Woods never did get into a rhythm with the all the stops and starts and it ultimately hurt him. Granted his putter wasn’t working and I think his tournament was over when he missed that three-foot putt in the second round.
I can’t remember the last time I ever saw him miss a putt that short in a major championship.
It was nice to see former Newport Beach resident Steve Conway get into the U.S. Open.
It is often rare for an alternate to get into the nation’s championship. Most qualifiers will play in the event even if their arm is falling off.
Conway learned of his good fortune the day before his tee time. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark had an ear infection and couldn’t fly, so had to withdraw and Conway was more than eager to take his place.
The former Santa Margarita High and UCLA standout has been playing in mini tours trying to latch on to the PGA Tour for the past few years.
I would have liked to have seen what the 27-year-old could have done in better conditions at Bethpage Black. He shot a one-under 69 the second day, but couldn’t overcome the 80 he shot the first round and missed the cut by five strokes.
Conway, who now lives in Murrieta, is living his dream, though I am sure he thought he would be on tour by now. I believe he has the talent to make the PGA Tour and his 69 in the Open hopefully gives him some more confidence. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing full time on either the Nationwide or the PGA Tour next year.
I was sad to see that Mesa Verde County Club’s longtime bartender Vincent Hannan passed away recently.
He was a physically intimidating man and had a caustic demeanor but it was all a big act. Hannan was one of the nicest men I had ever met.
When I was working on Mesa Verde’s 50th anniversary book, I would spend long hours in the men’s grill room where Hannan worked.
