Originally Published on July 13, 2013 by ranchomurieta.com

Diaries written by: Don Thames​

​QUALIFYING WEEK:

July 9, 2013: A round with Hale Irwin and Rocco Mediate

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Omaha, Nebraska – Today we teed off in the first starting time of the day, at 7 a.m.  We were paired with Hale Irwin, Dave Eichelberger and Rocco Mediate.  Rocco was a super friendly man and of course a great player.  Hale never missed a fairway and Dave was one of the nicest guys you could ever play with.  Dave is 69, Hale is 67 and Rocco is a rookie Champions Tour player at 50 years of age.

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Today was nice, as we did not hit a bunch of practice shots until we reached the greens, where we did a lot of putting to locations that would likely be placements during the actual tournament.  I am fortunate to have Nick on the bag, as he knows the greens well and talks to me and advises me as well as a sports psychologist.  He is constantly reminding me to stay in the present.  He is also very adept at golf course management.

After three practice rounds, I am satisfied with being familiar with the golf course.   I will take Wednesday off and just hit some balls, chip and putt.  Nick, as a great player in his own right, gave me a great tip yesterday about playing from the tall rough around the greens.  I practiced his method and it seems to produce a higher, softer shot, which will come in handy around here.

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There are three cuts of graduated rough in this USGA event.  On top of that, I have noticed on the shorter holes and the par fives that the rough is taller than it is on the monster par fours of 450 to 460 yards.  I can move an 8 iron about 100 yards from the secondary rough, so there is definitely a penalty for missing the fairway.  Missing the fairway will result in trying to get it up and in from 40 to 100 yards.  In the third cut (the tallest grass) a sand wedge is the weapon required.  The first cut is decent to play from but can produce a “flyer” if the approach angle is too steep.

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Daughter, Makayla came in to town and has joined the fun.  Ron Coy and Dan/Sue Cullen came out and followed us around.  Carole supplied them with family passes so they can go behind the ropes and come in to the player and family dining area and make use of free food/drink and air conditioning.  It has reached 90 degrees here and is humid.  Feels kind of like Florida to me.  Jerry Ortner and Josh Twist are coming out on Wednesday night.  All of our friends get free passes for the week.

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Hale still moves it out there pretty good and is extremely accurate.  I don’t think he missed a fairway all day.  As you might imagine, he is very accurate with the irons as well.  Rocco hits it about five to 10 yards by me on the average.  Hale would be about 10-15 back on the average and Dave is slightly behind Hale.  Remember, they are nine and 11 years older respectively.  I believe this aging thing is like dog years after 50.  It is hard to tell how these guys putt because my caddy threw down discs on the greens and balls were rolling all over the place simultaneously from all different directions.

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Didn’t practice after the round and instead used available energy on visiting the Taylormade, Callaway and Adams Tour Vans.  Picked up a bunch of golf clubs at a great price (free).  These guys have it made out here and are spoiled rotten.  They have a fitness van for player massage and therapy which I will probably take advantage of tomorrow.  Right next to that is a mini-gym with an attendant on duty who applies “stretches” to the players.

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Tonight we are all going over to Dan Cullen’s house for a barbeque.  More details to follow.
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