Hello friends and happy Friday from the U.S. Open! I started my day with a lovely walk around Pinehurst No. 2 and then went with my coworkers to meet Anthony Montanez, the man behind all of the buzzworthy (sorry) haircuts at the course this week.
I couldn’t help but to get a photo in the very spot that all of the pros are getting their trims this week.
I decided against getting a cut like the rest of the guys, but now I’m wondering if I missed out on a “Like Mike” sort of situation where Montanez cutting my hair would’ve let to me playing golf at a professional level. I guess we’ll never know. Anyway, shout out to Montanez for being so kind. I can see why the players trust this barber so much!
Bryson’s gear confession
Another major means another opportunity for Bryson DeChambeau to go viral. Just when I thought the 2020 U.S. Open champion couldn’t get even more interesting, I learned that he named each of his clubs. They read like a mixture of a class roster at a Montessori school and a game of charades.
Imagine looking your caddie in the eye and saying, “Hey, can you hand me Mr. Ward?” or “I’m between a Juniper and a Tin Cup … what do you think?” I can’t imagine the pressure of being on DeChambeau’s bag. Imagine handing your guy Demaret because you got it confused with Mr. Ward? If you don’t know your major championship history, it could easily happen. This whole thing adds another level of complexity to DeChambeau’s game, which I shouldn’t really be surprised by.
I guess I’m more in awe of the whole thing, and now I really want to know what his driver and putter are called.
Scheffler’s relatable moment
It’s not very often the World No. 1 is relatable, but something about the U.S. Open brings out the human side of even the very best players in the world. We could all relate to Nelly Korda for a brief moment when she made a 10 on the par-3 12th hole at the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster a few weeks ago, and the other World No. 1 offered us all another “just like us” moment on Friday at Pinehurst No. 2.
Okay, so Scottie Scheffler‘s “worst golf shot” is definitely a lot better than the worst shot the rest of us have all hit, but who among us hasn’t said something similar after hitting a poor shot?
Pinehurst No. 2’s fun tradition
I just recently discovered Pinehurst No. 2’s long-standing tradition that if a player makes a two on any hole on the course, they can take their scorecard to “The Deuce,” a restaurant at the resort, and get a deuce coin. What a lovely keepsake!
Pinehurst kept the tradition going for players in the field at the U.S. Open on Thursday and got creative when asked about how they deal with holes-in-one.
I wonder how many more deuce coins will be given out this week compared to a usual week at Pinehurst No. 2. Fewer golfers — but these ones are pretty good.