Hello friends and happy Friday from the U.S. Open!
A few small notes right off the bat: this event has the best media center food I’ve ever had, the baristas are putting a fun touch on my vanilla lattes AND I recapped the Taylor Swift concert with Michael Greller and Bones Mackay.
Also, Los Angeles Country Club is a tough walk. I’m putting in about 17,000 steps a day and I still haven’t seen parts of the course yet.
I want to give a special shout-out to Salma Ibrahim, the junior reporter who helped cover the tournament on Wednesday. Salma hung out with Kira Dixon, met players and grilled Max Homa in his presser. I got to show her what a day in my life looks like on-site at a major championship, but I’m not sure she needed much of my help — she’s already a star.
I need to really take advantage of my gig now, because Salma is 100 percent coming for my job in a few years.
Charlie Woods at LACC
Tiger Woods hasn’t played in a U.S. Open since 2020, but another Woods was on property at Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday: Charlie. He’s gotta be the only 14-year-old with an inside-the-ropes pass this week. Trust me, those things are not easy to come by.
This is the only photo I’ve seen of Woods at LACC, which is pretty impressive because the golf world is obsessed with the kid. I can’t help but wonder who is in charge of the recent eighth-grade graduate out here. Is someone making sure he’s staying hydrated? Putting on sunblock? This is the supervision my little brother needs on a regular basis.
It looks like Charlie is having an all-time Los Angeles golf week. He teed it up at Riviera the day before making it out to LACC.
That swing looks pretty good, too. Not a bad way to kick off summer vacation! I spent my summer after 8th grade babysitting my siblings for free, but to each their own.
Phil’s kicks
It took me a while to get used to Tiger in FootJoys. Once Dustin Johnson started rocking them too, I pretty much thought I had seen it all golf footwear-wise. But nothing prepared me to see Phil Mickelson rocking Jordans on the golf course.
Would you take a look at those bad boys?
Seeing a 53-year-old man in those kicks reeks of Steve Buscemi in the “how do you do, fellow kids?” meme, but Phil has always transcended his age, so I have no choice but to respect his fashion choice here.
After his round on Thursday, I learned that Mickelson had his shoes custom-made by someone called the “Shoe Surgeon.”
I checked out the Surgeon’s website, and he has a pair of kicks listed at $5,000 and another at $10,000. If you’re not sure how to spend your tax return next year, there’s an idea for you.
USGA’s jokes
The U.S. Open may be the toughest event to qualify for, but once you get here, the USGA is pretty relaxed. Over the years, the governing body has had its fair share of fun with players, from Max Homa’s giant credential to Webb Simpson’s locker nameplate. This year, they’re having a lot of fun with the players at LACC.
It started off over the weekend, when the USGA presented Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler with a tandem bike instead of their Lexus courtesy car.
And then Joel Dahmen had a note waiting for him by the player parking lot.
Then the USGA had some fun with Adam Hadwin after getting tackled by a security guard on Sunday at the Canadian Open.
When Max Homa mentioned that the smoothie cups in player dining were small, the USGA provided a massive glass bowl for him to drink instead. The USGA is off to a very hot start here, and it’s only Friday! Some people might suggest that they adjust their focus to making the course play more difficult, but not me. There’s nothing I love more than a good bit.