2020 PGA Championship -- Round 3

 

Third Round on Saturday.  At this point, half the field was cut and there were now 79 players.  My shift was for the entire day and since I was assigned to the first hole, the first group (one player and the Harding Park Club pro as a filler to make an even 80 players), I was on the course at 8AM.

My view of the 1st green, with the hole right behind the bunker.  As the "Quick" today, I had to make sure that I could see the bunker to identify if balls landed there or in the rough, that's why I'm farther back down the fairway.

A nice bonus is that the first hole is right in the center the course and I could also watch action on the 2nd (left) and 7th (right) holes.  Turns out, I didn't actually see much.

The view down towards the first tee.  Yeah, it was pretty overcast and gloomy most of the day.

Jordan Spieth again in an early pairing.

My first view of Phil Mickelson

Tiger in the left rough.  He would have had to move spectators had they been present.

Big hitter Bryson DeChambeau hit a drive that was closest to me, so it was the longest drive of the day.

The Japanese media showing up for their countryman, Hideki Matsuyama, who wins for the best splash of color!

Dustin Johnson went so far left, he was on the slope leading up the second green.  I was in his line of sight, so I had to move.

Coming back from a bathroom break!  There's my lonely red chair.

ESPN commentator Gary McCord

So the golfer I really wanted to see was the leader Li Haotong!  He's 25 and from China.  He's tall.

He shot an over par round and apparently lost a ball in the trees on the back 9. 

The official policy was that once a shift is over and duties are completed, a volunteer is supposed to leave the course and not hang around because of COVID-19 restrictions.  But, to leave I had to walk by the 18th green and so I hung out for a few groups as they finished up.  This is the view from where I'm standing on a hill at the back of the green.

I got home about 45 minutes later and for some reason Onions had a tape delayed broadcast of the 18th hole coverage and the players I watched were on screen.  And then they showed this panned coverage and I saw myself on TV.  I'm that guy standing by the white post in front of the green building.  Onions said he could tell it was me because of the way I was leaning on the poll and the way I bent my leg.