on the town with a bunch of gamers and drank and sang into the early hours.
Kyle and I drove residence in close to silence the subsequent day, barely believing the 5 days we’d simply had.
It was really a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime expertise for a weekend hack like me and one which I’ll be reliving at dinner events for the remainder of my days.
– Eamon Tiernan is the NRL Editor at foxsports.com.au